NaaviQ Company Boss, Victoria Quaye’s Salubrious Vision
Her full name, Victoria Naashika Adebisi Quaye, says a lot about her.
Born to a Nigerian dad and a Ghanaian mum, she had lived most part of her life in her motherland, Ghana.
Now in her 30s, yet she has achieved so much for herself in life. According to Thabo Mbeki Foundation (South Africa) and the Uongozi Institute (Tanzania), she ranks among the Promising 100 Young People On the (African) continent; she was the Social Entrepreneur of the Year for the 40 under 40 Awards in Ghana in 2018.
Interestingly, at the moment, Quaye, who studied Communication Studies at Ghana Institute of Journalism, believes it is high time her efforts and exploits are extended to her fatherland, Nigeria.
The urge to do this has become so intense since she reunited with her paternal family in Nigeria after a few visits recently -her dad, Adesina Adewale Stephen, hails from Oyo State, while her mum is from Bukom, Ghana.
Her interest most importantly is to ensure that everyone gets access to potable water. Besides, she hopes to replicate in Nigeria what has made her company, NaaviQ Company Limited, a major player in the water industry in Ghana within the last 15 years. The company is a leading name in Ghana in the business of borehole drilling, water treatment and production of mineral water.
Part of her endeavours in Nigeria will also include how she can support the rural population who are in dire need of potable water. “I dream of a world where everyone would have access to safe and clean water. This passion has steered my life’s work.
‘When I was starting, I asked myself what I could do to improve lives in our society. I remembered the hardship I encountered selling water on the streets of Accra at a very young age; so, my team and I decided not to just have a company that makes water but also improves the lives of the people, help reduce poverty and build capacity.
“So, that is what we do. We also came up with a training system, where we went to the rural and urban areas to provide training connected to making water a business,” Quaye said.
Her interest in pursuing excellence has earned her national recognition and global accolades, including the United Nations Youth Ghana Ambassador for Clean Water and Sanitation at the UN Youth Ghana (SDG6) for 2017-2018; nomination among Water Women by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) in July 2017; Female Social Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Young Entrepreneur Awards (YEA) 2018.