Speaker

Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola

Co-founder & CEO, African Women in Media; Associate Professor, Birmingham City University

Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola is an award-winning journalist, leading authority on gender equality in African media, and was named one of the 100 Most Influential African Women (2021). She is the Co-Founder and CEO of African Women in Media (AWiM) and an Associate Professor of Women’s Rights and Media Development at Birmingham City University (UK). Her work has shaped key UNESCO and African Union policies, including the Lusaka Declaration on Press Freedom and the Kigali Declaration on Gender Violence in and through Media.

Under her leadership, AWiM has grown into a global network of more than 35,000 members, working to improve how women are represented in and by media through research, training, and policy advocacy. A recipient of the CNN African Journalist Award, Dr. Akinbobola also created Her Media Diary, a podcast amplifying African women’s voices in journalism.

At BRIDGE Summit, Dr. Akinbobola will discuss how media and policy can empower women and drive fairer, more inclusive growth across Africa; showing how strong storytelling and equitable representation can create real social change.