This is the latest story in our People Spotlight Series (PSS) of distinguished personalities across the globe who are shaping the development of their community, passion or profession. In an earlier post, we wrote about Strive Masiyiwa, a Zimbabwean billionaire businessman and philanthropist who fought real battles with the old Zimbabwean government, led by late Robert Mugabe, to become the founder and executive chairman of international technology groups —Econet Global and Cassava Technologies. Here, we write about Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze, a dame of accounting and marketing, who has helped push multiple business owners to harness technology in their quest to break new heights in their respective revenue generation journeys. This article was produced from our independent research as well as cross-examination of evidence fetched from testimonials from her long list of growing mentees and followers.
With this serving, we hope you will enjoy reading us again and celebrate this rare marketing gem by sharing her story with others in your network.
In Lagos Nigeria, Africa’s 4th largest city economy, a 44 years old Ex-Jumia finance manager is obsessed with helping corporate ventures and small business owners improve their bottom line with a replete marketing strategy anchored on digital appreciation.
To confirm her influence, Techparley was on her trial to learn about her background, her person, her profession, her network, and ultimately, her impact on folks who have come in contact with her over the years either in person or through her Facebook social media handle, where she seem to sleep and wake up from, daily.
Digital marketing, without doubt, is a growing industry, day in, day out, and not without twists and turns. It is on record that worldwide spending will surpass $442 billion in 2024, with predictions to reach almost half a trillion dollars by 2026. People like the Ex-Jumia finance manager strongly believe that Nigerians —young or old — can tap into the space to further close the gap of unemployment and poverty.
“My dear, market your products online. It’s 2024. Don’t sleep on it,” she would often call out in her numerous Facebook posts. Sometimes, she goes a little further to draw up insightful case studies on best strategies for different products.
But, who is Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze?
Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze is an accountant who has distinguished herself as an enterprising professional seeking to transform the growth trajectory of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Africa.
A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Practitioner, she brings to bear her over a decade experience in bookkeeping, finance, and business consulting to support SMEs in achieving sustainable growth.
In 2015, at the age of 35, she founded AccountingHub, a virtual and retail tech-accounting firm, to bridge critical gaps in bookkeeping and auditing services for African businesses.
Since its inception, the platform has provided over 500 SMEs in Nigeria with crucial support in managing their taxes, financial records, and overall fiscal health.
Did you know
- She was born on the 5th of September 1980 in Jos, Nigeria.
- Chioma is the second of three children.
- She hails from Owerri, Imo State
- It’s exactly 30 years since she lost her beloved father.
Early Life and Education of Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze
Chioma grew up in Jos, and attended the Air Force Girls Military School. After losing her father at the young age of 14, it would seem for her like the world was ending but she persevered.
Together with the rest of her family, the event shaped their resilience and drive. For her, she didn’t allow her father’s loss to break her.
Instead, she was inspired to break barriers, going on to excel academically and later earn a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Jos.
Getting a job and leading a career
In 2006, at age 26, she relocated to Lagos to begin her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where she rose to the position of Senior Associate.
“I entered this Lagos on Saturday, 1st July 2006. To resume my first job at PwC on Monday, 3rd July 2006,” she recounted her story in one of her old Facebook posts.
“I cried all through the bus journey from Jos to Lagos. It was my first time to leave my parents in Jos. I had only two bags. A box of clothes/personal belongings and a ghana-must-go of my ICAN books. I had only final stage of the exams pending at that time.”
Everyone has a Lagos story. On how she started out life in the city, she recalled how she had to squat with someone before moving into her first rented apartment. “Uduak Friday met me in the bus and housed me until I got a loan from the company to rent my first room and parlour in Lekki,” she narrated.
“I cried everyday for 1 year. Lagos was mean. Waking up at 4am to go from Ikeja to VI to work. Close work at 6pm and run to ICAN tutorial school for 6pm to 9pm. Get home at 10:30pm and wake up at 3:30am to leave home at 4am.
“Life was hard. Oh I cried. I cried. Everything was hectic. I resigned 2 weeks into the job. I wanted to go back to Jos. The HR manager declined. She called me into a room. She allowed me cry [SIC]. Then she listened.
“She gave me a loan of 150k to get a house. I paid back over 3 months of 50k each. My salary was 104k take home. This is me 15 years later. I crushed my ICAN exams. I moved and worked 8 jobs. 11 years later, I resigned to start Accountinghub. I am grateful that this Lagos, I conquered it.”
Where has Chioma worked?
Over the years, her career has progressed with key roles in prominent organizations, including Finance Manager at Jumia, Chief Finance Officer at Greater Washington Capital Ltd, Head of Finance at Greystone Partners Limited, and Head of Finance and Administration at Alduco Energy Limited.
Today, 18 years since her movement into Lagos, she continues to demonstrate expertise in driving business growth, optimizing financial performance, and leading high-performing teams. Most importantly, she uses her social media platform to show her followers the rope as she seems to make her career journey an open book for the “reading” public.
Personal life of Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze
In 2011, she married her heartthrob, Mr Eze, whom she often speaks highly of as a “supportive and caring” husband with “heavy dose” of spirituality. The union is blessed with children.
Judging by her output, and energy, Chioma appears to be a workaholic, who enjoys breaking new grounds with people of her clique and thinking. “When it comes to work, I don’t know a lot of persons that work as hard as Chioma. God! Chioma is a HARD WORKER,” a fan, identified as Meziem Desire, acknowledged in his judgement of the Chioma persona.
“In her, I also found a mentor. Her corporate work experience, her background in accounting, retail economics, and finance is a treasure trove that has no bottom. Just this year alone, she has been instrumental in helping me make almost 8 figures. No kidding,” Meziem added.
Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze is a “proudly” Nigeria Amazon as she has in many fora expressed her fear for living in cities outside her home country —Nigeria. From our estimation, her life largely revolves around her family, her job, and her friends, one of whom is Nelly Agbogu, the brain behind the popular marketing agency, Naija Brand Chick.
With Nelly, especially, their chemistry seems organic, as they both often jump on jokes and banter on social media to the amusement of their fans.
Social media life
At Techparley, we can call her a Facebook bug, hopefully she won’t be offended. Her activities suggest to us that she probably finds the platform more comfortable over Twitter, LinkedIn or other Meta-sister platforms such as Instagram and Thread.
A typical Chioma could pull off from bed at 6am to make a post on how not to run ads for shoe sellers, and what to do instead to convert massively. Her fan base appreciates her too well, and she has helped many to grow their figures. As of the time of writing this post, her followers on Facebook stand at a staggering 215k.
Anyone following her can tell she is generally funny, and one of the few high-profiled professionals who live a very simple life. Her timeline is a repository of her constant professional tips, unlimited jokes, as well as instructive advice on marriage, friendship, parenting, and career development.
“I must admit, I am marvelled at the great accounting and business knowledge that Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze shares with her community,” a Facebook user simply identified as Abu Banaat stated. “Her energy is contagious, and she has successfully carved a niche for herself as a torchbearer for other accountants to emulate.”
Expanding impact through education and mentorship
In 2022, Chioma scaled up AccountingHub to include a special offering, the Data Entry Academy, an organ that has grown over the years into a pro-education technology institute.
Chioma’s Data Entry Academy is a virtual learning platform with over 14,700 graduates and 14 successful cohorts. The 15th batch is set to commence in February 2025.
The academy offers a broad curriculum designed to equip learners with essential workplace skills, including:
- Proficiency in over 40 workplace software tools
- Recordkeeping and inventory management
- Office administration skills
- Automation of office processes
Beyond the Data Entry Academy, Chioma is also the face behind the Chioma Business School (CBS), where she shares valuable business lessons on social media and provides affordable online courses to help entrepreneurs grow their ventures.
Today, the 44-year-old offers one-on-one strategy sessions for business owners, leveraging her extensive experience to help clients maximize profits and scale efficiently.
“If you have a digital product or plan to launch one, go and pay Aunty Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze for her one-on-one strategy session,” Rilwan Akeyewale, a product manager, business plan coach, and a direct mentee of Chioma stated in a November 2023 post. “This year, I did much less work and made much more money. Pay who know [SIC] road, so they can share their map with you.”
Like the product manager, many have credited her with transforming their businesses, exploding their revenue, and providing practical strategies that deliver real results.
Notable milestones and achievements
With her impressive profile and track record, Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze continues to impact the SME landscape. While this might not be an exhaustive list, here are some of her notable achievements for which she has gained significant recognition:
- Cascador Grant Recipient (2024): She was awarded $5,000 in funding.
- Cascador Greatest Social Impact Award (2024): She won $20,000, which will support the “1000RK Project”, a initiative to place 1,000 recordkeepers in dignified jobs within 360 days.
- Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship (2024): Chioma secured $100,000 in equity-free grants and mentorship.
What you should know
Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze is the convener of two major events in 2024. She launched the Maaaaad Marketing Conference and the virtual Shemillionaire, platforms aimed at fostering entrepreneurial excellence and empowering individuals.
The 2024 edition of the Maaaad Marketing Conference was held in Lagos, hosting over 1,000 attendees both physically and virtually from various locations. The event showcased 12 expert speakers that delivered valuable knowledge to help entrepreneurs scale their ventures.
Shemillionaire, on the other hand, was a free 2-hour virtual session designed to empower women business owners looking to double their results ahead of 2025. With over 35,000 registered women, it’s a transformative experience for growth and success.
On the impact of paid marketing conference, an attendee described it as a “masterpiece” that was way more than its price tag.
“Imagine paying ₦20,000 for a Business Summit as big as Maaaad Marketing, and the value was overwhelming,” Samuel Nsisi Uche noted. “From souvenirs and refreshments to the speakers’ insights—everything was top-notch. Even ₦100,000 wouldn’t have been enough to pay for what we got. Thank you, Mummy Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze. This was a masterpiece!”
Commentary
- First thing first, Chioma’s story demonstrates that anyone can rise from a low point to the top through hard work, flexibility, and consistency. This should be take-home for young people who are easily swindled to falsely give in to vice and peer pressure.
- How she constantly wears her country’s identity like an armour, and how she feels more comfortable living and doing business therein also deserve a special mention.
- Quite frankly, more Chiomas are needed in Nigeria, and Africa by extension. The black race needs more people who, like Chioma, can be simple and calm to mentor others to succeed in their chosen fields.
- On one hand, Chioma’s relatively young age could be her big blessing and icing on her cake. While she seems to be generally a proactive, happy breed, we may have to keep watch into the years ahead to see if anything will change in her approach.
- For now, we think she is an ideal enigma of a classical teacher who cheers on her students to success. And, as another fan, Sola Smart-Stewardship Adebakin, aptly puts it, “Chioma is not just a force—she’s a movement. Or should we say, an African thunder? She is helping people navigate their entrepreneurial journey, especially in the art of making money.”
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