About Us

The Organisation
The Absolute Woman Empowerment Initiative is a Non-Governmental Organisation set up for empowering financially disadvantaged women and women disadvantaged by circumstances (internally displaced women, victims of war, domestic and social abuse) between the ages of 18 and 45 in West Africa with the aim of reducing poverty, achieving shared prosperity while building resilience.
Who We Are
The Absolute Woman Empowerment Initiative was conceptualized by eight (8) African women with a burning desire to see disadvantaged women actualize their potential and live above the poverty line. AWEI is led by women who are passionate about International Development and Women Empowerment. These women are sympathetic to females not living a wholesome life, and is subject to the vagaries of life. They believe that most of the issues faced by disadvantaged women can be addressed and reduced to the barest minimum if women are financially included and empowered. Their collective alignment includes contributing their quota to ensure that these disadvantaged women live up to their full potentials.

Our Vision
The Vision of the NGO is to empower disadvantaged women (financially disadvantaged and disadvantaged by circumstances) thereby laying a foundation for empowering future generations. There is a saying that ’’when you empower a man, you empower just one person, when you empower a woman, you empower generations.”
Brief Background
Nigeria has the largest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world. Nearly 50% of the population endures extreme poverty and hunger. According to the EFINA report for 2019, 60% of Nigeria’s population are still financially excluded, of which 36% are women. Female financial exclusion in Nigeria is majorly attributed to lower levels of income and education which is in turn influenced by factors such as early marriages, religion etc..
The 2019 National Statistics Domestic Violence Factsheets by National Coalition against Domestic Violence (NCADV) indicates that; 1 in 4 women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner, 1 in 7 women have been injured by an intimate partner (compared with 1 in 25 men), 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner and 1 in 4 women have been victims of severe physical violence (i.e., beating, burning, strangling). This means that women around the world are still not free from abuse and domestic violence.
In addition to being victims of intimate partner violence, women and girls are also collateral damage from war and local conflict incidents. In Nigeria, at least 8,000 women (girls inclusive) have either been kidnapped, raped, or lost their homestead (becoming Internally displaced) and killed between 2011 and 2021. These data suggest a grim reality for women in Africa and worldwide.
Women who are financially disadvantaged are more likely to suffer more from a myriad of problems including but not limited to domestic violence, maternal mortality, extreme poverty and unstable sources of income; these problems would have been addressed or minimized if more women were financially literate, financially Included and empowered.
The Absolute Women Empowerment Initiative is strategically placed to provide succor for Africa’s marginalized women, giving much needed hope where it is lost.
Board of Trustees
Founder: Oluseye Olutimayin Adebiyi
Economist at Central Bank of NigeriaOluseye is an Economist and Chartered Accountant. She has a career that has spanned over 10 years in banking, Finance and development policy with both deposit money banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria. She is Passionate about Women Empowerment and has channeled this commitment into co-founding The Absolute Woman Empowerment Initiative (AWEI); an NGO tasked with empowering women disadvantaged by finances and circumstances across Africa, where she serves as the Chairman, Board of Trustees. She is an Associate Member of Women in Business, Management, and Public Service (WIMBIZ) and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Dr. Omoayena Odunbaku
Human Settlement Officer Anglophone West Africa, Regional Office for Africa, United Nations Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya
Dr. Khadijat Olatinwo
Agricultural Economist, University of Ilorin, NigeriaKhadijat Busola AMOLEGBE is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and she has a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the same institution. Her research interest is at the intersection of agricultural development economics, food security, poverty, and inequality issues in sub-Saharan Africa. She has held various research fellowship positions at international institutions such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden. She was also a research fellow at Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell, USA, through the STAARS fellowship program. In addition, she has won grants from organizations and initiatives such as J-PAL, Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), and the USAID Feed the Future Markets, Risk and Resilience Lab.

Hauwa Nana Ndirpaya
Finance and Contracts Manager at Department for International Development (DFID)Nana Hauwa Ndirpaya is a Finance professional that has spent the major part of her 10 year career providing financial management services in the development sector for the Department for International Development (DFID) and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). She is the founder of the Daughters Project which focuses on building community and safe spaces for women. Nana’s goal in life is to leave the world better than she met it and to play her role in building a family that will do the same.

Damilola Asenuga
Deputy Manager, Tax, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), NigeriaDamilola Asenuga is a certified chartered accountant with over 12 years experience in the financial industry. She started her career in the banking industry at Guaranty Trust Bank Plc as a relationship manager in the Commercial Banking Division taxed with financial and credit analysis of customers to determine their capacity to effectively utilise and payback credit facilities advanced to them in line with the banks credit policy guide. As an expert in financial and data analysis, she is currently working to transfer her credit analysis and financial management skills in helping women attain financial independence. Damilola is a Fellow of the prestigious Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) and a Level 3 candidate of the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA). At the Absolute Woman Empowerment Initiative, she serves as the Secretary, Board of Trustees.

Dr. Itoro Ekpo
International Business and Management Expert, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
Dolapo Ajilore
Education Researcher at National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), Ondo State, NigeriaAjilore, Dolapo Abosede is currently a Training and Research Fellow at the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) Nigeria, an agency under the auspices of Federal Ministry of Education and International Institute for Education Planning IIEP/UNESCO covering the west African sub region and saddled with the mandate of building the capacity of educational planners and managers. She has served as a World Bank Assessor for Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) on Medium Term Basic Education Strategic Plan (MTBESP) for the 36 States of Nigeria. As a young trainer and researcher, her research interest includes Development and Health Economics with emphasis on Econometrics Analysis, Planning, and forecasting of models. She participated in NIEPA/IEA/IIEP/UBEC Linking Learning Assessment with Educational Planning in Nigeria held at University of Medical Sciences Hall in Ondo State. Dolapo bagged her first degree in Economics from University of Abuja, with a second-class upper division in 2010 and holds an MSc. in Economics with emphasis in Development and Health Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University in 2016, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Her dexterity in her studies has earned her best graduating student both in her first and second degrees. She has a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Education.

Efeomonivie Ogobueze
Deputy Manager, Payments Systems Management Department, Central Bank of NigeriaEfe Ogobueze is a professional with years of rich experience as a Financial regulator with the Central Bank of Nigeria. She is currently a Payment System Analyst and subject matter expert in public sector policy, financial services and infrastructure management, strategy, and compliance. Efe is a promoter and advocate of business transformation through Technology and Innovation in Nigeria. She is currently working to transfer her extensive experience and much-needed country context to help women, youths, and community-based startups drive business efficiency through technology. Efe Ogobueze is a 2010 graduate of Economics from the University of Manchester, England. She holds a Master’s degree in Strategy and International Business and has been awarded a Certificate in Fintech and Regulatory Innovation from the University of Cambridge.

Founder: Oluseye Olutimayin Adebiyi
Economist at Central Bank of NigeriaOluseye is an Economist and Chartered Accountant. She has a career that has spanned over 10 years in banking, Finance and development policy with both deposit money banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria. She is Passionate about Women Empowerment and has channeled this commitment into co-founding The Absolute Woman Empowerment Initiative (AWEI); an NGO tasked with empowering women disadvantaged by finances and circumstances across Africa, where she serves as the Chairman, Board of Trustees. She is an Associate Member of Women in Business, Management, and Public Service (WIMBIZ) and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Dr. Omoayena Odunbaku
Human Settlement Officer Anglophone West Africa, Regional Office for Africa, United Nations Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya
Dr. Khadijat Olatinwo
Agricultural Economist, University of Ilorin, NigeriaKhadijat Busola AMOLEGBE is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and she has a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the same institution. Her research interest is at the intersection of agricultural development economics, food security, poverty, and inequality issues in sub-Saharan Africa. She has held various research fellowship positions at international institutions such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden. She was also a research fellow at Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell, USA, through the STAARS fellowship program. In addition, she has won grants from organizations and initiatives such as J-PAL, Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), and the USAID Feed the Future Markets, Risk and Resilience Lab.

Hauwa Nana Ndirpaya
Finance and Contracts Manager at Department for International Development (DFID)Nana Hauwa Ndirpaya is a Finance professional that has spent the major part of her 10 year career providing financial management services in the development sector for the Department for International Development (DFID) and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). She is the founder of the Daughters Project which focuses on building community and safe spaces for women. Nana’s goal in life is to leave the world better than she met it and to play her role in building a family that will do the same.

Damilola Asenuga
Deputy Manager, Tax, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), NigeriaDamilola Asenuga is a certified chartered accountant with over 12 years experience in the financial industry. She started her career in the banking industry at Guaranty Trust Bank Plc as a relationship manager in the Commercial Banking Division taxed with financial and credit analysis of customers to determine their capacity to effectively utilise and payback credit facilities advanced to them in line with the banks credit policy guide. As an expert in financial and data analysis, she is currently working to transfer her credit analysis and financial management skills in helping women attain financial independence. Damilola is a Fellow of the prestigious Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) and a Level 3 candidate of the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA). At the Absolute Woman Empowerment Initiative, she serves as the Secretary, Board of Trustees.

Dr. Itoro Ekpo
International Business and Management Expert, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
Dolapo Ajilore
Education Researcher at National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), Ondo State, NigeriaAjilore, Dolapo Abosede is currently a Training and Research Fellow at the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) Nigeria, an agency under the auspices of Federal Ministry of Education and International Institute for Education Planning IIEP/UNESCO covering the west African sub region and saddled with the mandate of building the capacity of educational planners and managers. She has served as a World Bank Assessor for Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) on Medium Term Basic Education Strategic Plan (MTBESP) for the 36 States of Nigeria. As a young trainer and researcher, her research interest includes Development and Health Economics with emphasis on Econometrics Analysis, Planning, and forecasting of models. She participated in NIEPA/IEA/IIEP/UBEC Linking Learning Assessment with Educational Planning in Nigeria held at University of Medical Sciences Hall in Ondo State. Dolapo bagged her first degree in Economics from University of Abuja, with a second-class upper division in 2010 and holds an MSc. in Economics with emphasis in Development and Health Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University in 2016, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Her dexterity in her studies has earned her best graduating student both in her first and second degrees. She has a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Education.

Efeomonivie Ogobueze
Deputy Manager, Payments Systems Management Department, Central Bank of NigeriaEfe Ogobueze is a professional with years of rich experience as a Financial regulator with the Central Bank of Nigeria. She is currently a Payment System Analyst and subject matter expert in public sector policy, financial services and infrastructure management, strategy, and compliance. Efe is a promoter and advocate of business transformation through Technology and Innovation in Nigeria. She is currently working to transfer her extensive experience and much-needed country context to help women, youths, and community-based startups drive business efficiency through technology. Efe Ogobueze is a 2010 graduate of Economics from the University of Manchester, England. She holds a Master’s degree in Strategy and International Business and has been awarded a Certificate in Fintech and Regulatory Innovation from the University of Cambridge.

Advisory Board
HE Lang Yabou
Former, Representative of the Gambia to the United Nations and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in GambiaHE Lang Yabou has worked in International Development for over a decade collaborating with institutions and programmes such as World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) , World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Dr. Vincent De Paul Mboutchouang
Education Specialist at the World Bank Office, Cameroon
Mrs Christabel Onyejekwe
Executive Director, Technology and Operations, Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS)Mrs Christabel Onyejekwe has over 30years experience in the Banking and Financial Services Industry. She is skilled in Business Planning, Digital Financial Inclusion, Management, Mergers and Acquisition, Start-ups and Risk Management. She has a certificates in Organizational Leadership from Harvard Business School and Wharton Business Schools and also a certificate in Global Management from INSEAD.

Mr. Seydou Coulibally
Deputy Director, Directorate of Multilteral Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mali
Rose Eugene Fontep
Development and Research Consultant, World BankEugenie Rose Fontep is an Economist and Research Analyst. Her major strengths include designing and implementing face-to-face and phone household surveys at the local and international levels. She is an Alumni from the AERC Collaborative PhD Program and has a strong experience in cleaning, processing, and analyzing panel data of fragile states, and the developing world. With almost a decade of work experiences acquired with several international organizations including the World Bank, UNHCR, and the European Commission, and French Development Agency among others, she is a recognized leader in building strong research collaborations, and putting in place systems able to minimize ethical concerns in research projects. She is currently involved in a project aiming to assess the ‘Gendered Effects of Crop Diversification and Rainfall Shocks on Household Food Security Status in Nigeria’ under the funding of Partnership for Economic Policy.

Oluwatosin Adekola
Psychologist, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Psychology and Counselling DepartmentAdekola oluwatosin,earned her bachelor's and master's of psychology degree at the Nasarawa state University,keffi, Nigerian. Tosin is currently a member of the Nigerian psychological association, the professional association for psychologist and licensed by the association of practicing psychologist of Nigerian.Her clinical interest have included work with children,teens and adult, diagnostic assessment and addiction.Tosin uses cognitive, behavioural and insight oriented techniques in the psychotherapy and counselling process. Tosin has been working with the university of Abuja teaching hospital since 2007 and has since gained expertise and experience on wide ranges of diagnosis/interventions. Tosin's practice philosophy is helping people identify their psychological, emotional or behavioural issues and then assisting them by defining goals and a plan of action to help them achieve personal, social, educational and vocational development because people want to be happy, effective and successful in their lives.

Samuel Ipinyomi
Communications and PR Consultant for International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)Samuel is a Marketing and Corporate Communications professional with a storied resume of over seven years of experience. Samuel has delivered award-winning communications campaigns in Africa’s corporate and marketing communications industry for Fintech, Telecommunications,Sports, Pay-TV, Video on Demand, and FMCG brands. He currently serves as the African Media Liaison Officer for Football governing body, FIFA. Samuel has a beautiful and creative mind that constantly travels around the globe, searching for solutions to communication problems. He is a proud Nigerian who has lived in the country all his life, and he truly believes it is one of the most exciting places to live in the world. Forget what you've read in the news. It is an exciting country with enormous potential.

HE Lang Yabou
Former, Representative of the Gambia to the United Nations and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in GambiaHE Lang Yabou has worked in International Development for over a decade collaborating with institutions and programmes such as World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) , World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Dr. Vincent De Paul Mboutchouang
Education Specialist at the World Bank Office, Cameroon
Mrs Christabel Onyejekwe
Executive Director, Technology and Operations, Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS)Mrs Christabel Onyejekwe has over 30years experience in the Banking and Financial Services Industry. She is skilled in Business Planning, Digital Financial Inclusion, Management, Mergers and Acquisition, Start-ups and Risk Management. She has a certificates in Organizational Leadership from Harvard Business School and Wharton Business Schools and also a certificate in Global Management from INSEAD.

Mr. Seydou Coulibally
Deputy Director, Directorate of Multilteral Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mali
Rose Eugene Fontep
Development and Research Consultant, World BankEugenie Rose Fontep is an Economist and Research Analyst. Her major strengths include designing and implementing face-to-face and phone household surveys at the local and international levels. She is an Alumni from the AERC Collaborative PhD Program and has a strong experience in cleaning, processing, and analyzing panel data of fragile states, and the developing world. With almost a decade of work experiences acquired with several international organizations including the World Bank, UNHCR, and the European Commission, and French Development Agency among others, she is a recognized leader in building strong research collaborations, and putting in place systems able to minimize ethical concerns in research projects. She is currently involved in a project aiming to assess the ‘Gendered Effects of Crop Diversification and Rainfall Shocks on Household Food Security Status in Nigeria’ under the funding of Partnership for Economic Policy.

Oluwatosin Adekola
Psychologist, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Psychology and Counselling DepartmentAdekola oluwatosin,earned her bachelor's and master's of psychology degree at the Nasarawa state University,keffi, Nigerian. Tosin is currently a member of the Nigerian psychological association, the professional association for psychologist and licensed by the association of practicing psychologist of Nigerian.Her clinical interest have included work with children,teens and adult, diagnostic assessment and addiction.Tosin uses cognitive, behavioural and insight oriented techniques in the psychotherapy and counselling process. Tosin has been working with the university of Abuja teaching hospital since 2007 and has since gained expertise and experience on wide ranges of diagnosis/interventions. Tosin's practice philosophy is helping people identify their psychological, emotional or behavioural issues and then assisting them by defining goals and a plan of action to help them achieve personal, social, educational and vocational development because people want to be happy, effective and successful in their lives.

Samuel Ipinyomi
Communications and PR Consultant for International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)Samuel is a Marketing and Corporate Communications professional with a storied resume of over seven years of experience. Samuel has delivered award-winning communications campaigns in Africa’s corporate and marketing communications industry for Fintech, Telecommunications,Sports, Pay-TV, Video on Demand, and FMCG brands. He currently serves as the African Media Liaison Officer for Football governing body, FIFA. Samuel has a beautiful and creative mind that constantly travels around the globe, searching for solutions to communication problems. He is a proud Nigerian who has lived in the country all his life, and he truly believes it is one of the most exciting places to live in the world. Forget what you've read in the news. It is an exciting country with enormous potential.
