The World Bank has named Nigerian lawyer and gender advocate, Hassana Maina, as one of the selected members of its inaugural IDA Youth Champions Circle.
Maina, who is the Executive Director of the Anti Sexual Violence Lead Support Initiative (ASVIOL), joins a group of young leaders from across Africa and Asia tasked with promoting the goals of the International Development Association (IDA21). The IDA Youth Champions Circle is aimed at elevating regional voices and highlighting grassroots contributions to development.
The announcement places Maina alongside four other youth leaders: Sellah Bogonko, CEO of Jacob’s Ladder Africa, working to create green jobs across the continent; Chimwemwe John Paul Manyozo, Communications Officer at the Africa Oxford Initiative; Cynthia Nafula Nyongesa, an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya; and Ajay Yadav, Co-Founder of Youth Hive Nepal, which promotes entrepreneurial education.
Reacting to her selection, Maina said: “I’m excited to be part of the inaugural @WBG_IDA Youth Champions Circle, a space for bold, young voices shaping real change. I come into this with years of work on gender justice, survivor support & unapologetically centring those often left out of the room.”
Maina has spent over ten years working in Nigeria on gender-based violence, justice for survivors, and youth engagement. She holds a law degree from Ahmadu Bello University and a master’s in law, development and globalisation from SOAS, University of London.
The IDA21 initiative seeks to promote inclusive development and build support for policies across key low-income countries.
