We are delighted to announce that our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Enase Okonedo, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Harambee Award for the Advancement and Equality of African Women! This award is a well-deserved recognition of her unwavering dedication to shaping future leaders and championing women’s education, a mission she has pursued tirelessly for over three decades.
Professor Okonedo’s impact extends far beyond the walls of Pan-Atlantic University. For 30 years, she has been a driving force in empowering women, making history as the first female dean of a business school in Nigeria – the Lagos Business School – and now, as the first female Vice-Chancellor of our own esteemed institution. She has consistently combined teaching with mentoring, guiding countless women to leadership positions in management, business, and public service. Her involvement in initiatives like Wimbiz Nigeria’s Wimboard Mentoring Programme and her membership on the African Initiative for Governance (AIG) Leadership Council further solidify her commitment to developing public sector leaders in Nigeria.
Furthermore, as President of the AIFA Reading Society, she champions sustainable education in Africa by fostering a strong reading culture.
The Harambee Award, established by Harambee in Spain, shines a light on individuals and initiatives making remarkable humanitarian, cultural, and educational contributions in Africa. Its core objective is to raise awareness about the rights and equality of African women, recognizing education as a pivotal tool for their advancement and the peaceful development of African society.
Since 2010, Harambee-Spain has honoured extraordinary African women who have dedicated themselves to supporting vulnerable women in their communities. This year, Professor Okonedo joins this distinguished group of changemakers, now as an award recipient.
The 2025 Harambee Award will directly support projects focused on the development of the rural community of Iloti in southern Nigeria. This initiative aims to economically and socially empower women and youth in the region, a cause close to Professor Okonedo’s heart.
The award ceremony took place on Tuesday, March 4th, in Madrid, at the Hotel Urban. The event was graced by the Mayor of Madrid, Mr. José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who presented the award alongside HRH Doña Teresa de Borbón Dos Sicilias, Honorary President of Harambee ONGD, and Mr. Nicolás Zombré, General Manager of Pierre Fabre in Spain.
We are immensely proud of Professor Enase Okonedo’s extraordinary contributions to women’s empowerment and leadership development. Her receipt of the Harambee Award is a source of immense pride for the entire Pan-Atlantic University community.