The Academic Woman Foundation

One of our flagship initiatives, the SHE BUILDS Conference, is an annual convening designed to evaluate the state of women in entrepreneurship, the built environment, engineering, and law. The conference aims to:
Assess women’s representation across critical sectors.

Identify actionable strategies for equity and economic empowerment.
Serve as a catalyst for national gender equity policies and economic inclusion.
Build connections between students, professionals, policymakers, and corporate stakeholders.

Why This Matters for the Global South and Beyond
Women’s active inclusion in entrepreneurship, engineering, the built environment, and law is vital to national and global economic growth. The SHE BUILDS Conference:

Inspires the next generation of women leaders and changemakers.
Contributes to gender equity and inclusive economic policies.
Builds knowledge, networks, and skills for sustainable development.
Promotes legal reforms and gender-responsive governance.

Conference Speakers

Hon. Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey

Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, has over 20 years of experience in community development, women’s and children’s rights, and governance. A member of Ghana’s 8th Parliament for Krowor Constituency, she served on several parliamentary committees. She has held roles including ECOWAS In-Country Expert, General Secretary of NALAG, […]

Hon. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo

is the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Administration and a member of the World Bank Advisory Council for Partnership for Economic Inclusion. A distinguished human rights lawyer with over 30 years’experience, she has championed causes in human rights advocacy, litigation, gender,governance, and social protection.She previously served as Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and […]

Professor Lydia Aziato

is the third Vice Chancellor and the first Female Vice-Chancellor of UHAS. She is also the first nurse to become a Professor in Ghana and West Africa. She holds a Bachelor’s degree and an M.Phil. in Nursing from University of Ghana. She has a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of the Western Cape, South […]

Ing. Mrs. Jane Naki Tetteh-Anowie

Senior Professional Engineer of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), is a distinguished Environmental Engineer with over two decades of consultancy and leadership experience. She is Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration at Associated Consultants Limited and President of Women in Engineering, Ghana (WinE), where she champions mentorship, advocacy, and inclusion for women in […]

Christine Opoku Onyinah Esq.

is a passionate advocate for justice, women empowerment, and purposeful leadership. She is triple-barred in England and Wales, New York, and Ghana — a rare achievement that reflects her global outlook on law and advocacy. Her career spans international and domestic practice: from serving as a Crown Prosecutor with the UK Crown Prosecution Service, to […]

Dr. Lily Owusu

is a Principal Planning Analyst at Ghana’s National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), where she champions the integration of gender, migration, youth development, and unpaid care work into national policy frameworks. With a PhD in Population Studies from the University of Ghana and over a decade of experience, she is committed to advancing inclusive and evidence-based […]

Patricia Adusei-Poku

is currently the only African woman selected as Commissioner on the Global Committee for Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (GC-REAIM). She is also the Chairperson of Lawyers Hub, Kenya.As the immediate past Executive Director of the Ghana Data Protection Commissioner, Patricia is a seasoned privacy practitioner, program manager, information governance and risk expert […]

Mrs. Sarah Norkor Anku Esq.

is a prominent Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney with extensiveexperience in the field. She is the Managing Partner at SN ANKU IP FIRM (Ghana, Nigeria,The Gambia and USA) and a Senior Partner at ANKU.ANKU AT-LAW (Ghana and Nigeria).Sarah has a diverse educational background, including an LLM in Alternative DisputeResolution from the University of Ghana and Masters […]

Surv. Sardia Musah-Saaka

is a seasoned valuation and estate surveying professional specialised in facilities and project management. She has over a decade in the built environment industry specialising in improving the public sector estate management systems. As an astute volunteer, she has served on various committees including the Environment, Infrastructure and Spatial Planning Committee of Ghana’s National Development […]

Dr. Anatu K Mahama

is a Senior Lecturer in Business Management at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), where she teaches international business and researches inclusive organisations, gender equity, global trade and women empowerment, knowledge management, and digital empowerment . She is also a co-Academic EDI lead for ARU Peterborough. A Ghanaian-born world renowned scholar with a BA in Publishing Studies […]

Dr. Karen B Blay

is Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering at Loughborough University. A Chartered Construction Manager, Fellow of Advance HE, and a member of Institute Of Healthcare Engineering & Estate Management (IHEEM) and The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) , she combines academic leadership […]

Odelia Ntiamoah Boampong

is an author and multiple award-winning media leader, an entrepreneur and gender researcher. She has trained 64 media houses in revenue generation across the world for the BBC world service and worked with international media brands such as Euro news and DW TV. She has interviewed 8 presidents and vice in Africa. She runs the Oxford […]

Sally Osei

is a Performance Analysis Manager with a strong background in finance, credit management, and data analytics. With over 15 years of professional experience, she has built her career at the intersection of numbers, strategy, and people- turning complex data into meaningful insights that drive business performance. Currently at Network Rail, Sally leads on performance reporting, […]

Arc. Glory Nana Yaa Nartey ( Mrs.)

is an accomplished Chief Architect, Development Practitioner, and Facilities Management Expert with over 2 decades of experience in Architecture, real estate construction management , in the Private and Public sectors of the built environment. She is the Ag. Engineer-in-Chief and Lead Consultant at the Public Works Department (PWD), Ghana, where she leads a team of […]

Barbara Baaba Incoom

is an award-winning Marketing and Brand Management professional with 19 years of experience working on diverse brands across multiple sectors in Ghana. She currently serves as Marketing Director at Delta Paper Mill Limited, where her leadership has transformed Flora Tissues and Top Choco into household names, earning both brands a place in the prestigious Ghana […]

Angela Mensah-Poku

is the Chief Enterprise Officer at MTN Ghana, leading strategy and execution for driving digital transformation across large enterprises, SMEs, and startups. With over 26 years of experience across Technology, Operations, Commercial & Digital competencies . She has consistently delivered business growth through innovative commercial strategies and impactful partnerships. Angela is widely recognized for building […]

Dr. Ebenezer Forkuo Amankwaa

is a Human Geographer whose research spans urban studies, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability. His work addresses heterogeneous infrastructure, informality, mobility, livelihoods, environmental health, governance, well-being, and climate change. He has collaborated on major international projects and advised industry and government in Ghana, with his research shaping urban policy and delivering practical interventions. Passionate about […]

Shamima Muslim

is Deputy Presidential Spokesperson for John Dramani Mahama, the President of Ghana. She is Founder and former Convener of the Alliance for Women in Media Africa (AWMA), She is a distinguished award-winning Broadcast Journalist formerly with Citi fm and Metro TV and co-host of the 2012 Vice-Presidential debate. Shamima is also a Development Communication professional. […]