Hafsat Abiola takes over the lead of Aude de Thuin, founder of WIA Initiative, a  serial entrepreneur  committed worldwide to the cause of women for over twenty years. "It is within the logic of WIA Initiative's history to have an African woman as president since it is through women that Africa will develop in confidence and in complementarity with men".

Hafsat Abiola will be responsible for the "vision" for Women in Africa (WIA) Initiative. As such, she will be in charge of the summits programs organized by the Initiative, whether they are global or regional, and of the digital platform's contents.

She will be the spokesperson and interface with pan- African and global partners. She will chair the Council and expand the network of ambassadors (currently 27 on the continent).

WIA Initiative has a great network of women across Africa and around the world as well as strong relationships with corporations and organizations, especially in Europe. Internally, we have a small but dynamic team that is committed to delivering results for Women in Africa, which means that there is no limit to what we can achieve, so long as we remain focused on our goal, which is to ensure the rise of the women of Africa.  says Hafsat Abiola.

Aude de Thuin will bring her experience, support the new executive president and her team  to apprehend the specific job that has been mine for years. I will also continue my networking with major French and international advertisers that I have known for a long time. I wish to keep writing too, because I still have a lot to say about what I see in this ever muting world, so unwilling to really welcome women as true economic partners who have a vital role to play in the evolution of our societies .


ABOUT HAFSAT ABIOLA
A graduate of the Phillips Academy (1992) and Harvard College (1996), she is the founder and president of Kudirat Initiative for Democracy, whose puropose is to strengthen civil society and promote democracy in Nigeria.

n 1997, she received the Youth for Peace and Justice Award from the Cambridge Peace Commission. In 2000, she was designated a world leader of the future at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

In 2003, she was elected as a member of "Ashoka: Innovators for the Public" (International, apolitical, non- denominational and non-profit association founded in 1980 in India) in recognition of her international status as a social entrepreneur. In 2006, she was appointed as the founding adviser of the Council for the Future of the World.

She is currently a member of the Ogun State Cabinet as a Governor's Advisor.

About WIA Initiative

Launched in 2016, Women In Africa (WIA) Initiative is the first innovative digital platform dedicated to the economic development and support of leading and high potential African women. Its pillars of action - WIA Club, WIA Media, the WIA Institute, WIA RH - contribute to the promotion of a new generation of African women who invent inspiring leadership to positively change the future of the continent. The mission of the fifth pillar, the Fondation, WIA Philanthropy, is to highlight and network women entrepreneurs in Africa.