By Agatha Emeadi
Chief Executive of Social Impact Consulting, Efua Edeh, is a development consultant, sought out public speaker and trainer, who studied Biochemistry but has carved a niche for her talents in advocacy and documentary works. One of her documentaries on the critical role of civil society in development had seven episodes and won acclaim. Through her work, she has carried out advocacies for black males in Illinois, United States, and is now ready to enlarge her coast, to make more impact.
Give us a snapshot of your firm.
Social Impact Consulting is a development consultancy that maximizes social impact. We therefore do a lot of project support, training, advisory, media and communication (content creation and editing) for development organizations more effectively to communicate the impact of their work. So, currently, I have produced and directed a seven-episode documentary called ‘Untold Impact: The Role of Civil Society in Development.’ In the documentary, I talked about the role of non-profit organizations and how they have been able to affect democracy in Nigeria, working in various systematic areas like health, nutrition and education, with a focus on the marginalized groups like the youths, women and persons with disabilities. So, not-for-profit organizations have made impact and they were started by ordinary citizens. They did not sit down to complain of what government should do or should not do, but we are actually advocators and contributors to democracy with the goal of living a better life as citizens. It is my belief that when one is able to advocate for systemic change, with a known and influential organization being identified with it, then, one is able to impact not just an individual but tax populations; that is exactly what I have done. Again, I have worked with various NGOs (Non-governmental organisations, both national and international, including different African countries.
Why did you choose advocacy and documentary productions, which is a sharp departure from your course of study?
Well, advocacy is not something that one chooses. When I graduated from the university, I did internship in a not-for profit organization that was advocating for criminal justice reform saying that 50 per cent of black males in Illinois has a fallen record which is really bad because if you have any fallen record in America, you cannot get a job or go to school, the person is pretty much trapped in the society. So, we decided to advocate for them to seal the record, especially when it is a low-level non-violent drug offence, that was what we advocated for and I just got hooked.
At what age did you travel to America?
I travelled to America at the age of 15 in 1996, after passing the secondary school (SS1) exam. But I completed secondary school education (high school) in Chicago, where I also went to university. In an organized system like America, going to school is straightforward. When you start, you finish in four years if there are no interruptions within your line of education. I was the only black person in my graduating class. I got a degree in Biochemistry. When I went into social development sector, my interest in social change and impact started then and I got my Master’s in Public Administration, my MBA concentration is also in Public Administration too. In addition to my qualifications, I am a wife and mother of two having being married for ten years. I started working for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in the North side of Chicago, where I did a lot of advocacy and community organizing work on criminal justice, education and prison reforms. We were able to enact a community teaching programme so that African-American communities could have African-American teachers. We had that pipeline in going to neighbourhoods around the state of Illinois. I worked on various health initiatives as well as built organizations in Indiana and Michigan. Then, I became an advocacy director for a policy think-tank in Illinois and I travelled round the state to talk about how one could evaluate a teacher based a student’s achievement. That was actually a bill that we were negotiating in the state legislature. So, I travelled a lot to Springfield doing a lot of advocacies and talking to legislators. I did that before coming back to Nigeria in 2012, though I had been visiting before I moved back in 2012. That was when I got married and as my second son turned nine months, I became the executive director of Junior Achievement Nigeria. I was there for about two years, moved to Abuja and went into consulting for my clients. I am also a content creator and a podcaster. The name of my podcast is Development Sector Series. I have produced various documentaries, which I started when I was at Junior Achievements Nigeria. My latest project ‘Untold Impact’ is a seven-episode documentary on the critical role of civil society in democracy right now.
What has been your highpoint in life?
My high point was the pre-screening of my documentary, I told Impact on January 26, 2023. When one creates something from concept and sees it come to fruition, there is nothing more rewarding than that. My lowest point is now and after the election, I feel like a lot of work being done by the civil society organizations seems to have been taken to the dark ages from the outcomes of the elections, which were marred with electoral violence, voter intimidation and suppression and shrinking of the civil space. My fear is that we are already in a repressible state. Based on the state of affairs in our nation now, we may end up in a cold-civic state if we do not do anything quickly.
Are you interested in politics?
Several people have asked me whether I am interested in politics. My response is that politics is for service. But the way it is now, it is not for service any more, rather self-aggrandizement, self-promotion, and narcissism. I think that is not how to get into politics. Politics from where I am coming from means that one should meet the need of the stakeholders though not by force, if people do not like you, it is not by force. That is what is going on in our country and it should not be. Therefore, if that is what politics is all about, I am not interested. Politics is about serving the people and making an impact, making people’s life better than you met it, that is the politics I want to get into.
How was growing up generally?
In my family, my father was my ‘rockstar’ and my mum just a phenomenal woman and both are professionals. My father is an engineer while my mother is a dentist. So, growing up was fun. I am the only girl with five brothers, so usually my parents would get us ready for school, and pick us from school to my mum’s dental practice and we watched her be on her feet treating patients till late in the evening. She would stop at the market and shop and bring us home. I watched my mother do the whole work-life-balance so seamlessly and still maintained relationship with family and friends. I really do not know how she balanced everything, but she did it. My dad travelled a lot and then the Nigerian roads were good, he would travel from Lagos to Abuja-Benin, all by road; once in a while we would get on a road trip with him and that was fun. When he returns from his trip, he would tell us a lot of old folklore stories. Back then, we used to play outside, visit neighbours and everybody knew each other, it was communal life and living then. Not so anymore.
Interestingly, I watched my mum balance her home seamlessly and it is very important because the home front is what keeps one grounded, making sure that the relationship with one’s life partner is intact. Then you are able to play your role as a wife and mother, that goes effortlessly well regardless of the profession. So, the balancing act and making it work is very important to me.
How did you meet your husband?
My husband and I met in Lagos during one of my visits from the United States. We met through my cousin and got attracted to each other; there was the needed chemistry and we continued to talk; and here we are today. He is a country boy and I am a returnee from the US, so our backgrounds could not be any more different, but the chemistry is strong. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary last year.