Nigerian Wins 2016 Global Inspirational Women Leadership Award

A Nigerian, Christina Ude, founder of Reading Hamlets and advocate for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, will be conferred with the 2016 Global Inspirational Women Leadership Award and the United States Congressional Commendation Award.

Reading Hamlets is a women-led non-profit organization dedicated to ending the cycle of poverty by providing books to children, supporting literacy campaigns and reading clubs, building libraries, as well as empowering young girls, with a special emphasis on girls, living in low income areas in rural Nigeria.

The award will be conferred on Mrs Christina Ude jointly by the Center for Economic and Leadership Development, CELD, – an NGO with consultative status with the UN’s ECOSOC – and the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women, NOBEL Women. 

Mrs Ude, a development practitioner, has also been nominated for Amazons Watch Magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential Women in Emerging Economies Award – “an elite list of audacious and inspiring women leaders from diverse developing regions of Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East, who are using their various positions to transform their communities.” 

Past CELD awardees include the former president of Malawi, H.E Joyce Banda; First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, H.E MrsLordina Dramani, former vice president of Zimbabwe, Hon. Joice Mujuru; First Lady of Tanzania, H.E Madam Salma Kikwete; and Wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, H.E Datin P.S Mansor.

Others are UAE’s Minister for International Cooperation and Development, H.E Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi; wives of various state governors and regional heads, speakers of parliament, among other notable international business and political women leaders, all of whom have taken risk to build more sustainable future for their communities. 

Christina Ude, who developed her passion to serve the less privileged after meeting an orphan at an orphanage in Lagos, Nigeria who couldn’t read, attended the graduate school of business at Middlesex University in London, UK and did her bachelor’s degree at University of Maryland University College,USA.

The awards will be presented to her at the South America – Africa – Asia – Middle East Women’s Summit, SAMEAWS,themed: “Scaling up the Rise of Women Leaders in Emerging Economies” scheduled for December 2016 in Dubai, UAE.