Bene Madunagu, biologist and head of botany at the University of Calabar, Nigeria, is the co-founder, in 1982, of the feminist organization, Women In Nigeria (WIN). As a member of the Expert Group, she drafted the chapter on women's empowerment for Nigeria's ICPD country position paper. A committed activist and grassroots campaigner for political, economic and social rights, she is founder and chair of the executive board of Girls' Power Initiative (GPI), Nigeria, an NGO which works on sexual and reproductive health rights with young women and adolescent girls. Dr. Madunagu served as a member of the National Task Force on Sexuality Education, that produced guidelines for teachers, parents and adolescents endorsed by the Minister of State for Education. She is Zonal Coordinator (covering ten states) of the Coalition of Nigerian NGOs on Health, Population and Development; consultant to the program of "Conscientising Nigerian Male Adolescents," a program that fosters anti-sexism and critical consciousness for male adolescents in Calabar, Nigeria; and a member of the committee to institutionalize women's studies in tertiary institutions. In 1995, she received an award from the MacArthur Foundation Fund for Leadership Development. Additionally, she is zonal Coordinator for the International Reproductive Rights Research Group (IRRRAG), Nigeria chapter; Anglophone West Africa focal point for DAWN; and African Regional Coordinator of the DAWN Programme on Reproductive Rights and Population.

Girls' Power Initiative (GPI) uses a unique holistic approach to educating adolescent girls in central and eastern Nigeria about sexuality, gender roles, community action and women's rights, while developing the girls' leadership and self reliance skills. Among its many triumphs, GPI has already succeeded in developing a curriculum to educate girls on sexual health, founding a resource center, and expanding from an initial membership of about 18 members to a current count of over 200 members.