While working as the Program Director for Women in Law and Development in the Volta region, Hilary became aware that many problems faced by women had a strong base in their economic vulnerability.  Without a position of economic stability, many women were forced to remain in unhealthy domestic situations with little hope of escape.  In Hilary’s effort to find a nexus between human rights, women’s economic empowerment and development, she began collaborating with Vital Voices in 2009.  Following her participation in the Cape Town Conference “Leveling the Playing Field”, Hilary initiated the program “Women on the Move”, a yearlong program in Ghana aimed at empowering young entrepreneurial women.

As co-founder and Rector of the Law Institute, the first vocational law facility in Ghana, Hilary trains young advocates in legal studies that include coursework in criminal, land, family, and human rights law.  In the courses that Hilary and her associates lecture on, a point is made to infuse a gender dimension into curriculum, ensuring that students understand the importance of registering their business, for example, or that they have knowledge of family law and how to protect themselves. Hilary believes that with the knowledge and support system that The Law Institute can provide young women, they will then be able to have the boldness needed to launch into entrepreneurship.

With an impressive background in human rights law, entrepreneurship and women’s economic empowerment, Hilary adds to EWEC Board’s already eclectic mix of competencies a very powerful skill set.  Together she hopes EWEC will be a driving force in changing policy, encouraging women, and positioning the hub of the ABWN to better understand the way women do business across the west African region and Africa.