The founder of luxury brands Timabee and Yerwa Secrets, Fatima Babakura, has been named a 2025 recipient of McMaster University’s prestigious Arch Award—an honour reserved for alumni under 40 who demonstrate exceptional innovation, leadership, and global impact.
A proud alumna of the DeGroote School of Business, Babakura has carved out a unique space in the global luxury and beauty industries, with a business footprint extending across North America, the Middle East, and Africa.
Her brands—known for their elegance, heritage, and commitment to excellence—have become synonymous with a redefined narrative of African luxury and entrepreneurship.
What sets this moment apart, however, is Babakura’s unwavering commitment to her roots. While her influence is global, her operations remain intentionally anchored in the city of Gombe in northern Nigeria, where Yerwa Secrets is not only manufactured but also serves as an engine for women-led enterprise.
In Her Words: “Our work is intentionally rooted in Gombe,” says Babakura. “Not as a limitation—but as a reminder that purpose and excellence are not tied to geography. We’ve always been global. Now the world is catching up to the power of where and how we build.”
Babakura first captured international attention at age 19 with the launch of Timabee, a luxury accessories brand that eventually earned recognition from Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD initiative, which spotlights Black-owned businesses making cultural waves. She followed that with Yerwa Secrets, a beauty and wellness brand deeply inspired by African traditions, sustainability, and heritage.
In February 2025, Yerwa Secrets was featured in a groundbreaking partnership with Harvard Business School, showcasing African beauty heritage and ethical production in northern Nigeria. The collaboration highlighted not just the product, but the philosophy behind it: innovation rooted in culture, sustainability, and inclusion.
Today, Yerwa Secrets continues to expand across markets in Canada, the UAE, and the U.S., while keeping its soul firmly planted in Gombe. Babakura’s model is not just about creating luxury products—it’s about rewriting the playbook for what global African enterprise can look like.
The McMaster Arch Award is a milestone in a career already defined by fearless creativity and social impact. For Babakura, it’s also a moment of reflection.
“This award is not a beginning—it’s a milestone,” she says. “It’s a reminder that when African women lead with purpose, the world pays attention.”
With her work inspiring a new generation of socially driven entrepreneurs, Fatima Babakura stands not only as a beacon of African excellence but as proof that authenticity, when combined with vision, can move the world.
