Personal finance expert and founder of The Smart Money Africa, Arese Ugwu has got the endorsement of Nigeria’s top entrepreneurs as well as some of the biggest names across sectors from business, finance, media and entertainment on her new book, ‘The Smart Money Woman.’
In their review of the book, centred on financial literacy, the moguls noted Ugwu’s impressive offering in teaching about financial management with coming off as preachy.
Chairman and President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said the book is “an entertaining way to learn about money.”
President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, while also commenting on the book, said: “A journey through personal finance written from a truly African context by a gifted young woman who seeks to reposition and redefine the way we think about the subject.”
Uche Pedro of BellaNaija, Betty Irabor of Genevieve Magazine and Tara Fela-Durotoye of House of Tara also commended Ugwu’s ability to tell a great, hilarious story while driving home the strong message about the changes to be made in the relationship African women have with money.
Through the book, Ugwu ventures into storytelling, spinning a juicy tale about four girlfriends in Lagos, Nigeria navigating incredible money woes and coming out victorious.
The book is centered around the story of Zuri, a 28 year old single woman, living the upper-middle class life as a senior manager at a top firm. Despite appearances, Zuri finds herself broke, unable to make ends meet and in need of a lifestyle change.
With her best friendsTami (the flighty fashion designer), Lara (the tough oil and gas executive), Adesuwa (the conservative lawyer) and Ladun (the fabulous housewife), Zuri grows a little and learns a lot.
Through the interesting scenarios of the fictional characters, the book covers debt, spending, the consumerist culture of the African middle class, the fear and misconceptions surrounding money and the lack of it, love, friendships, cultural and societal pressures and the roles they play in success; offering at the same time practical, step by step advice and solutions for a number of financial issues from investment and debt to budgeting and entrepreneurship.
Ugwu will kick off a book tour across Nigeria and Ghana from this month through to December 2016. The book tour will touch Lagos, Ibadan, Akwa Ibom, Warri, Abuja and Accra, Ghana to interact with readers. The tour will include meet and greets, book readings, book signings, exclusive brunches and dinners, interviews, and other exciting events.