Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, will headline and lead a distinguished group of global honourees at the 2026 Handshake Summit & Awards, scheduled for March 10 in New York, United States.
The summit is organised by ConcordeApp in partnership with the Semaform Foundation and aligns with the priorities of UN Women and the agenda of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
The summit, themed “Advancing Women’s Influences in a Changing World,” will convene diplomats, institutional leaders, development partners, AI innovators and cross-sector decision-makers to explore the intersection of gender equality, health equity, diplomatic influence and community building in advancing women’s influence in a rapidly changing global landscape.
Head of Happiness at ConcordeApp, Chaste Inegbedion, said the event would help strengthen collaboration between global institutions and the African diaspora.
“The Handshake Summit serves as a vital bridge between New York’s institutional landscape and the global African diaspora. Today, we move from conversation to collaboration from intention to the symbolic handshake that signifies a binding alliance for future generations,” he said.
Speaking on the significance of Nigeria’s participation, Inegbedion noted the importance of the minister’s presence on the global platform.
“It means the world is finally paying attention to who has been doing the work all along. When Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, sits in that room, she brings the weight of policy and the voice of millions of Nigerian women who deserve to be seen on the global stage.”
Award presenter, Prince Ero Ibhafidon of the Waterlight Save Initiative, emphasised the importance of recognising impactful leadership.
“Recognising these trailblazers is about more than an award; it is about validating the human residue of leadership that persists in an increasingly automated world,” he said.
Honourees include the Wife of the Governor of Osun State, Ngozi Abeni Adeleke; DCP Oki Emsen Rita Oyintare; Tolani Alli of the World Bank; Dr Kingsley Ighobor of the United Nations; Ambassador Billy Umar Garba of Platinum View Inc; Founder of the IBTK Foundation, Hawa Taylor Kamara Diallo; Dr Padmini Murthy of the American Medical Women’s Association; and Mamotake Matekane of the MGC Matekane Group in Lesotho.
The summit is supported by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Nigeria, the Helpline Foundation for the Needy, The Mothership, Kaleidoscope Business Project LLC, Waterlight Save Initiative, IBTK Foundation, among others.