Meghan Markle joined Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, in a candid panel discussion on day two of her trip to Nigeria alongside Prince Harry.
On Saturday, May 11, approximately 50 leading women from various sectors of Nigerian society including politics, business, media, and culture, attended the session, which was moderated by Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu, who heads Africa’s first global black entertainment lifestyle network.
"I am just flattered and honored and inspired. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived, and I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more color, so I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion!" Meghan, who wore a red dress by Nigerian designer Orire, told the crowd at the event, which was attended by PEOPLE.
"I am very overwhelmed. So I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you've all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country,” Meghan said, pausing briefly before adding to the applause, "my country."
When asked how she felt after discovering she was 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test, Meghan said the first thing she did was "call my mom, because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it."
"Being African-American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage or background, where you come from specifically," she continued. "And it was exciting for both of us to discover more and understand what that really means.”
“Never in a million years would I have understood it as much as I do now," Meghan said. "It's been really eye-opening and humbling to be able to know more about my heritage and to be able to know this is just the beginning of that discovery.”
The women continued to discuss the importance of representation in powerful roles.
"Representation matters tremendously," Meghan said. "You need to see it to believe it. That starts when you're very young...I often find that whatever travels I've done, regardless if it's Nigeria or another country around the world, oftentimes when women reach the peak of success, they leave.
“But you need to come back home. You need to at least be a familiar face for the next generation to say, ‘oh, she looks like me. And I can be that.’...You still always want to come back home because that's how you're going to help shift any sort of generational pattern that might be stifling, especially for young girls who need to see someone who looks like them in that same position.”
Abudu added, “I hate to interrupt you, but you have come back home.”
Meghan responded, "I hope that I could do justice to the role model that I think so many young women deserve to have. Obviously, in the face of all of you here, I know that they see that. But being able to be a small part of that means a lot.”
The conversation then shifted to the challenges of balancing motherhood with building careers.
The event, which was held in the country's capital of Abuja, highlighted the importance of female leadership and empowerment in driving positive change globally. Meghan, who is known for her advocacy work on women's rights and gender equality, shared insights and experiences from her own journey during the event, while Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian-American economist serving as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization since March 2021, brought her expertise and perspective to the discussions.
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10 май 2024
