1. Nkiru Balonwu is an entrepreneur and activist based in Lagos, Nigeria.
19 Facts About Nkiru Balonwu
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Nkiru Balonwu is known for her views of women as the solution to Africa's problems and is the founder and chairperson of African Women on Board, an independent, women-led African non-profit organisation focused on advancing narratives to improve realities for women and girls of African heritage.
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Nkiru Balonwu is founder and managing partner of RDF Strategies, a consultancy firm that provides advice on strategic communication and stakeholder engagement across sectors from law, technology, finance, advocacy, international development, show business consulting, political engineering and communications.
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In 2016, during her time at the helm of Spinlet, Balonwu was featured in YNaija as one of "Nigeria's 100 Most Inspiring Women".
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In October 2019, Nkiru Balonwu was awarded the 2020 Powerlist International Award by the Powerlist UK.
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Nkiru Balonwu is the daughter of two lawyers with a background in social change and justice.
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Nkiru Balonwu graduated with a bachelor's degree in Law from the University of Manchester.
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Nkiru Balonwu obtained her master's degree from University College London and holds a Doctorate Degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Nkiru Balonwu has worked in a variety of fields including law, technology, finance, show business, international development, advocacy and communications.
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Nkiru Balonwu worked as a lecturer at the faculty of law, University of Lagos.
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In 2014, Nkiru Balonwu became CEO of Spinlet, the first music streaming and digital distribution platform in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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In 2017, Nkiru Balonwu founded African Women on Board which launched internationally at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice, New York, on 26 September 2019 during the United Nations General Assembly, with the aim "to give a voice to African women and change how they're perceived".
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On 25 October 2019, Nkiru Balonwu received the Powerlist 2020 International award.
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Nkiru Balonwu was the recipient of the International Award, "which is given to a person based outside of the UK, who is considered to have distinguished themselves as a change-maker, innovator, inspiration and person of considerable influence" in recognition of her work at African Women on Board.
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Nkiru Balonwu has been featured on various platforms on topics ranging from gender equality, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
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On podcast a16z, started by VC fund Andreessen Horowitz, with past guest speakers including NBA player Andre Iguodala and Oprah Winfrey, Nkiru Balonwu spoke on technology in Africa.
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On Radio France Internationale a French public radio service with 35.6 million listeners worldwide, Nkiru Balonwu spoke on how to better engage African women.
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Nkiru Balonwu is listed as a mentor at the Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator.
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Nkiru Balonwu has written articles for various media outlets including Sahara Reporters, TechCabal and Al Jazeera English.