Past Fellows
“The Fellowship provided me a unique opportunity to learn and develop executive leadership skills at a crucial point in my career. It also enabled me to broaden my network across many different organisations working across Africa and the world.”
Charlotte Ashamu
Charlotte Ashamu
Country: Nigeria
Current base: Washington, D.C
Occupation: Associate Director
Organisation: Smithsonian, National Museum of African Art
Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Charlotte worked in the office of the President and in the Resource Mobilisation and Partnerships Department at the (AfDB), where she led the expansion of partnerships with philanthropists and private foundations around the world.
Previously, she served as an Advisory Services Officer at the International Finance Corp (IFC), where she spearheaded new programmes to help start, finance and grow small and medium enterprises in Africa.
Charlotte spent the earlier part of her career as an international trade specialist at the Whitaker Group and Abt Associates in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Paris Fashion Institute and holds a master’s degree in Economic Development and Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
She is the founder of Dabira, an organisation working to support the creative industries in Africa.