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Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa Named Global Humanitarian of the Year 2026
Nhyiramma Foundation founder honoured for more than a decade of grassroots humanitarian service
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Nhyiramma Foundation, Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa, has been honoured as Global Humanitarian of the Year 2026 at the 5th Global Women Leadership Summit & Awards.
The recognition, presented by renowned broadcaster and women’s rights advocate Akumaa Mama Zimbi, celebrates more than a decade of humanitarian work focused on vulnerable people and underserved communities across Ghana.
Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa’s humanitarian journey began in 2014 as a personal passion to support people in need. Over the years, that passion has developed into sustained community-based interventions through the Nhyiramma Foundation.
Reflecting on the recognition, she said the journey had grown beyond what she initially imagined.
“What started as a passion project has grown into something I never imagined. I give God all the glory.”
Established in 2014, the Nhyiramma Foundation has implemented several humanitarian initiatives, particularly in deprived communities within Ghana’s Eastern Region.
Its interventions include the provision of boreholes for communities with limited access to potable water, educational support for children, healthcare assistance and economic empowerment programmes for women.
The foundation has helped children remain in school by paying their school fees, while also providing microloans to 250 women involved in petty trading. The support has enabled the beneficiaries to strengthen their businesses and improve their ability to provide for their children.
In the health sector, the foundation donated hospital items valued at approximately GH¢50,000 to the Tetteh Quashie Memorial Hospital.
It has also assisted less privileged mothers by settling hospital bills and facilitated two major surgeries for children living with hydrocephalus.
According to Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa, these experiences have further strengthened her commitment to humanitarian work.
A notable aspect of Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa’s philanthropic activities is the extent to which she has personally financed the foundation’s interventions.
She estimates that about 85 per cent of the projects undertaken by the Nhyiramma Foundation over the years have been funded from her personal resources.
She said proceeds from her businesses have frequently been channelled into charitable activities.
Her humanitarian work has also taken her beyond conventional office-based philanthropy. She has personally travelled to remote communities, at times renting vehicles to reach difficult-to-access areas, to interact with vulnerable families and understand their needs firsthand.
For her, humanitarian service goes beyond simply donating money or materials.
“It takes someone with a deep passion to continue doing this. I have always had a love for humanity, and when it comes to vulnerable people, I am selfless,” she said.
The Nhyiramma Foundation has increasingly shifted its attention towards sustainable economic empowerment for vulnerable women.
In 2025, the foundation launched the Widows and Single Mothers Association in Akuapem North to provide a structured platform where vulnerable women can access support, empowerment and opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
The initiative has so far provided seed capital to 20 women, with plans to extend the programme throughout the Eastern Region and eventually to other parts of Ghana.
The long-term objective is to move beyond one-time charitable assistance and establish sustainable opportunities that can enable widows and single mothers to become economically stronger and better able to support their families.
The Global Humanitarian of the Year 2026 award becomes the latest addition to Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa’s growing list of recognitions for her humanitarian and philanthropic work.
Her previous honours include:
Shero of the Year – 2019
Woman in Philanthropy Award – 2019
Best Humanitarian Award – 2020
Africa Peace Advocate Award – 2024
Triumph Change Maker Award – 2025
Global Humanitarian of the Year – 2026
She described the latest recognition as particularly humbling, noting that her journey began not with a major institutional plan but with a simple desire to help people.
With the Nhyiramma Foundation entering a new phase, Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa says her ambition is to build a more structured and sustainable organisation capable of reaching significantly more vulnerable people.
The foundation’s growing focus on widows, single mothers, children and deprived communities is expected to remain central to its expansion.
She also hopes to move from a model that has relied heavily on her personal resources towards establishing partnerships with individuals, organisations, corporations and other stakeholders who share the foundation’s vision.
For Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa, the past 12 years represent not the end of her humanitarian journey but the foundation for a larger mission.
From travelling to remote communities to support families, helping women establish small businesses, keeping children in school, assisting mothers with medical expenses and facilitating life-changing medical interventions, her work has been driven by a belief that humanitarianism begins with the willingness to care.
As she receives her sixth major recognition, Nana Adwoa Tutuwaa remains focused on the purpose that began in 2014: serving humanity, empowering vulnerable people and giving hope where it is needed most.