NewsWireNGR’s Mercy Abang has made Leading Ladies of Africa’s 2021 list of 100 most inspiring Nigerian women along with Aisha Yesufu, Toyin Abraham and others.
Leading Ladies Africa is a women-focused non-profit whose mission is to promote gender inclusivity and diversity by increasing participation and representation of women of African origin in fields of Leadership, Business, Politics and Advocacy.
Every year, Leading Ladies of Africa releases a list of 100 women on March 8, who have been a source of inspiration to fellow women and the Nigerian community.
This year wasn’t any different as the organisation once again published released names of 100 women in each Mercy Abang made the cut for the 2021 cut.
Mercy is described as an “international Journalist from Nigeria and also a Media Entrepreneur whose work has been syndicated across various platforms in Nigeria and abroad.
With her vast experience as a freelance Journalist and Producer with Al-Jazeera Media Network, Hosting Matasa Da Imani; a TV Debate Show in Berlin Germany, Mercy is skilled in both Television, Print and digital media .
She is the founder of two media companies and currently an ambassador at Host-writer; a Berlin based non-profit, organization that serves as an open network to help journalists to easily collaborate across borders.”
Others who made the list are; Adedoyin Odunfa, Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo, Aisha Salaudeen, Aisha Yesufu, Brenda McWilson-Okorogba , Catherine Uju Ifejika, Chief Temitope Ajayi , Chinedum Peace Babalola, Doyinsola Ogunye and a posthumous mention for Banke Alawaye.
Aisha Salaudeen is a multimedia journalist and producer of editorial sponsorships currently based out of the CNN bureau in Lagos, Nigeria. She scripts and produces sponsored CNN TV shows such as African Voices Changemakers, Inside Africa, and Market Place Africa. She also writes feature stories from across the continent.
Aisha Yesufu is a socio-political activist and co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, launched in response to the 2014 abduction of more than 200 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria, by the militant group Boko Haram.
Adedoyin Odunfa is the CEO, Digital Jewels Ltd. She is an IT professional with over 20 years’ experience, focused on enhancing the strategic value of IT in organizations. She has led industry initiatives to strengthen and enhance IT Governance, Risk and Compliance processes, practices and skillsets.
Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo is the first Nigerian female pilot at Qatar Airways and the first Nigerian female pilot to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner across the Atlantic. She started her aviation career at the US-based Sunrise Aviation Academy where she graduated in 2011.
She joined Medview Airlines in 2013 till October 2018, first as a First officer on Boeing 737 classic, and was later upgraded to Boeing 767-300ER. She joined Qatar Airways in October 2018 on the Dreamliner Boeing 787.
Banke Alawaye (Posthumous recognition) – She was the Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder at aCubed Limited, a business management firm and the author of “The Warrior Within”. She was also the pioneer program manager CodeLagos – an initiative to train 1 million Lagos residents to code.
During her lifetime, she sat on the advisory board for Girl Code Academy and was also the Co-Founder, SheProfitsAfrica – a program that provides training, mentoring and connections for women entrepreneurs. She was a passionate advocate for women in technology and was recognised as Digital Frontier Woman by DecadeOfWomen – an initiative of the United Nations.
Brenda McWilson-Okorogba (Moments with Bren) is the Founder of Moments With Bren, an organization that provides a suite of helpful academic opportunities, career development tools and free resources for individuals to connect with their communities, support a culture of innovation, and promote a vision for self-determined learning that is student-centred, empathy-based, forward-thinking, and designed to meet the vast needs of today’s learners. She’s also a Learning Experience (LX) Designer, Grant Writer, Problem-Based Learning Facilitator.
Catherine Uju Ifejika is the first and only woman to become chair and CEO of an Upstream E&P Company in Nigeria, Brittania-U Nigeria Limited. Holding a Diploma in Law and an LLB (Hons), she is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, a fellow of the Institute of Arbitration and Conciliation and a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
Chief Temitope Ajayi – Popularly known as “Mama Diaspora” is the Chairman & CEO of Silicon Valley Nigerian Economic Development Inc. She is also the honourable chairman and co-founder of Global Connection for Women Foundation a U.S non-profit organization with a mission to create new opportunities for women and youth in communities around the world.
Doyinsola Ogunye is the Chief Executive Officer of Mental and Environmental Initiative for Children (MEDIC), the founding organisation of Kids Clean Club, an environmentally and socially conscious non-governmental organization established to cater for the physical mental and environmental cleanliness of the Nigerian child and to create awareness amongst children to be socially responsible at a young age.
Erica Nlewedim is an actress, model and entrepreneur, who discovered her talents quite early. In 2014, she participated in the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MGBN) pageant where she quickly became a fan favourite which earned her the MBGN Miss Photogenic award, a year later, her acting career kicked off with a lead role in Secrets and Scandals.
