Co-Founder & Executive Director, Ubora Women’s Initiative
Mabintou Ouattara is a Canadian-Ivorian engineer and community leader passionate about creating opportunities for women and youth to pursue leadership and make their voices heard. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Ubora Women’s Initiative, she builds pathways for African, Black, and Caribbean women and girls to engage in leadership, diplomacy, and international affairs. As a woman in engineering, she understands firsthand the challenges young women face entering traditionally male-dominated fields, which has driven her to mentor students through programs like the University of Alberta’s Female Engineering Mentorship Program and Ontario Tech University’s Women in Engineering Mentorship Program.
Her commitment to inclusive leadership has taken her from local mentorship to the international stage: she represented Canada at the 69th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and the 2026 High-Level Political Forum, contributed to a national youth consultation report on gender equality, and currently serves as the United Nations Association in Canada’s SDG 10 National Lead, working to expand STEM access for Indigenous youth through community partnerships. She has also expanded civic and policy-focused opportunities for Black Francophone youth through initiatives such as Alberta’s delegation to SPECQUE, and contributes youth perspectives on democratic participation and gender equality as a member of the Canadian Council of Young Feminists Youth Advisory Council.
As Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Co-Lead for the University of Alberta Engineering Young Alumni Council, Mabintou works to strengthen representation within the engineering profession, and she previously served as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator for Canada’s delegation to the 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women, helping design a national youth consultation that shaped the delegation’s advocacy. An Alberta Top 30 Under 30 honouree, she continues mentoring young women from underrepresented backgrounds and collaborating with Indigenous educators and newcomer-serving organizations to build more inclusive spaces for the next generation of leaders.
