Last month, the EJS Center announced the 2021 Amujae Leaders in an expansion of its flagship program, the Amujae Initiative. The 15 highly accomplished women who were selected to join the program come from 11 countries across Africa and, following the 2021 Amujae Leaders induction last month, many have been lauded in their home countries and beyond.

The three 2021 Amujae Leaders from Nigeria were recently highlighted in an article by Okey Ikechukwu in leading Nigerian newspaper ThisDay. Mr. Ikechukwu commended the EJS Center and the Amujae Initiative for selecting Tejumola Abisoye, Ifeyinwa Maureen Okafor, and Dr. Adaeze Oreh, noting that they stood out “because of their demonstrated capacity for excellence and impressive performance in their respective fields.”

Focusing on each woman’s achievements in turn, the article highlighted Dr. Oreh’s 17-year career in in healthcare, looking in particular at her work in developing policies to improve women’s health:

“Her reputation for working with cutting edge policymakers at the highest levels is well known. She has always been a strong advocate of blood policies that reduce maternal and child mortality rates. Her commitment to reducing the transmission of infectious diseases through unsafe blood transfusions is a matter of record.”

The article also highlighted the achievements of Amujae Leader Tejumola Abisoye, a Development Expert, Lawyer, and Youth Advocate. In particular, the author lauded Ms. Abisoye for her work in her current role as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary of Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), in which she has designed and implemented programs to address youth unemployment:  

“The creative endeavor she has brought to bear on her current watch has provided support for over 15,000 small businesses. As a result, more than 100,000 jobs have been created and sustained. This is in addition to the training of over 5,000 youths.”

Amujae Leader, Government Advisor, and Corporate Director Ifeyinwa Maureen Okafor holds a first-class degree in Law from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom. Touching on her achievements and recognition by several professional associations, Mr. Ikechukwu wrote:

“Her record of service in several professional associations, including as Treasurer and Member, Governing Council, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, and Training Coordinator and Member, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture Business Women Group, speak well for her.”

One of the founding aims of the Amujae Initiative is to empower and unleash a wave of African women leaders. The context in which it is operating currently is perhaps even more challenging than when the program launched at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020—but Mr. Ikechukwu noted that now is a point in time when there is an opportunity for Africa to build back better:

“Let us note…that the EJS Center is using its work to ensure that more voices are heard, greater talents unleashed, and leaders…encouraged to launch themselves and push for a better world.”

You can read the full article here.