“I try to show myself as an example through excellence,” says Oduwole.
Zuriel Oduwole, an education advocate and filmmaker known for her work in global peace and gender equality, has been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
The nomination, submitted by a professor of clinical education engineering at the University of Southern California (USC) and an emeritus professor of geosciences at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, recognizes Oduwole’s decade-long efforts in diplomacy and development.
“I try to show myself as an example through excellence,” Oduwole said to FORBES AFRICA, after leaving the stage following her panel discussion at the 2024 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit in March 2024 in Johannesburg.
The 22-year-old first gained international attention at the age of 13 when she met with then-President David Granger of Guyana in New York, urging him to consider the impact of war on women and girls amid rising tensions with Venezuela over the Essequibo oil-rich region.
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Her advocacy, inspired by discussions with the First Lady of Sierra Leone about the lingering effects of war, positioned her as a young but formidable voice in international peace efforts.
In 2019, her work with Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi contributed to the country’s decision to ban child marriage. She was later invited by an Arab leader during the Qatar-Gulf diplomatic crisis, further solidifying her role in conflict resolution and policy discussions at the highest levels.
She is now a doctoral student at USC, having been accepted into the program at 20.
She has received honors, including the Ban Ki-moon Leadership Award in 2022 for her decade-long peacebuilding initiatives.
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