Olori Atuwatse III Urges Inclusion of Women in Africa’s Growth at London Summit

The Queen Consort of Warri Kingdom, Her Majesty, OloriAtuwatse III, delivered a stirring keynote address at the 2025 FLAIR Summit in London, calling 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 during a high-level session of the First Ladies of Africa Impact and Resilience (FLAIR) Summit, the queen stressed that Africa’s growth will remain incomplete unless women, who already played 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.

The summit featured exclusive engagements at iconic venues, such as UK House of Lords, House of Commons, London Stock Exchange, and Royal Leonardo Hotel.

In her keynote, titled, “Elevating the Role of Women in Africa’s Development,” OloriAtuwatse shared a deeply personal experience from her life. “Shortly after my father passed on, I, his firstborn, was told to watch from the side-lines. ‘There’s a difference between a firstborn and a first son,’ they told me,” she recounted.

The moment was a reminder of how traditional norms still attempted to reduce women’s role, regardless of their qualifications or achievements, she said.

She explained that that painful experience 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,” he said.

OloriAtuwatse praised recent milestones in African leadership, highlighting Namibia’s President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Tanzania’s President SamiaSuluhu Hassan. “For the first time, Africa has two sitting female heads of state. It’s remarkable and it shows that change is possible,” she stated.

She emphasised that African women had always led often without titles or applause.

According to her, “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.”

Her speech stressed that Africa’s future depended on mobilising the untapped leadership force.

“Africa cannot thrive on the efforts of a few prominent female leaders alone,” she said, adding, “We need grassroots women, those without formal power, seen, heard, and empowered.”

Through her EstablishHer mentorship programme in Nigeria, OloriAtuwatse has been helping women recognise their value and 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 closed the gender leadership gap by 2043, they could lift 53 million people out of extreme poverty and boost GDP per capita by five percent.

“The impact would be staggering,” she said.

To achieve this, OloriAtuwatse laid out a three-part framework: Mentor, Reform, and Empower.

She stated, “This work isn’t only for women. Progress moves faster when we work together, fathers, husbands, traditional leaders, policymakers, and allies. Whether you’re a CEO promoting a young manager or a father encouraging his daughter, you are part of this movement.”

The queen’s keynote was one of the most applauded presentations at the summit. It resonated with ongoing debates across Africa around gender inclusion, cultural reform, and economic resilience.

The 2025 FLAIR Summit hosted a wide range of sessions focused on women’s health, entrepreneurship, governance, education, and innovation

Panels included speakers from across Africa’s public and private sectors, 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.

In closing her address, OloriAtuwatse issued a powerful challenge: “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.”

OloriAtuwatse iii was honoured at the iconic London Stock Exchange for her contribution to women development and Flair Summit 2025 in London.

The award was presented to Her Majesty by Jennifer Thomas, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at London Stock Exchange Group.

As the summit concluded, organisers praised OloriAtuwatse’s message as a rallying call that would help guide development efforts across Africa in the years ahead.