Erelu Bisi fayemi, wife of the minister of Solid Minerals and former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi will today, Monday debut Abovewhispers.com, a blog for those who want to have a mature engagement online.
The new blog which is primarily, (but not exclusively) aimed at middle-aged women, seeks to provide an opportunity for people to engage in discussions about a range of issues such as politics, social justice, development, financial security, women’s rights, health, entrepreneurship, popular culture, faith, parenting, relationships, and other relevant areas.
The former Ekiti State first lady is a well known women’s rights advocate, international development specialist and social entrepreneur.
She has many years of experience in designing programs and mobilizing resources for women’s movements. She was the Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika in the UK (1991-2001) an international development organization for African women. While she was at AMwA she established the African Women’s Leadership Institute which has produced over 6,000 women leaders in many African countries. She left AMwA in 2001 to co-found the African Women’s Development Fund, a pan-African grant making foundation for women’s organizations based in Ghana. She served as Executive Director of AWDF till December 2010 when her husband Dr Kayode Fayemi became Governor of Ekiti State.
As stated by her, “this is a unique platform to engage with other people in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Women have a lot of stories to tell, of their struggles and triumphs. These reflections will hopefully serve to inspire others. I also want this space to showcase some of the ways in which we build community in Africa, particularly through our personal and collective philanthropy, stories that usually do not get told in the international media. I also see the blog as a place for learning and mentoring across generations.”
The new blog will feature several prominent women as guest bloggers from within and outside Nigeria. Watch out for favourites such as Joke Silva, Betty Irabor, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Joe Okei-Odumakin, Kate Henshaw, Bimbo Fashola, Florence Ajimobi, Laila St Mathew Daniel, Janet Adetu and many others.