From Lagos to the World: How the Women Maker Series is Redefining Empowerment in Africa

The Women Maker Series, a groundbreaking female-led event recently held in Lagos, Nigeria, is redefining what empowerment looks like across Africa. Founded by Winnie Okpapi-Owu and produced by Grid & Nodes Africa, the maiden edition gathered over 500 women for a day of business support, creative workshops, healing sessions, and community building. From art therapy and batik-making to enterprise consultations and grant awards, the event offered a holistic platform for women to turn passion into profit. Designed as a scalable model for impact, the Women Maker Series is now calling on global partners to help take this powerful movement across Africa—and beyond

Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, 9th Apr 2025 – In a vibrant corner of Africa’s creative and entrepreneurial capital, a quiet revolution just began. It's called the Women Maker Series, and if its maiden edition is anything to go by, it's set to become one of the continent’s most promising platforms for women-led innovation, healing, and enterprise.

Spearheaded by Nigerian creative non-profit, Grid & Nodes Africa and its visionary founder, Winnie Okpapi-Owu, the Women Maker Series debuted with a bold premise: helping women move from craft to legacy.

The result? A one-day, multi-activity, female-led experience that blended business support, mental wellness, creative workshops, and deep community engagement—with stunning success.

 

An African Model for Empowerment

More than 500 women gathered in Lagos for a day of learning, healing, and creation. There were no empty slogans or performative panels. Instead, the Women Maker Series offered:

• Art Therapy sessions that helped participants confront trauma and walk toward healing.
• Business Assistance consultations providing one-on-one support for enterprise setup and sustainability.
• Panel Discussions with women who have gone ahead and made their names into brands
• Batik-making workshops, where attendees created vibrant, sellable fabrics—often discovering untapped artistic gifts.
• Grants and funding support to jumpstart selected participants’ ventures.

Wrapped in beauty, the event also included free spa sessions, manicures, and free food & beverages, all designed to offer both dignity and delight to women who are so often asked to pour from an empty cup.

 

Not Just an Event, But an Ecosystem

What sets the Women Maker Series apart is its layered approach: emotional wellness, financial empowerment, and creative expression—all under one roof.

“We’re not just curating moments—we’re building momentum,” said Winnie Okpapi-Owu, convener of the series. “Women in Africa are not short on ideas or ambition. What they need is access, validation, and support. That’s what this platform is here to provide.”

The project, a year in the making, was shaped through partnerships with forward-thinking brands and leaders in wellness, media, and enterprise development.

 

Local Roots, Global Relevance

While deeply rooted in the Nigerian context, the Women Maker Series holds relevance for women everywhere. In a world increasingly shaped by economic disparity, gender-based inequity, and mental health crises, the event’s model of whole-woman empowerment offers a refreshing and replicable blueprint.

By integrating art, wellness, skill acquisition, and funding, it provides more than inspiration—it delivers agency.

What’s Next?

Plans are already underway to expand the Women Maker Series beyond Lagos—both within Nigeria and across other African cities. The goal: a traveling hub of empowerment, connecting more women to resources, networks, and each other.

“We want every woman to know—wherever she is—that her ideas matter, her story matters, and she doesn’t have to wait for anyone’s permission to start,” said Okpapi-Owu.

 

A Call to Global Partners

As the world looks toward more inclusive development models, the Women Maker Series is calling on global allies—brands, funders, NGOs, and governments—to collaborate.

Africa is rising. Its women are ready. And the Women Maker Series is making sure they rise, not just individually, but together.

Media Contact

Organization: The Grid Management

Contact Person: Dapo Akintoye

Website: https://thegridmanagement.com

Email: Send Email

Contact Number: +18176436146

Address:Sigma Base, 7/9

Address 2: Molade Okoya Thomas

City: Victoria Island

State: Lagos

Country:Nigeria

Release id:26239

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