The African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) Nigeria held its 2026 Annual Parley Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with a strong call on women lawyers to uphold excellence, integrity, resilience and professionalism in their various fields of endeavour. The conference, themed “Excellence Wears Heels,” was held on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at Casoni Hotel, Port Harcourt.
Declaring the significance of the theme, the President of AWLA Nigeria, Caroline Aituaje Ibharuneafe, said excellence should not be regarded as an accidental achievement but as the result of discipline, commitment, continuous learning and purposeful effort. She urged members to make excellence a defining feature of their professional and personal lives.
Ibharuneafe said excellence could be demonstrated in different spheres, including legal practice, business, family life, community service and leadership. According to her, the pursuit of excellence was not about attaining perfection but about continuous growth, learning from experience and consistently seeking opportunities to improve.
The AWLA Nigeria President further charged members to embody the values of integrity and responsibility regardless of whether they occupied visible leadership positions or operated behind the scenes. She said the association’s identity as “Guardians of Justice” placed a responsibility on members to ensure that their thoughts, words and actions reflected the highest standards of professionalism.
She also urged participants to use the parley to renew their commitment to the legal profession and to the advancement of women, stressing that the pursuit of excellence should extend beyond personal ambition to become a shared responsibility towards families, communities and future generations of women.
The conference featured Dr. Chinyere Nwoga, President of the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), as Chairperson. Nwoga, who has more than 35 years of experience across business, media, education, trade and public policy, was recognised for her trailblazing leadership as the first woman to head the Chamber since its establishment in 1957.
The keynote address was delivered by George Etomi, FNAILS, NPOM, Founding Partner of George Etomi & Partners, who spoke on the conference theme, “Excellence Wears Heels.” Etomi, a prominent transaction lawyer with extensive experience in commercial transactions, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, aviation, banking and finance, energy and natural resources, brought his professional experience to bear on the theme of excellence. His address formed a major part of the conference’s focus on professional distinction, leadership and the need for women to continue striving for excellence in their respective fields.
Also speaking at the parley, the newly sworn-in President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, advocated an inclusive Bar, emphasising the growing role and influence of women in the legal profession. She noted that women were increasingly moving from behind the scenes into prominent positions of leadership, signalling a changing landscape within the profession. Her remarks reinforced the need for greater inclusion and recognition of women in leadership and decision-making across the legal profession.
The 2026 parley also provided an avenue for professional networking, learning and collaboration among members, while showcasing Port Harcourt and Rivers State as the host destination. AWLA Nigeria welcomed participants to the Garden City, emphasising the state’s rich cultural heritage, economic importance and diverse communities, and reaffirmed the association’s commitment to professional excellence, leadership development, inclusion and breaking barriers for women in the legal profession.