International Nigerian singer and activist, Nneka  (Nneka Egbuna )has been outdoored as Ambassador for the Arts by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) in a ceremony held at the AWDF House in Accra, February 16. The announcement was made as part of the 10^th anniversary celebrations of AWDF, which has blazed a trail for women’s rights and philanthropy across the African continent. The first pan-African women’s grant maker on the continent, AWDF has established itself as an innovative organization at the cutting edge of social justice and women’s rights philanthropy in Africa.  As part of AWDF’s current strategic plan, it has introduced ‘Arts, Culture and Sports’ as a new thematic area in order to expand its support for the Arts as a tool for social justice. Speaking about her new role within the AWDF fraternity, Nneka commented: “I feel good; I feel it is another way to get my message out there. It compliments my music and the consciousness within my music. It is a way to share my music and empower people, empower women and empower the youth. My songs raise awareness about issues that the African Women’s Development Fund also addresses, so it’s a good partnership.” The Interim CEO of AWDF, Theo Sowa underscored the importance of Arts and Culture in driving change within communities due to its real emotive strengths. She was of the belief that Nneka was a good candidate to start the process due to her past works in activism through her music.  Renowned Ghanaian novelist and playwright, Professor Ama Ata Aidoo spoke about the role of arts in development while AWDF grantee, Kinna Likimani of Mbasem (an association for women in literary arts founded by Prof. Ama Ata Aidoo), shared their story with the gathering. To share in the spirit of the arts, singer and spoken words artist, Crystal Tettey opened the ceremony with a performance, accompanied by her mother on guitar. Professor Ama Ata Aidoo  read a few pages of her book, ‘The Girl Who Can and Other Stories’, while the lady of the moment, Nneka also performed a few songs from her new album, ‘Soul Is Heavy’ ]]>