Scholar-Administrator
Academic Leader
University Distinguished Professor
Endowed Professor
Feminist Scholar
Award-winning Historian
Mmasechaba – Mother of Nations
Authentic, Collaborative,
Equity Leader,
Transformative Change Maker
Recent News
Royal Historical Society
July 18, 2026
Elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Dr. Nwando Achebe joins the distinguished international community of historians recognized for their outstanding contributions to historical scholarshi
Nigerian Academy of Letters
August 13, 2026
Elected a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Dr. Nwando Achebe joins the distinguished ranks of Fellows recognized for their outstanding contributions to scholarship and the advancement of the humanities in Nigeria.
African Studies Association
December 1, 2025
Elected President of the African Studies Association.
May 17, 2024
Elected Vice President/President-Elect of the African Studies Association.
Woman Leader in Education
August 10, 2024
Awarded a Top 50 Woman Leader in Education by Women We Admire for the second consecutive year. This award highlights the accomplishments of women who are at the helm of diverse educational institutions across the nation.
Nigerian Academy of Letters
August 1, 2024
Inducted into the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Dr. Nwando Achebe joins the prestigious national academy as a member who advances scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Nigeria.
Distinguished Africanist
March 14, 2023
Recipient of the NYASA Distinguished Africanist Award by the New York African Studies Association. The award recognized Dr. Achebe’s “prolific and innovative scholarship in the field of Africana Studies” and her “intellectual leadership as the founding editor of the Journal of West African History.”
Distinguished Professor
June 17, 2025
Nwando Achebe has been named a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, recognized for her groundbreaking work in African history, gender, and oral traditions. Read the official announcement here: MSU Today – 2025 University Distinguished Professors.
Recent Publication
Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa
Drawing from distinctly African source materials and methods, Achebe’s groundbreaking historical account examines the shared power, influence, and authority that uniquely African, female-gendered entities—people, diviners, and deities—exert across Africa’s interconnected physical and spiritual worlds.
✨ Exciting News! ✨
Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa (Ohio University Press), is now available in a free Open Access edition through the Ohio Open Library.
Praise for Female Monarchs
A brilliant, thoroughly engaging and accessible book, “Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa” is a fascinating and quick read that shows the many, many ways that women across the African continent have always led and continue to lead. It lays permanently to rest the notion of African women as passive or powerless and shows that women play key roles in every sector of society.
The Washington Post
Mandates a rethinking of African historiography.
Obioma Nnaemeka, Chancellor Professor, Indiana University
An invaluable guide to the roles played by African women in politics, economics, and religion, past and present.
Jonathan T. Reynolds, Regents Professor, Northern Kentucky University
A seminal work of meticulous scholarship, “Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa” is a unique and extraordinary study that is especially well organized and presented.
Midwest Book Review
Honors for Female Monarchs
- Ijeruka, “15 Books that Will Change the Way You Think about African and Black Women,” May 6, 2024.
- Shoppe Black, “Crowns and Commerce: A Look at ‘Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa,'” 2024.
- The Wellness Feed, “7 Books to Celebrate and Learn about Black History and Culture,” June 2020.
- Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, “7th Annual TMC Africa Politics Summer Reading Spectacular,” May 29, 2020.