Blessing Oyeleye Adesiyan is a care economist and innovator. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mother Honestly Group Inc. the parent company of The Care Gap, Caring Africa, and Caring Blocks, focused on closing the care gap for families, workplaces, and economies through research, policy, and technology reaching over 30M+ globally. In this interview, she speaks about her mission to unlock Africa’s care economy and advance women’s economic power.

Take us through your illustrious career?

My career journey began as a freshman at the University of Florida, where I majored in Chemical Engineering. Even at that early stage, I was driven to lead and excel, balancing rigorous academics with leadership roles that shaped my ability to juggle competing priorities. By the time I graduated, I had worked for three Fortune 100 companies, including PepsiCo, where I gained hands-on experience that would set the tone for my professional life.

After graduation, I joined DuPont as a chemical engineer, embarking on what became a defining moment in both my career and personal life. Starting my career with a newborn in my arms was both exhilarating and challenging. I entered the workplace deeply curious about care and determined to find ways to integrate professional success with caregiving responsibilities. Working at DuPont allowed me to travel extensively, consulting across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
These global experiences were transformative, but they also came with unique challenges as a mother. I vividly recall advocating for my company to cover childcare expenses during these trips—a practice that seemed revolutionary at the time. While some saw it as an unusual request, I stood firm. I knew that ensuring high-quality care for my children while I pursued my career was non-negotiable, and that conviction shaped my approach to work and leadership.

What informed your decision to be a care economist?

My journey to becoming a care economist was shaped by both my professional and personal experiences. At the height of my corporate career, I served as the Global Supply Operations Manager for BASF’s Petrochemicals business. By this time, I was a mother of three, navigating the immense challenges of balancing a demanding career with caregiving responsibilities for my children, family, and community. It was during this period that I realiased the scale of the caregiving burden so many people carry, often without adequate support or recognition.

While at BASF, I founded a community called Mother Honestly, aimed at helping parents and caregivers effectively combine work and family. What began as a small initiative quickly grew into a movement, hosting over 1,000 workshops, conferences, and training sessions to support caregivers at home and in the workplace. Today, Mother Honestly reaches over 30 million families, policymakers, and corporations globally, advocating for a better understanding and support of caregiving in all its forms.

Through this work, I saw an undeniable gap in how society values care. Caregiving—primarily performed by women—was invisible in economic and business conversations, treated as an afterthought despite its foundational role in powering families, workplaces, and economies. Across the globe, there is no nation that truly values the labour women contribute to their households and communities. This realisation was deeply personal for me. I couldn’t ignore the fact that despite their immense contributions, caregivers were left unsupported and undervalued, with little acknowledgment of the economic power care represents.

I set out to close this gap, not just through advocacy, but through economic analysis and innovation. I became a care economist to bring attention to the business and economic case for care. Care is not just a social issue; it is an economic driver. Investing in care infrastructure, redistributing caregiving responsibilities, and supporting caregivers can unlock productivity, economic growth, and social progress.

Today, I focus on linking care to measurable economic and business outcomes, from closing the gender gap to boosting workplace retention and productivity. Through initiatives like The Care Gap, Caring Blocks, and partnerships with global organisations, I am committed to showing that care is not a cost, it’s an opportunity for transformative impact on families, workplaces, and society. This work is deeply fulfilling because it centers care at the heart of economic progress, where it belongs.

You are on a mission to unlock Africa’s care economy and advance women’s economic power, how are you driving this vision?

Women are the backbone of our society, and their unpaid labour in caregiving sustains our families and communities. They ensure that children, the elderly, the sick, and people with disabilities are cared for while also dedicating themselves to community-building activities in schools, libraries, churches, mosques, and more. This invisible labour is the foundation of our society and the engine of our economy—without it, society would simply not function.

Yet, this essential work comes at a cost. Women, particularly in Africa, are overburdened with caregiving responsibilities that significantly limit their ability to pursue their own aspirations. Despite increased access to education for young African girls and women, they are unable to fully achieve their dreams because they shoulder 75 per cent of care work at home. This leads to both time poverty and income poverty, creating a cycle that holds women back from reaching their full economic potential.

To unlock Africa’s care economy, we must redistribute care from women to men, markets, institutions, and governments. This redistribution will create opportunities for women to contribute fully to their households, workplaces, and communities while living more fulfilling lives. Through partnerships, research, and technology, we are advancing policies like paid family leave, government and employer-sponsored childcare, and subsidised aging care solutions. By recognising the value of care and creating structures that support it, we can transform how families, economies, and societies function, ensuring African women can thrive without being overburdened by caregiving responsibilities.

What care policies are you championing in Africa, with focus on Nigeria?

My biggest focus is on reducing the unpaid labour of women, strengthening childcare models, and professionalising the unregulated and informal care workforce in Africa, particularly in Nigeria. Women in Nigeria perform the vast majority of unpaid care work—caring for children, aging parents, and family members with disabilities—while also managing household responsibilities. This disproportionate burden not only limits their ability to pursue economic opportunities but also perpetuates cycles of time poverty and inequality. Reducing this unpaid labor is central to advancing women’s economic power and overall societal progress.

How can more women rise to the top and live their dreams?

For more women to rise to the top and live their dreams, we need to address systemic barriers, create supportive environments, and empower women to own their ambitions unapologetically. Ultimately, women rising to the top is not just about individual success but about creating ecosystems that nurture their potential. When women are supported at home, in the workplace, and in society, they can pursue their dreams unapologetically, thrive in leadership, and pave the way for others to do the same.

What is your life mantra?

My life mantra is “Live your best life, and do your best work.” This isn’t just a personal philosophy, it’s a vision I hold for women all over the world and the driving force behind my advocacy. I believe every woman deserves the freedom to live her best life, unburdened by the disproportionate responsibilities of unpaid care work, and the opportunity to do her best work, whether in the home, workplace, or community.