Ms. Hafsat Abiola

Nigerian human rights activist

Ms. Hafsat Abiola is the President of Women in Africa, an initiative that nurtures the economic dynamism of African women. She is also Co-Founder and Global South Catalyst of Project Dandelion, a women-led global campaign for climate justice, Co-Founder of the Majority World Forum, and a UK board member of World Connect. Over a 30-year career, she has built movements for fair and just systems in Nigeria, across Africa and around the world.

Ms. Abiola previously served in her state's cabinet, responsible for the MDGs and the trade and investment portfolios. Her awards include the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award and the Goi Peace Foundation Prize (2016), the Freedom Award from the U.S. National Civil Rights Museum (2019), the Forum de Bamako Prize for Human Rights (2021) and the European Women's International Leadership Award (2022).

An economist, she was educated at Harvard and Tsinghua.