Mental health advocate Hauwa Ojeifo has been named as one of TIME Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders, a list of rising stars who are lighting the way to the world’s future. Hauwa is honoured alongside 19 other leaders across sectors and countries including Bridgerton’s star Nicola Coughlan, TikTok sensation, Devon Rodgriguez, Olympian Simone Manuel and Japanese billionaire Shunsaku Sagami. These leaders were selected for their remarkable work in sectors like business, climate action, sports, arts, and advocacy.
The 2024 TIME Next Generation Leaders list spotlights individuals from across the globe who are leading with empathy, challenging conventions, and building innovative solutions for a brighter future.
Hauwa, the founder of the movement She Writes Woman, has been a transformative force for mental health advocacy in Nigeria. In 2020, she made history by becoming the first person in Nigeria openly living with a mental health condition to testify before the National Assembly during the public reading of a mental health bill. This bill later became Nigeria’s first-ever mental health model since independence.
Through her organisation, Hauwa offers hands-on support for individuals battling mental health issues while working to push conversations out of the abstract and into the legislative arena. She aims to ensure that legislative change will secure access to mental health care for all Nigerians. “That is where we need to double down,” she says.
Hauwa’s advocacy has taken her to global stages such as the United Nations and the World Health Organisation. Earlier this year, she was one of 12 global leaders to receive a a $20 million grant from Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation.