ENTRPRENEURAL SPOTLIGHT

By Taneya Rogers

SPOTLIGHT ON MORÉNIKÉ OLÁÒSEBÌKAN – CHANGING THE FACE OF PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING

A Merger of Business and Compassion

born and raised in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, where the divide between the poor and wealthy is obvious, Moréniké moved to study to become a Physician. At 19, while being treated for tuberculosis at a facility that also treated people with HIV/tuberculosis co-infections, she witnessed the downstream effects of inequality and the unfair legacy of colonization first-hand. That experience coupled with stories of entire villages of parents being wiped out by HIV, and mothers passing the infection to their babies while consuming counterfeit drugs, intensified her awareness of discrimination and inequity, particularly in medicine.

The need for access to safe and affordable medications was the impetus behind Kemet Advanced Manufacturing, which aims to solve these shortages using modular, prefabricated drug manufacturing facilities that can be easily transported to any part of the world. Kemet’s drug manufacturing facilities will decrease reliance on global supply chains for raw ingredients by enabling pharmaceutical manufacturing to take place locally, in African contexts, thereby empowering local communities and supporting the development aspirations of African Nations.

“I have learned to apply curiosity. That and maybe a little stoicism,” laughs

Kemet aims to provide medicinal solutions for the world in a more accessible manner, as seen in their 6 key words listed above, on their website.

Moréniké. “It is amazing how much creativity comes out of barriers, once I have made peace with the worst possible thing that can happen and then proceed to approach hurdles with curiosity.” Eager to share her inquisitiveness, Moréniké remains passionate about supporting youth in STEM, particularly BIPOC who are underrepresented; she is also a volunteer educator, preceptor, and mentor to students at the UofA Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

As her enterprise builds, she notes a shift in conversations, specifically the ability to speak more publicly about the many injustices that Black people have faced here in corporate Canada. In her field, the disparity is glaring, unable to identify even one other Black Woman founder of a global medication manufacturing cooperation. The almost non-existence of capital investments has contributed to restricted access to Technology + Construction + Manufacturing fields for Black Women.

“I hope that by daring to live my truth that others would also dare to be who they were born to be. That would be a true honour.”