Asmau Benzies Leo advances gender equality, peace-building, and women’s political participation through advocacy and governance reform.
Asmau Benzies Leo is a Nigerian development practitioner, gender advocate and peace activist with more than a decade of national and international experience in gender equality, peace-building, governance and humanitarian action. As the Founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Non-violence and Gender Advocacy in Nigeria (CENGAIN), she has become a consistent voice pushing for safer communities, stronger institutions and fairer representation for women and girls across the country.
Leo’s foundation for this work was laid early. She grew up in a home where her parents gave sons and daughters equal opportunities and treated compassion as a responsibility rather than a choice. Her mother, in particular, often helped sick and struggling neighbours even when resources were limited, and watching that quiet commitment to humanity made service feel familiar to her long before she found the language for it. That sense of responsibility followed her into adulthood and became sharper during her NYSC year, when she led a sensitisation project on girl-child education, early marriage prevention and HIV/AIDS awareness.
The scale of the issues she confronted and the impact of the project itself convinced her that advocacy could meaningfully change lives. That experience ultimately influenced her decision to create an organisation dedicated to women and girls, especially those facing violence, discrimination and conflict-related vulnerabilities.
CENGAIN, her organisation, eventually grew from this conviction. She founded the it to promote peace, gender equality and sustainable development through policy advocacy, training and grassroots mobilisation. Over the years, CENGAIN has worked with communities, government agencies and civil society groups to expand awareness on gender-based violence, strengthen survivor support systems and improve the sensitivity and capacity of service providers.
The organisation has also collaborated with major international bodies such as the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union on projects addressing grievance redress mechanisms, gender inclusion and security sector reform. Through these interventions, the agency has contributed to better reporting of gender-based violence, stronger institutional response and more informed conversations around women’s political participation and women’s roles in peace and security processes.
Leo’s credibility in this work is reinforced by her academic and professional training. She holds a PhD in Public Governance and Leadership, a Master’s degree in Conflict Management and Peace Studies with a specialisation in Gender, and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology. In addition, she has completed executive programs at Howard University, Harvard University and Glasgow Caledonian University.
Her national influence has grown steadily. She is a Vital Voices Fellow, an Ambassador of Peace and Humanity and a recognised advocate for gender equality and nonviolence. Her work consistently centers on the belief that violence against women and girls is not only a human rights violation but also a direct threat to peace, security and national development.
She frames women’s political participation as essential to good governance and insists that Nigeria cannot achieve long-term stability while its institutions overlook half of its population.
Today, Asmau Benzies Leo continues to lead CENGAIN with the same clarity that inspired its creation. She remains focused on expanding women’s inclusion in political and security spaces, strengthening institutional accountability and promoting a culture of nonviolence in families and communities.
