Mónica Martínez Walter, president of GMV and board member of the foundation called Women for Africa (Mujeres por África, shortened to “MxA”), presided over by María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, was present at the NGO’s annual assembly on 16 November last. Held under the watchword of “Women, leaders and Africans”, it was attended by leading women from various fields.

The ceremony, chaired by HM Queen Letizia, included leading figures such as Manuela Carmena, mayor of Madrid; Ana Patricia Botín, president of Banco Santander and patron of the foundation; Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, current president of Liberia y Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2011; Obiageli Ezekwisile, former minister of Nigeria, former vice president of the World Bank and promoter of the campaign #bringbackourgirls; and Wanjira Maathai, president of the foundation Green Belt Movement and daughter of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai. 

Peter Salovey, president of Yale University, was also keen to take part in this annual event in virtual form, since his university is one of the main collaborators of the foundation to promote the leadership of African women.

Queen Letizia hailed MxA’s work and stressed the need of ensuring that each woman can get to “wherever she may wish”. For her part, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, president of the foundation, argued that equality between men and women was the “only path to peace”, and expressed her keenness to contribute towards African development as the sine qua non of democracy, fellow feeling and peaceful coexistence.

The foundation’s Advisory Board, made up by outstanding African and Spanish women from various fields, held a working meeting before MxA’s annual assembly, drawing up a declaration in defense of peace, democracy, freedom and equality.