About Us
The Brief Academy
The Brief Academy is a concierge learning hub for early stage purpose driven founders. We are a social initiative that believes in the ability of startups to achieve their financial dreams while making an impact.
Our team of community-based mentors bring to the academy their deep knowledge and understanding of the local business terrain to guide our attendees, which they communicate in the form of online mentorship classes, workshops, thoroughly-researched business content and more.
Our sole purpose is helping the Founders and Business Owners grow their Startups into generational wealth creation channels through design thinking, financial literacy, and core team building blueprints.
Farida Yahya — Founder
Meet The Founder
Farida Yahya – is a social entrepreneur and active citizen. She is the Founder and CEO of Lumo Naturals; Abuja’s foremost natural hair care solutions brand; where she formulates and produces a full haircare line using women-led cooperatives to locally source our herbs, plant oils and natural butters.
Farida is the lead tutor at The Brief Academy where she has trained over 300 students. With the sole purpose of helping the women grow their businesses into generational wealth creation channels through design thinking, financial literacy, and core team building blueprints.
She is the founder of Ja muje Nigeria; a platform harnessing the skills, networks, and resources of local communities, with focus on education, health, and entrepreneurship.
Faculty Members
Made up of experienced entrepreneurs, industry experts, and community leaders who share our vision. They provide strategic guidance, fresh perspectives, and grounded wisdom to help shape the future of The Brief Academy and the founders we serve.
Zainab Salihijo Ahmad
Zainab Salihijo Ahmad is an accomplished leader with a rich background in biotechnology, development, education, fashion, and environmental sustainability. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Biotechnology, training in Public Health, a qualification in Luxury Fashion from the London College of Fashion, and executive education from Harvard Business School. A Mandela Washington Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, Zainab combines technical knowledge, creativity, and leadership to drive positive change across various sectors.
As the Acting Executive Director and a member of the Board of Trustees at FlexiSAF Foundation, Zainab leads the team in building robust systems and designing impactful programs that provide access to quality education for underprivileged children. Her strategic leadership focuses on creating sustainable educational initiatives that address the challenges faced by out-of-school children in Nigeria.
As the Creative Director and Founder of Pink Fleur Nigeria Limited, Zainab amassed over 11 years of experience, transforming the brand into an international womenswear business. With partnerships in the US and UK and clients in 38 countries across five continents, Pink Fleur achieved significant revenue growth and increased visibility under her leadership through innovative digital marketing strategies.
In her role as Executive Director of the Salihijo Ahmad Foundation, she led programs enrolling over 350 vulnerable children, including orphans, in quality education within two years. She also launched the Empower Her program, providing widows with entrepreneurial and business training to foster economic growth and community development. Additionally, she initiated a cleanup project in Abuja, engaging internally displaced women to restore public parks and promote environmental sustainability.
Earlier in her career, as a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate at the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Zainab contributed to training thousands of healthcare workers and supported the integration of essential health services into primary care systems across Nigeria.
Nnamdi Nwachuku
Nnamdi is a certified business consultant who specializes in new business development, investment readiness, and business strategy. He has over a decade’s experience in corporate communications, business development, and start-up advisory.
He is the lead business strategist at The Intellectual Plug, an enterprise consulting firm for startups and business owners. Before founding TIP, he was a program manager and grant specialist in the Nigerian innovation ecosystem. He has also worked closely with 100+ entrepreneurs providing tailored services for each client, including developing business plans, company profiles, proposals and pitch decks.
The Brief Academy at a Glance
Mission Statement
The Brief Academy exists to equip early-stage, purpose-driven founders with the clarity, tools, and community support they need to build financially sustainable businesses that create meaningful impact in the real world.
Our Core Values
We believe in the power of community, where founders grow not just through expert guidance but through real connections and shared experiences. We’re driven by purpose, helping entrepreneurs build businesses that create lasting impact, not just profit. And because meaningful support should be within everyone’s reach, we prioritise accessibility, ensuring our programs are inclusive, flexible, and open to founders from all walks of life.
Our Philosophy
We believe that great businesses are built on more than just big ideas; they’re built on clarity, community, and purpose.
At The Brief Academy, we don’t just teach entrepreneurship; we guide real people through real challenges, helping them turn passion into strategy and vision into viable, impactful ventures. We value local insight, hands-on learning, and open access to knowledge because we know that when founders are supported with the right tools and the right people, they don’t just build businesses – they create change.