A committed humanist, Hafsat Abiola is the president of Women in Africa Initiative, the foremost platform organizing the continent’s leading women into a force for sustainable development.
An economist educated at Harvard and Tsinghua; a pro-democracy activist who lost both parents to her country’s democracy struggle; and a former member of her state’s cabinet in charge of the MDGs and trade and investment portfolios; Hafsat believes women’s equal engagement in the economy and governance systems at all levels will lead to a better world. She is one of 50 councillors of the World Future Council; and a member of BMW Foundation’s Responsible Leaders Group, Vital Voices 100 and the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders alumni community.

She is also the recipient of several global and national awards including the U.S. National Civil Rights Museum Award in 2019.