Our Woman Crush Wednesday, Cynthia Mbamalu is a highly dedicated advocate for human and gender rights, as well as a respected development practitioner. With a background in law, having received an LLM in Comparative Constitutional Law from the Central European University (CEU), she possesses deep expertise in human and women’s rights advocacy, constitution building, elections, and inclusive political leadership.
As a co-founder and the Director of Programs at Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu has played a pivotal role in supporting sustainable democracies and fostering political inclusion. She has actively engaged in numerous election observation missions and currently leads the innovative #WatchingTheVote project, which employs data and technology to ensure electoral integrity.
Cynthia’s unwavering commitment to improving electoral processes led to her instrumental involvement in advocating for the adoption of Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2022. Furthermore, she actively participates in the constitutional amendment process, striving for amendments that address gender inequality in society.
She is also a founding member of the Not Too Young To Run movement and the Ready to Run campaign, and thus a driving force behind promoting the active participation of young men and women in political leadership. Through her efforts, the Not Too Young To Run movement successfully influenced the amendment of Nigeria’s Constitution in 2018, reducing the minimum age for contesting elections.
Cynthia’s influence extends beyond Nigeria. She manages the Community Organizing Program, which empowers young people in West Africa to actively engage in civic activities. She recently launched The Unamplified Podcast, an insightful platform driving inclusive conversations on democracy and development with a focus on gender perspectives.
To augment her expertise, Cynthia has completed prestigious executive programmes and courses. She is an alumna of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Leadership, Organizing, and Action executive programme; the Central European University course on Constitution-building in Africa; the University of South Africa course on Management of Democratic Elections in Africa; and the University of Cape Town’s Leading in Public Life: Women, Influence Power Programme.
This Wednesday, Pride Magazine Nigeria celebrates Cynthia Mbamalu for all her contributions to politics and national development.