The Queen Consort of Warri Kingdom, Her Majesty, Olori Atuwatse III has called on African nations to consciously recognise and elevate women’s leadership at all levels of society from homes and markets to state houses and boardrooms.
Speaking as a keynote speaker at the First Ladies of Africa Impact and Resilience (FLAIR) Summit in London, the Queen emphasised that Africa’s growth will remain incomplete unless women who already play central roles in families, economies, and communities were fully empowered and included in policy, leadership, and nation-building efforts.
The event drew dignitaries including the First Ladies of Oyo and Kwara States, lawmakers, investors, and global development partners.
In her keynote titled: “Elevating the Role of Women in Africa’s Development,” Olori Atuwatse shared a deeply personal experience from her life. “Shortly after my father passed, I as his firstborn was told to watch from the sidelines. ‘There’s a difference between a firstborn and a first son,’ they told me,” she recounted.
The moment, she said, was a reminder of how traditional norms still attempt to reduce women’s roles regardless of their qualifications or achievements.
That painful experience, she explained, reaffirmed her purpose as a leader and strengthened her drive to advocate for gender equity. “Nothing, not privilege, not age, not achievement insulates women from the limitations society tries to impose.”
She praised recent milestones in African leadership, highlighting Namibia’s President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
“For the first time, Africa has two sitting female heads of state .It’s remarkable. And it shows that change is possible,” she noted.
She emphasised that African women have always led often without titles or applause. “In Warri and across Africa, women are breadwinners, entrepreneurs, teachers, and caregivers. They are birthers, binders, and builders of communities,” she said. “Yet people still ask whether women can lead. What a tired question.”
The Olori stressed that Africa’s future depends on mobilising this untapped leadership force. “Africa cannot thrive on the efforts of a few prominent female leaders alone,” she said. “We need grassroots women those without formal power seen, heard, and empowered.”
She highlighted that through her ‘Establish Her’ mentorship programme, women were being recognised to value unlock their potential. “We don’t make them leaders,” she said. “We help them see they already are.”
She cited economic research suggesting that if African countries close the gender leadership gap by 2043, they could lift 53 million people out of extreme poverty and boost GDP per capita by 5 percent. “The impact would be staggering,” she said.
In order to achieve this, Olori Atuwatse laid out a three-part framework to mentor, reform, and empower.
She added, “This work isn’t only for women. Progress moves faster when we work together with fathers, husbands, traditional leaders, policymakers, and allies. Whether you’re a CEO promoting a young manager or a father encouraging his daughter, you’re part of this movement.”
Panels at the forum included speakers from across Africa’s public and private sectors, the African Union, and international organisations.
Participants also explored actionable policy recommendations for increasing female representation in politics and business.
These included access to credit for women-owned enterprises, reforms in inheritance and land rights, and gender-sensitive budgeting by African governments.
“Let us build an Africa where no one says, ‘There’s a difference,’ to deny a woman’s leadership. Let us unlock the power already humming in Africa’s homes, farms, labs, and workshops. Our future depends on it,” Olori Atuwatse charged.
Highlight of the event was the honour on Olori Atuwatse III at the iconic London Stock Exchange for her contribution to women development at 2025 Flair Summit.
The award was presented by Jennifer Thomas, the head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of London Stock Exchange Group.
