Women of HerStory Africa
138 women across the archive. Search, filter, and explore.
ModernAbike Dabiri-Erewa
Nigerian politician and former broadcaster; Chair of NIDCOM (Nigerians in Diaspora Commission). Advocate for diaspora engagement, accountability, and women in public life.
ColonialAdelaide Casely-Hayford
Sierra Leonean educator, Pan-Africanist and women's rights advocate who founded a vocational school for girls at a time when girls' education was considered unnecessary. She spent decades teaching African women that their culture, identity and intelligence were things to be proud of, not erased.
ModernAdelaide Tambo
South African anti-apartheid activist and wife of ANC president Oliver Tambo. While her husband led the ANC in exile, Adelaide was an activist and organiser in her own right, supporting liberation networks, raising her children alone under constant pressure, and dedicating her life to the freedom of her people.
ContemporaryAdenike Oladosu
Nigerian climate activist and the first African woman to lead a Fridays for Future climate strike. Campaigns tirelessly for the drying Lake Chad basin, a slow-moving environmental disaster affecting 40 million people across four countries. Named one of the most influential climate voices of her generation.
ModernAdenike Osofisan
First Nigerian woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science (1989) and first female professor of Computer Science at the University of Ibadan. Pioneer in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computing education in Nigeria.
ModernAgbani Darego
First Black African to win Miss World (2001). Model and advocate; used her platform for HIV/AIDS awareness and girls' education in Nigeria and Africa.
ModernAisha Buhari
First Lady of Nigeria (2015–2023); advocate for women's and children's welfare, health, and education. Outspoken on governance and women's participation in public life.
ModernAisha Yesufu
Co-convener of #BringBackOurGirls; prominent voice in End SARS protests. Nigerian activist for accountability, human rights, and good governance.
ModernAlbertina Sisulu
South African anti-apartheid activist and nurse who kept the resistance alive while her husband Walter Sisulu was imprisoned for 26 years alongside Nelson Mandela. She was banned, arrested, and surveilled for decades, and never stopped.