Leadership experts at the She Speaks Summit 2026 in Enugu have urged African women to embrace self-reliance, resilience and continuous learning to enhance leadership, entrepreneurship and personal development.
ENUGU – Leadership experts have called on African women to embrace self-reliance, resilience and continuous personal development as essential qualities for effective leadership and sustainable success in business and society.
The call was made during the She Speaks Summit 2026, a three-day leadership and business conference convened by Professor Joy Onyesoh in Enugu.
The summit, themed “Unlocking Potential, Achieving Excellence – A Transformational Leadership, Business and Personal Growth Experience for Women,” attracted participants from across Nigeria and featured speakers from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the United States.
Delivering the keynote address on “Leveraging Leadership in Turbulent Times,” the Founder of the Global Female Civility Leadership Institute, USA, Professor Ona Miller, identified self-reliance as the foundation of effective leadership and personal growth.
She outlined five key leadership anchors that women should cultivate to remain resilient and effective in challenging environments.
According to Miller, the anchors are identity, which forms the foundation of leadership; intuition, a unique strength women possess; resilience, the ability to withstand adversity; community, which promotes collaboration and mentorship; and purpose, the driving force behind impactful leadership.
“African women must first learn to lead themselves through self-evaluation and self-assessment before they can effectively lead others,” she said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of Scientia Partners Innovation Hub, Dr. Helen Emore, stressed the importance of financial literacy for entrepreneurs, urging women to understand both personal and business finances to achieve sustainable enterprise growth.
She advised participants to define clear financial goals, understand business cycles and pricing strategies, and ensure that their business models align with their personal vision and long-term objectives.
Speaking on legal business establishment and regulatory compliance, the Managing Director of Dmessage Limited, Mr. Shola Odeja, encouraged entrepreneurs to build businesses with long-term sustainability in mind.
He guided participants on business registration procedures and compliance with the Corporate and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), the Tax Act 2025 and other sector-specific regulations.
Odeja warned that failure to comply with statutory obligations, including the filing of required returns after the expiration of the moratorium period, could attract regulatory sanctions.
Earlier, the convener of the summit and Chief Executive Officer of Joy Onyesoh Coaching Consult, Professor Joy Onyesoh, described the event as a platform designed to equip women with practical knowledge, leadership strategies and professional networks needed for personal and organisational growth.
“The She Speaks Summit is a safe space where women come to reignite, refuel, build their personal capacity, acquire strategies and tools to grow their organisations or businesses, and engage in frank conversations,” she said.
According to Onyesoh, the 2026 theme was inspired by the need for women to recognise, maximise and fully utilise their God-given potential to achieve excellence.
She explained that the summit began on June 25 with a Leadership Mastery Class for VIP participants focusing on strategy, influence and decision-making, while students also participated in dedicated leadership development sessions.
She added that the programme was designed to strengthen businesses, build personal brands and empower women to realise their vision through continuous learning, networking and collaboration.
Onyesoh noted that this year’s summit attracted participants from different parts of Nigeria, while facilitators came from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the United States.
Reflecting on previous editions, she said the summit has continued to inspire business growth, strengthen collaborations and encourage participants to replicate the knowledge gained within their communities.
She urged women to embrace lifelong learning and translate the insights gained into meaningful action.
One of the participants, the Founder of the Centre for Leadership and Mentoring Initiative in Jos, Plateau State, commended the organisers, describing the summit as impactful and expressing confidence that the lessons learned would contribute significantly to the personal and professional development of women while benefiting others through knowledge sharing.
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