Maimouna Ba awarded 2024 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award for Africa

Dakar, 9 October 2024 – Maimouna Ba, a tireless advocate for forcibly displaced women and children in Burkina Faso, has been named the 2024 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award’s Regional Winner for Africa. The Nansen Refugee Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have shown outstanding dedication in protecting refugees, forcibly displaced, and stateless people. Maimouna’s work, which has empowered over 400 forcibly displaced women to achieve financial independence and enabled more than 100 forcibly displaced children to return to school, exemplifies resilience and hope in the face of the Sahel region’s humanitarian crisis.

The Central Sahel hosts over 3.4 million forcibly displaced people, including 567,000 refugees and asylum-seekers and 2.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Maimouna’s work addresses their critical needs, offering both educational opportunities and economic empowerment to those most affected by the ongoing crisis.

Born in the Sahel region, Maimouna belongs to the first generation of women in her family to receive a formal education. Despite the many challenges she faced, Maimouna pursued her studies and earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management. In 2016, Maimouna began helping forcibly displaced families fleeing violence, by collecting donations and securing sponsorships. Her commitment to empowering women and children led her to co-found an organization focused on entrepreneurship, combating gender-based violence, and fostering peaceful coexistence. Maimouna’s scholarship initiative provides education, psychosocial support, and protection from exploitation for orphaned and displaced children.

Amid the escalating challenges in the Sahel region, Maimouna Ba's work stands out as a powerful symbol of hope and resilience. Her efforts to empower forcibly displaced women and children are not only changing lives but also contributing to peacebuilding and the reconstruction of communities. Maimouna's dedication and impact serve as an inspiration, and her recognition with the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award is a well-deserved honor.

Now 28, Maimouna’s achievements have earned her widespread recognition and the affectionate title of "Maman Sahélienne" (Mother of the Sahel). Her leadership and dedication were also honored at the 2023 Young Activists Summit in Geneva, where she was named one of five laureates for her remarkable contributions to peacebuilding and community empowerment.

As the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award’s 2024 Regional Winner for Africa, Maimouna’s work stands as a beacon of hope for displaced people across the continent, showcasing the power of local leadership and grassroots action to transform lives amid adversity.

This year’s UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award global laureate, Sister Rosita Milesi, is a Brazilian nun, lawyer, social worker and movement builder who has championed the rights and dignity of people on the move for nearly 40 years. Four other women have been named regional winners.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Geneva from 7.30 p.m. CEST on 14 October. Hosted by South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha, the event will showcase the winners’ work and feature a performance by Moldovan opera singer Valentina Nafornița. It will also be livestreamed here. 

For broadcasters, news organizations and other media professionals: link to the media page with b-roll, multimedia content and short bios of the winners.

For more information on this topic, or to book interviews with the winner, please contact:  

• In Dakar, Alpha Seydi Ba, [email protected], +221 773 457 454 
• In Ouagadougou, Bernadette Mah Ippet Letembet, [email protected], +226 65 50 47 60

About the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award:

The UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award honors individuals, groups and organizations who go above and beyond the call of duty to protect refugees, displaced and stateless people. Established in 1954, the Award celebrates the legacy of Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian scientist, polar explorer, diplomat and first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations. The first UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award was presented in 1954 to Eleanor Roosevelt, the first Chair of the UN Human Rights Commission and First Lady of the United States alongside President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Over the years, more than 60 individuals, groups or organizations have received the Award for their extraordinary service and outstanding work for people forced to flee their homes. Since 2017, Regional Winners have also been recognized for their humanitarian efforts. Read more here.