The Queen Consort of Warri Kingdom, Her Majesty, Olori Atuwatse 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 statehouses and boardrooms.
Speaking during a high-level session of the First Ladies of Africa Impact and Resilience (FLAIR) Summit, the queen emphasised that Africa’s growth will remain incomplete unless women, who already play central roles in families, economies, and communities, are 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 the UK House of Lords, the House of Commons, the London Stock Exchange, and the Royal Leonardo Hotel.
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, 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.
According to her, the moment 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.”
