DVF Awards: Chimamanda Joins Winfrey, Lagarde, Clinton, Pelosi, Other Leaders to Appreciate Angela Merkel Leadership

Sunday Okobi

As the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, prepares to leave office, influential women around the world have reflected on her tenure, and acknowledged her for providing stable, strong leadership and being an inspiration for other women around the world.

These notable women showered encomium on Markel at the 12th annual DVF Awards held in Paris on Wednesday night, where a video mash-up made in her honor was played.

President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde; Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern; Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, and multiple award-winning Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, were also among the long list of powerful women who paid glowing tributes to Merkel.

Other global female political and business leaders, who also appreciated Merkel for her global reach and astuteness, included Oprah Winfrey, Hilary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and others.

In her message, Adichie thanked Merkel for inspiring girls around the world, saying: “I wish you joy, fulfillment, and excitement in whatever else you do going forward, and I’m waiting for you to come visit Lagos, Nigeria. You said you’d come!”

Adichie stated this in a video on her Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/tv/CWaXMzygZ15/?utm_medium=copy_link

Merkel’s, 16-year in office as German leader saw her forging a legacy as a formidable leader who helped her country navigate tumultuous times, including fiscal crises, deep disputes over immigration, Brexit, and COVID-19 pandemic.

The DVF Awards, conceived by Belgian fashion designer, Diane Von Furstenberg, is to honour women who have had the courage to fight, the power to survive, and the leadership to inspire.

This year’s recipients of the prestigious DVF Awards (honorees) are: American businesswoman and philanthropist, Melinda French Gates; CNN’s chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward; Syrian-Lebanese economist and activist, Dr. Rouba Mhaissen; Burmese human rights activist, Wai Wai Nu, and Ugandan climate activist, Vanessa Nakate.