25th Nov 2025
When Safiya Lawal Dalhat, popularly known as “Sophy a China,” was recognised as the Youngest Outstanding Entrepreneur at the Pandora Awards on November 21, 2025, the honour marked more than a personal achievement.
At just 24, the recognition reflected the journey of a young entrepreneur whose vision has expanded beyond building a successful business to empowering other women with the knowledge, confidence and opportunities needed to become financially independent through entrepreneurship.
For Safiya, the award is not simply a title or trophy. It represents years of determination, consistency, courage and a commitment to turning her experience into opportunities for others.
Today, her entrepreneurial identity increasingly extends into mentorship, education and advocacy for women seeking to build sustainable businesses.
Turning Success Into Impact
Safiya has established a strong presence on social media through business-focused content and practical conversations about entrepreneurship.
As “Sophy a China,” she shares knowledge about sourcing, manufacturing, branding, business opportunities and the realities of doing business with China.
However, her mission goes beyond content creation.
She wants women to understand business for themselves.
Rather than encouraging entrepreneurs to depend entirely on agents or middlemen, Safiya focuses on helping them understand the processes involved in sourcing and international trade so they can make informed business decisions.
Her philosophy is simple: women should not only participate in the marketplace as consumers. They should become business owners, decision-makers, employers and leaders.
Women Supporting Women
One of the clearest expressions of Safiya’s commitment to women’s empowerment is her organisation, Women Support Women.
Through the initiative, she promotes entrepreneurship and encourages women to develop the confidence and knowledge required to build sustainable businesses.
The philosophy behind the organisation is straightforward but powerful: women can achieve more when they support, educate and encourage one another.
Safiya uses the platform to share business knowledge and encourage women to discover their entrepreneurial potential.
For her, starting a business requires more than capital. It requires knowledge, planning, courage, resilience and a willingness to keep learning.
Teaching Women How Business Works
Safiya’s approach to empowerment goes beyond simply encouraging women to “start a business.”
She wants them to understand how to build and sustain one.
Through her educational initiatives and engagements, she encourages women to learn about business planning, sourcing, markets, suppliers, branding, customer relations and the mindset required to grow an enterprise.
Her objective is to see women become well-rounded entrepreneurs — women who understand their businesses, know their markets, make informed decisions and have the confidence to grow beyond small beginnings.
For Safiya, true empowerment means giving women knowledge that remains useful long after a particular training session or conversation has ended.
Bringing China Business Knowledge Closer
China has become an important sourcing and manufacturing destination for businesses around the world. Yet for many small business owners in Nigeria, navigating the Chinese market can be challenging.
Safiya is seeking to bridge that knowledge gap.
Through her content and educational engagements, she teaches aspiring entrepreneurs about sourcing, manufacturing, suppliers, markets and the importance of understanding the people and businesses with whom they transact.
Her exposure to the Chinese market enables her to approach the subject from practical experience.
She understands that entrepreneurs sourcing products from China need more than information about prices. They also need knowledge of suppliers, manufacturing processes, production standards, quality control, branding, factory operations and the realities of international transactions.
By sharing such knowledge, Safiya is helping make the China business environment more accessible and understandable to small and emerging entrepreneurs.
Building a Culture of Support
At the heart of Safiya’s philosophy is the belief that one woman’s success should create opportunities for another.
That principle is reflected in the name Women Support Women.
She encourages women to share knowledge rather than hide it, to support rather than discourage one another, and to view another woman’s progress as evidence of what is possible.
A woman who learns how to source products can teach another.
A woman who understands how to build a brand can inspire another.
And a woman who understands the China market can help another entrepreneur navigate it.
In this way, entrepreneurship becomes more than an individual pursuit. It becomes a community built around shared knowledge and opportunity.
Why the Pandora Awards Recognition Matters
The Youngest Outstanding Entrepreneur recognition presented to Safiya at the Pandora Awards carries significance beyond her age.
At 24, she had already established herself as an entrepreneur with business interests and experience spanning Nigeria and China, while simultaneously using her influence to educate and encourage other women.
The recognition highlights the potential of a new generation of African entrepreneurs who are leveraging business, technology and social media to create opportunities beyond traditional boundaries.
For Safiya, the award serves as motivation to do more.
It reinforces her belief that entrepreneurship can be used not only to create wealth, but also to generate knowledge, employment, confidence and opportunities for others.
A Voice for Women in Northern Nigeria
Safiya’s work has particular relevance to women in Northern Nigeria, where many aspiring female entrepreneurs are looking for practical knowledge and opportunities to achieve greater financial independence.
Her message is not simply to dream.
It is to learn.
To understand the market.
To develop valuable skills.
To take business seriously.
To understand the numbers.
To build meaningful relationships.
And, most importantly, to believe in their ability to become successful entrepreneurs.
Through her social media influence and Women Support Women initiative, Safiya is promoting the idea that entrepreneurship can be a viable path for women who are prepared to learn, work consistently and adapt.
Her vision is to see more women move from having business ideas to becoming confident entrepreneurs capable of building, managing and growing sustainable enterprises.
The Responsibility That Comes With Influence
Safiya also recognises that influence comes with responsibility.
As more women look to her for business information and inspiration, she understands the importance of sharing practical knowledge and promoting responsible entrepreneurship.
Her own experiences have taught her that business is not always easy and that setbacks are part of the journey.
Consequently, she does not present entrepreneurship as a shortcut to instant success.
Instead, she emphasises learning, resilience, patience and continuous improvement.
That message carries weight because it comes from an entrepreneur who has experienced the challenges of building a business and continues to pursue growth.
The Vision Beyond the Award
The Pandora Awards may have placed Safiya among recognised young entrepreneurs, but she sees the honour as a beginning rather than an endpoint.
Her ambition is to expand the work of Women Support Women, reach more women through practical business education and create greater awareness about opportunities in international trade and the Chinese market.
She wants to see more women who are not afraid to start.
Women who understand business.
Women who can source and negotiate.
Women who can build brands.
Women who can employ others.
Women who can create businesses that survive and grow.
And women who, after achieving success themselves, are willing to open the door for others.
More Than an Entrepreneur
Safiya Lawal Dalhat’s story is increasingly becoming about more than entrepreneurship.
It is a story about influence with purpose, knowledge shared for impact and business experience transformed into education.
The Pandora Awards recognised her as the Youngest Outstanding Entrepreneur.
But the larger story lies in what she continues to build: a platform that encourages women to believe in their entrepreneurial potential, understand international business and create opportunities for themselves and others.
Known as “Sophy a China,” Safiya is building more than a business brand.
She is building a platform where knowledge can be shared, women can support one another and entrepreneurial ambitions can become practical realities.
Perhaps the greatest measure of her journey will not be the number of awards she receives, but the number of women who eventually become successful entrepreneurs because they were inspired, educated or encouraged by her work.
Beyond the award, that may be the most enduring impact Safiya Lawal Dalhat is building.