Breaking Barriers in Male-dominated Industry: The Untold Story of Victoria Naashika Quaye

Madam Victoria Naashika Quaye, the Chief Executive Officer of Naaviq Company Limited

Accra, Ghana, January 21, 2020//-Madam Victoria Naashika Quaye has broken gender barriers to become a successful entrepreneur in the water industry, traditionally dominated by men in Ghana and most parts of the world.

She has ventured into the provision of safe and clean water to quench the thirst of many Ghanaians in urban and rural communities across the length and breadth of the country.

To crown it all, Madam Quaye overpowered all the obstacles to blaze on the provision of safe and clean water trail to build a successful and profitable business in Ghana.

Despite her young age, this amazing entrepreneur is one of the dozens of Ghana’s water industry.  Madam Quaye is among the few female entrepreneurs in that space.

How her journey started

Her unparalleled passion for providing safe and clean water for all has been with her since childhood. In her adolescent age, Madam Quaye and her mother came up with an idea of how to filter water.

In her words: “When we realized the taste was good and we received good recommendations from people we started selling it to our neighbours and the community”.

Although Madam Quaye initially didn’t study any programme relating to water supply and treatment, she was propelled by interest in the water industry to study Water Treatment at the Center for Education and Advance Training in the United States of America (USA), after studying Communication Studies at Ghana Institute of Journalism.

“My interest for clean and portable water has edge me to find myself in the borehole and water treatment Industry just to be more knowledgeable in production of mineral water, borehole drilling techniques, water treatment, its equipment and accessories”, she explained to African Eye Report.

Delivering potable water for

In Madam Quaye’s quest to emphasize the concept of inclusive potable water supply for all, she established Naaviq Company Limited which provides community water projects, borehole drilling, water treatments, water consultancy, customized bottled water, dispenser mineral water and water treatment training in the country.

Today, Madam Quaye is the Chief Executive Officer of Naaviq Company Limited, a leading key player in Ghana’s competitive water industry. Under her dynamic leadership, Madam Quaye has turned the company into a household name in the water sector.

Madam Victoria Naashika Quaye is the Chief Executive Officer of Naaviq Company Limited

Her company continues to provide water supply services to almost all big companies in Ghana. These include-three SSNIT branches in Accra, five FBN Bank in Accra, Fanmilk branch in Kasoa, three branches of Opportunity International, three Stanbic Bank branches in Kasoa and Accra, and five Glico Insurance offices in the Accra metropolis.

“NaaViQ Company Limited was born basically out of passion but it was a sub-company to a water treatment company until 2015, when we decided to produce water only on a daily basis to/for various institutions in Accra and its environs”.

Madam Quaye continued: “Given the fact that 70% of the human body is made up of water, NaaViQ Company Limited has at the heart of its core values that any single drop of water entering the human body must be purified.

We also take a consultative approach to clients need, realizing that a single solution approach does not work for everyone. We access the problem at hand and give a tailored solution to the client’s satisfaction. This makes our after sales service team to always be on the move (regular checks on equipment)”.

Madam Quaye in her working attire

Furthermore, the company has delivered several community water projects, borehole drillings, and water treatments for government, private sector organizations and individual companies, among others.

Madam Quaye has also consulted to a number of organizations as well as trained several youth in water treatment.

Her services are always sought after across board. She has worked in the water industry for over 15years focusing on clean portable water for every individual in Ghana.

Madam Quaye’s company which has not only benefited over 200 clients and provided employment for numerous people but has also contributed to the development of the water industry in Ghana and to the socio-economic development of  the West African country.

Honours

Besides these, the United Nations Youth Ghana conferred on her to become the Ambassador for clean water and sanitation at UN youth Ghana (SDG6) due to her passion to train the youth in the Ghanaian society.

As the Ambassador, Madam Quaye has embarked on several sanitation projects. She collaborated with Grace Foundation to organize a clean-up exercise for Bubuashie and Atico communities, both in the Accra Metropolis.

She has worked with the Resource Centre Network (RCN) Ghana to seek and promote knowledge management in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector in Ghana

Madam Quaye has come up with her own solution for communities, homes, industries and many more that lack water.

Madam Quaye is holding one of her numerous awards

In 2019, she was adjudged the Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the Forty under Forty Awards ceremony which was held to celebrate Forty Achievers and Emerging Leaders under 40 years.

That same year, Madam Quaye received the International Philanthropist Award from the International Philanthropic Forum.

She again won the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) Female Social Entrepreneur 2018.

Speaker at numerous conferences

Her interest in excellence has paved the way for her to become both national and international conferences.

The pretty looking Madam Quaye was selected alongside Prof. Stephen Adei of Ashesi University, to speak at the 2nd Transcultural Leadership Summit, 2017 which was held at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

She was also selected as one of the promising 100 young people on the continent to participate in a youth forum with the former Heads of State at the Conference co-hosted by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation (South Africa) and the Uongozi Institute (Tanzania).

Madam Quaye 

Similarly, Madam Quaye was the Guest Speaker and Chairperson at the 6th Annual GNUTS Women’s Conference. She was also chosen as a contestant in the #waterwomen Competition organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

She participated in the UN Youth Assembly in New York and Speaker at the Executive Women Network and International Sheroes Forum.

Media featured

A Panelist at Chow Ghana/Essense 13 food forum, and a serious Advocate for drink water for health and not for thirst.

“I have also featured in leading newspapers in the Country and Abroad, the B&FT December 8, 2017 issue, the Daily Graphic April 5, 2019, Society Watch in Nigeria December 22, 2019 issue and on October 25, 2019 I was the Cover of the Spectator here in Ghana”, she said.

Madam Quaye has similarly featured on media programmes and networks such as Tales from the powder room on GHONE, Biz trends on TV7.

Madam Quaye

She has granted a lot of interviews on national television stations and radio stations as well. Madam Quaye was once selected as one of the rising female entrepreneurs in the male-dominated industry on “Uncovered on Starr FM”, a leading private radio station in Ghana.

She stands for faith, integrity, excellence and equity. Indeed, Madam Quaye is one of the young female entrepreneurs to be watched out for.

 By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report

 

 

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