From Celebration to Catalysis: Leading Media with Advocacy, Purpose, and Powerful Partnerships

There’s something truly special about being able to convene, collaborate, and create impact with and for women. As the convener of the BNS Women’s Month campaign (now in its 6th year), I’m incredibly proud of the extraordinary work my team delivered throughout March - culminating in a powerful social impact initiative and one of the most exciting campaigns I’ve had the privilege to lead.

This year’s project was more than a digital celebration, it was a mission.

A mission to educate, to amplify, and to drive intentional conversations education, advancement and equity around healthcare for young women and girls in Nigeria.

Why We Do This

In 2020, I birthed an idea for a month-long campaign focused on real actionable steps for the advancement of women through the power of media. And since then, #BNSWomensMonth has been driven by the same goal: to elevate women through storytelling, strategic partnerships, and meaningful community-building. But this year, we took it even further. Aligned with the 2025 UN theme “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, and Empowerment” we focused our lens on the health and wellbeing of Nigerian women, especially those aged 16–30.

From rising cases of HIV/AIDS, to alarming non-communicable disease rates and inequities in healthcare access, it’s clear that Nigerian women—especially young women deserve more. More information. More resources. More support. More action.

And that’s exactly what we set out to provide.

The Power of Strategic Partnerships

No campaign of this magnitude succeeds without strong partnerships—and this year, we were grateful for an incredible ecosystem of collaborators:

eHealth Africa: This partnership exemplifies the power of aligning media reach with critical industry expertise. I am particularly proud of this facilitating this collaborative effort, where eHealth Africa's deep understanding of the healthcare sector provided the strategic foundation for our programming and grounding in key data, relevance, and impact were instrumental in ensuring our programming resonated deeply within the health sector.

Nestlé PureLife Nigeria: Our continued partnership for a second year is testament to the enduring relevance of our shared vision for the upliftment of women and girls in Nigeria. As our Hydration Partner, they played a vital role in highlighting the significance of even the smallest health habits.

Nutrify Nigeria: Their dedication to accessible nutrition education amplified our message of holistic well-being both during our virtual activations and the physical event.

Weststar/Mercedes Nigeria: Our elegant venue host for the High Tea with BNS, the culminating celebration. We find a strong synergy with the She's Mercedes initiative, which mirrors our commitment to inspiring women to connect, learn, and collectively create meaningful impact.

Zaron Group of Cosmetics: As one of our homegrown beauty brands, Zaron was a fitting collaborator to bring a touch of beauty and boldness to the experience.

Together, we created an experience that was insightful, inspirational, and deeply intentional.

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Three Pillars: Advocacy. Agency. Impact.

This year’s campaign stood firmly on three pillars that guided how we showed up and what we delivered:

Weekly Conversations with Power Players

For four weeks, we hosted virtual sessions spotlighting leaders in health, wellness, policy, and community development. These weren’t just conversations—they were masterclasses on mental health, sexual reproductive rights, food and nutrition, healthcare access, and health equity.

Featured Voices Included:

• Waje – Award-winning Nigerian artist and UN Global Champion

• Ifunanya Ilodibe – EVP & Chief Medical Officer, eHA Clinics

• Hauwa Ojeifo – Mental health advocate, founder of She Writes Woman

• Nicole Chikwe, Tinuke Atilade, Dedoyin Ajayi, and many more—each offering critical insight from their respective sectors.

These dialogues gave young Nigerian women access to unfiltered truths, expert advice, and the space to ask pressing questions that directly impact their health and future.

Spotlighting Everyday Heroines

Through the BNS Weekly Shoutouts, we handed the mic to our community—asking them to shout out their favorite women in health. Doctors, Clinic founders, wellness coaches, nutritionists, the women holding the forte in hospitals, start-ups, and small communities. We didn’t just amplify their work, we gave them a free visibility package on our platforms.

IWD Partner Spotlight with eHealth Africa

We spotlighted 10 phenomenal women across the eHealth Africa ecosystem - from executive leaders to field workers whose behind-the-scenes impact is reshaping Africa’s public health narrative.

Notable names featured included; Evelyn Castle, Co-founder & Board Chair, eHealth Africa, Micheline Ntiru, Board Member, eHealth Africa, Ota Akhigbe, Director of Programmes & Partnerships, eHealth Africa, Audrey Odogu, Senior Manager, Business Development, eHealth Africa

Their stories are a testament to what happens when brilliance meets purpose.

The Data:

We integrated real-time insights through WhatsApp polling to capture the voices of our core audience—young Nigerian women—and track shifts in awareness, mindset, and intent. With a total audience size of over 296k and 11,611 responses, this data not only illuminated urgent gaps but also measured the tangible impact of our programming.

These numbers in the diagram above painted a clear picture: a generation eager for knowledge, yet facing structural, emotional, and systemic barriers.

These shifts in perception and intent are not just metrics; they’re a roadmap. The data confirms that when women are engaged with targeted education, safe platforms for dialogue, and inspirational storytelling, we see a clear uptick in agency, advocacy, and leadership aspiration.

As we continue this work, these insights fuel our call to action: policies must evolve to meet the needs of informed, ready, and resilient young women. Education must be ongoing. Access must be equitable. And leadership must be inclusive.

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The Finale: High Tea with BNS

To close our month of impact, we hosted the signature High Tea with BNS - a private, elegant gathering for the voices, partners, and powerhouses who made the campaign possible.

Though the guest list was not public, the energy in the room was undeniable.

Mary Edoro, Joy Akut

Ife Durosinmi-Etti, Mary Edoro, Angel Anosike

Dunsin Sanya, Mary Edoro, Stephanie Coker Aderinokun

Ezinne Alfa, Jumoke Michael-Ojo, Mary Edoro, Uche Pedro

Oyedokun Oluwabukola

Fatima Babakura, Amma Abena

From government officials to CEOs, gender advocates to entrepreneurs, this event became a convergence of purpose and power.

Guests Included; Bukky Akinsemoyin, Director of Partnerships & Funding Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation & Gender Equality Advocate, Ibijoke Faborode, Founder, ElectHER Joy Akut, Special Adviser to the Deputy Speaker on Youth and Women Affairs,, Nwaedonzi Ebere Anenih , MD of Weststar/Mercedes-Benz Nigeria, Stephanie Coker Aderinokun, Producer of Amazon Prime's "Where The Heck Is My Period?", Ife Durosinmi-Etti, Founder, Herconomy

Together, we talked policy, health systems, media influence, and future action. But more than that, we saw what happens when women are truly seen, supported, and celebrated.

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As I reflect on this year’s campaign, I’m incredibly proud—not just of the outcomes, but of the intention behind it all. From ideation to execution, every detail was grounded in strategy, storytelling, and sisterhood.

This wasn’t just a campaign. It was a movement.

One rooted in the belief that young Nigerian women deserve more and that through media, we can drive awareness, spark critical change, and build systems of care that truly serve us all.