“I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you’ve all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country…my country,” the Duchess of Sussex said

Meghan Markle speaks on a panel about women in leadership in Nigeria on May 11, 2024. Photo:AP Photo/Sunday Alamba

Meghan Markle joined Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, in a candid panel discussion on day two of her trip to Nigeria alongside Prince Harry.

On Saturday, May 11, approximately 50 leading women from various sectors of Nigerian society including politics, business, media, and culture, attended the session, which was moderated by Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu, who heads Africa’s first global black entertainment lifestyle network.

“I am just flattered and honored and inspired. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived, and I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more color, so I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion!” Meghan, who wore a red dress by Nigerian designer Orire, told the crowd at the event, which was attended by PEOPLE.

“I am very overwhelmed. So I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you’ve all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country,” Meghan said, pausing briefly before adding to the applause, “my country.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit Lightway Academy on May 10, 2024.Andrew Esiebo/Getty

When asked how she felt after discovering she was 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test, Meghan said the first thing she did was “call my mom, because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it.”

“Being African-American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage or background, where you come from specifically,” she continued. “And it was exciting for both of us to discover more and understand what that really means.”

“Never in a million years would I have understood it as much as I do now,” Meghan said. “It’s been really eye-opening and humbling to be able to know more about my heritage and to be able to know this is just the beginning of that discovery.”

Meghan Markle receives flowers from a young girl in Abuja on May 11, 2024.KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty

The women continued to discuss the importance of representation in powerful roles.

“Representation matters tremendously,” Meghan said. “You need to see it to believe it. That starts when you’re very young…I often find that whatever travels I’ve done, regardless if it’s Nigeria or another country around the world, oftentimes when women reach the peak of success, they leave.

“But you need to come back home. You need to at least be a familiar face for the next generation to say, ‘oh, she looks like me. And I can be that.’…You still always want to come back home because that’s how you’re going to help shift any sort of generational pattern that might be stifling, especially for young girls who need to see someone who looks like them in that same position.”

People hold up a Nigerian flag as they wait to welcome Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, ahead of their arrival for an exhibition sitting volleyball match in Abuja on May 11, 2024.KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty

Abudu added, “I hate to interrupt you, but you have come back home.”

Meghan responded, “I hope that I could do justice to the role model that I think so many young women deserve to have. Obviously, in the face of all of you here, I know that they see that. But being able to be a small part of that means a lot.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at the Lightway Academy in Abuja on May 10, 2024 as they visit Nigeria as part of celebrations of Invictus Games anniversary.KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty

The conversation then shifted to the challenges of balancing motherhood with building careers.

“I love being a mom, I love being a mom,” Meghan said when asked for her advice. She then recounted a meaningful anecdote from her time as an actress before meeting Harry.

“When I was on season one of Suits, so that was a long time ago. Now I know the show is having a resurgence, but that was a long time ago,” Meghan said, referencing the renewed interest in the series since it started streaming on Netflix last year. “Let’s say maybe a decade ago. And Bonnie Hammer, who runs NBCUniversal, was a huge mentor, remains a huge mentor to me. And I remember having the good fortune at the time that she invited me to have breakfast, and I thought this was just the biggest deal in the world. And I asked her that exact question. I said, ‘How do you find the balance?’ And she said, ‘You don’t, you’ll never find the balance.’

“And this was before I was married, this was before I had children, this is before all the things in my life have certainly had a plot twist,” Meghan said with a smile.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive for an exhibition sitting volleyball match at Nigeria Unconquered, a local charity organisation that supports wounded, injured, or sick servicemembers, in Abuja on May 11, 2024.KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty

“And it struck me and it stayed with me for a long time because you say, ‘well how can you be so successful? And she’s a mother as well and she’s married and say that you’ll never find the balance? What does life feel like if it’s imbalanced?’

“What I think that means now is that that balance will always change for you. That balance, what seems balanced 10 years ago is going to shift. And so being a mom has always been a dream of mine. And I’m so fortunate that we have two beautiful, healthy, very chatty, sweet children.”

The event, which was held in the country’s capital of Abuja, highlighted the importance of female leadership and empowerment in driving positive change globally. Meghan, who is known for her advocacy work on women’s rights and gender equality, shared insights and experiences from her own journey during the event, while Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian-American economist serving as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization since March 2021, brought her expertise and perspective to the discussions.

Earlier in the day, Meghan and Harry took in a sitting volleyball match with Nigeria: Unconquered, a national charity working in collaboration with the Invictus Games Foundation. They then attended a reception alongside military families.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were invited to visit the African country of Nigeria by its Chief of Defense Staff to spotlight Harry’s Invictus Games. Last year, Nigeria joined the event, sending athletes for the first time.