Blessing Okere

A Nigerian entrepreneur and advocate for women's leadership in Africa, driving transformative change through inclusive innovation.

Blessing Okere is a trailblazing Nigerian entrepreneur and founder of She Leads Africa, an organization dedicated to empowering women leaders across the continent. Established in 2016, She Leads Africa has evolved into a pan-African network connecting over 25,000 women in 20+ countries. Okere’s vision focuses on closing the gender leadership gap by providing mentorship, funding opportunities, and visibility platforms. Her work has directly contributed to over 1,200 startups led by African women securing investments exceeding $50 million.

In 2021, Okere launched the She Leads Innovation Lab, a tech-driven incubator supporting women in STEM fields. This initiative has fostered breakthroughs in fintech, agriculture tech, and healthcare solutions tailored to African contexts. Okere’s TEDx talk "Why Africa Needs Women in Tech Leadership" has garnered over 2 million views, amplifying her advocacy for gender equity in tech sectors.

Okere’s leadership during the 2020 pandemic was pivotal in launching the Women’s Emergency Fund, which distributed $2.5 million to female entrepreneurs impacted by lockdowns. Her partnership with the African Union in 2022 led to the adoption of the Africa Women Leadership Charter, a policy framework now implemented in 14 countries. In 2023, she co-founded Africa Women in Numbers, a data analytics platform tracking gender progress across sectors.

Okere’s impact extends globally through collaborations with the World Bank’s Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative and UN Women’s #SheLeadsTech campaign. Her advocacy has inspired regional programs like the Google Impact Challenge for Women in Africa. In 2024, she became the youngest recipient of the Africa Energy Leadership Award for her work in sustainable energy ventures led by women.

Okere’s philosophy centers on 'circular leadership', where empowerment is both a goal and a method. Her 2025 book Leading the African Renaissance: A Blueprint for Inclusive Innovation (forthcoming) will detail frameworks for scaling women-led enterprises. With over 500,000 followers on LinkedIn, she remains a vocal advocate for policies that integrate women into national digital transformation agendas. Okere’s work exemplifies how localized leadership models can drive systemic change while addressing global challenges like climate action and economic inequality.