The 2021 50 Most Inspirational Female Leaders in Africa list celebrates 50 inspirational women who are future leaders, business leaders or leaders in an organization or political leaders and are making tremendous contributions to gender diversity, women, and youth empowerment in Africa. These individuals serve as role models to the youth of Africa.
50 Most Inspirational Female Leaders in Africa, initiative of Young Global Leaders Network, organizers of Young African Leaders Summit 2021, is an international youth leadership development organization with active presence in over 16 countries.
This is a network of young social and business entrepreneurs, young politicians, young diplomats, young business leaders, innovators, educators, policy makers, young professionals, future leaders and talented young men and women changing the world with their talents.
The network seeks to be the world’s leading organization that trains, mentors, and prepares young leaders for diplomacy, politics, business leadership and entrepreneurship.
Young Global Leaders Network is a registered company and operates in the United Kingdom (Company number 11775356) and Ghana (Registration number CG072582020).
The committee responsible for this initiative set for themselves criteria and received nominations from members and management of the organization as well as the public. Nominees were scrutinized and the below list made it to the final 50.
50 MOST INSPIRATIONAL AFRICAN FEMALE LEADERS 2021
Dr. Kristy Leigh (Zimbabwe)
Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward (born 16 September 1983) is the current Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in the Cabinet of Zimbabwe as of September 2018. She is a Zimbabwean politician, former Olympic swimmer and world record holder, and the most decorated Olympian from Africa. She is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and in early 2018, was elected the Chairperson of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, the body that represents all Olympic athletes worldwide.
Coventry attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States.[1] At the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens, Greece, Coventry won three Olympic medals: a gold, a silver, and a bronze,[2] while in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing she won four medals: a gold and three silver. She was subsequently described by Paul Chingoka, head of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, as “our national treasure”.[1] Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe called her “a golden girl,”[3] and awarded her US$100,000 in cash for her 2008 Olympic performance.[4] In 2016, Coventry retired from swimming after her fifth Olympics, having won the joint-most individual medals in women’s swimming in Olympic history.
Zodwa Mkandla was born in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. She was studied at International Air Transport Association (IATA). AS talking about Zodwa Mkandla Career, she is the most successful entrepreneur. Her father comes from the Tourism industry so she thought and started her career in the Tourism industry.
https://www.instagram.com/zozomkandlaofficial/?hl=en
Zodkwa Mkandla( Zimbabwe)
Hon Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe(Zimbabwe)
Joana Ruvimbo Mamombe is a Zimbabwean politician, former student leader and a member of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance. She is known to be one of the youngest Zimbabwean members of parliament, representing Harare West.
➡️Youngest female member of Parliament in Zimbabwe representing Harare West Constituency.
➡️Biochemistry graduate
➡️Member of the Parliamentary portfolio committee for Higher and Tertiary education
➡️Member of the Parliamentary portfolio committee for Lands, Agriculture and Rural resettlement.
➡️Human Rights defender who has challenged the government to respect human dignity and was abducted several times and yet continued with advocacy for equal opportunities for all young people.
➡️Secretary for research and policy for the MDC ALLIANCE Youth Assembly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joana_Mamombe
https://www.facebook.com/ruvimbojm
Tatenda
Hon MP for Seke Chikomba Constituency, Assistant Speaker 9th Parliament, Former Actress Studio 26
May 26, 1986 (age 35)
Actor
Businesswoman
Farmer
Notable work
Acted in Studio 263
Tatenda Annastacia Mavetera is a popular Zimbabwean actress, talk show hostess and businesswoman. She rose to national stardom when she featured in Zimbabwe’s first soap Studio 263 in the New Millenium. Mavetera is a politician and a member of Zanu-PF.
She grew up in Gweru.
Education
Matevera did her primary education at Riverside Primary School and then later went to Nashville High School. She did “A” Levels at Denmark College.[2][1]
In 2019 Mavetera was said to be studying for a Doctorate in Business Leadership. She is a holder of a Masters Degree in Strategic Marketing from Midlands State University and a BSc Management/Marketing Degree from Women’s University in Africa.[3][2]
Acting career
Mavetera made a mark in the acting industry when she played the role of ‘Tendai Jari’ in studio 263. Her acting prowess was to be hounoured in 2003 when she won a National Arts Merit Awards in the Best Actress category.[4] After some time she quit acting and started hosting a talk show in 2005. The show was entitled ‘Timeout with Tatenda’, and it tackled topical issues which affect the day today lives of people. It also gave people a chance to talk about their problems and confront each other as they try to find a solution.[5] The show only ran for one season before disappearing. In 2013, she bounced back into acting featuring in the film ‘The Zimbabwe I Know’. The film was produced by renowned Nigerian star Ejike Asiegbu.
Political Career
Mavetera was first elected a member of parliament in the 2018 Harmonised Elections. She joined ZANU PF and rose through the ranks to be Provincial Secretary for Indigenization. Before that she had been a national member and a provincial member in Zimbabwe Youth Council Board.[2] She was elected Zanu-PF Seke-Chikomba women’s quota MP in 2018.
Mavetera is occasionally assigned to act as Speaker of the National Assembly in the absence of Jacob Mudenda and his deputy Tsitsi Gezi.
https://parlzim.gov.zw/dt_team/hon-mavetera-tatenda-annastacia/
https://twitter.com/tatemavetera
https://www.instagram.com/tatendamavetera/?hl=en
Hon Tatenda Mavetera (Zimbabwe)
Jeannette Kagame (Rwanda)
Jeannette Nyiramongi Kagame is the wife of Paul Kagame. She became the First Lady of Rwanda when her husband took office as President in 2000.
https://twitter.com/FirstLadyRwanda
https://www.instagram.com/jeannetkagame/
Lucy Quist, née Afriyie, is a Ghanaian-British business and technology executive. She is a managing director for Morgan Stanley.
Lucy Quist is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley leading change in technology as part of the transformation. Lucy is a business leader focused on technology, transformation and thought leadership for positive business returns. She serves on the board of INSEAD.
Lucy started her career at Ford Motor Company in engineering. She subsequently held business leadership positions in telecommunications while working at Millicom, Vodafone and Airtel. Her career spans many countries in Europe and Africa.
Lucy is a chartered electrical and electronic engineer with a first-class honours degree from the University of East London. She is a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (UK) and holds an MBA from INSEAD in France.
Lucy is known for being the first Ghanaian woman to head a multinational telecommunications company as the former CEO of Airtel Ghana. She is a co-founder of the Executive Women Network and also a passionate advocate who believes in harnessing STEM to advance development around the world by ensuring greater participation by young people.
She is a recipient of multiple honours for her exceptional strategic insights, delivery of transformative business results and dedication to growing people within her organisations and has also published a book titled, ‘The Bold New Normal’. She is an accomplished international speaker and has been on platforms such as TEDxEUSTON, GSMA’s Mobile World Congress, INSEAD, Columbia Business School and McGill University.
In 2016 she was featured on the BBC’s Power Women series as one of the top businesswomen driving transformational change in Africa.
Lucy is passionate about mentoring young people to realise their potential. She loves travelling with her family and reading books that explore different perspectives on life.
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lucy-quist-123556
https://www.instagram.com/lucyquist_official/
Lucy Quist (Ghana)
Blayne Tesfaye (Ethiopia)
Co- Founder & Managing Partner
Six years ago Blayne came to Ethiopia following a path through the fields of communications and marketing for multinational businesses establishing a footprint in the growing Ethiopian market. Now, she’s co-founded TruLuv Granola, through which she seeks to fuel meaningful experiences with convenient, nutritious, and natural snacks infused with the flavours of Ethiopia and crafted with love. Blayne is driven by creating products, whether granola or comms, that help folks create better lives for themselves and passionately believes in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire.
Blayne Tesfaye is an Ethiopian-American entrepreneur committed to creating affordable, nutritious and natural snacks for the Ethiopian and African food communities. Tru Luv Granola was founded in 2016 for this purpose and Blayne has been consistent in her mission to create a sustainable healthy diet through her snack bars, made locally by Ethiopian women.
TruLuv Granola was recently recognised globally by the United Nations as one of 50 winners of the Best Small Businesses providing Good Food for All.
TruLuv Granola is a dynamic female-led agribusiness based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. TruLuv Granola makes healthy foods made with ingredients we seek to sustainably sourced from local smallholder farmers, and that is crafted by Ethiopian women.
TruLuv Granola was incredibly honoured to be selected by the UN as one of the 50 Best Small Businesses in the world, especially after such a challenging year as 2020 was for us. We are a small business with a big vision for the future, and it’s wonderful to have recognition and support for this vision.
https://www.weforum.org/people/blayne-tesfaye
Group Regional Vice President Southern and East Africa at MTN Group Founder – Cuba Foundation and The Mentorship Boardroom. At the tail end of last year, MTN group announced changes to the regional structure and the Group Executive Committee in which Ms. Yolanda Cuba was appointed as the MTN Group Vice President for the Southern and East African (SEA) MTN markets effective 1 January 2020. This announcement coincided with yet another Woman rising to the position of Vice president; H.E Kamala Harris and similarly to her story of firsts, Yolanda Cuba is also the first woman to be confirmed in this position in MTN history!
Named one of the youngest CEOs of a JSE-listed company at the age of 29, Yolanda Cuba has gone on to become one of the Key business leaders in Africa today. As a young group CEO of the publicly listed Mvelaphanda Group, she was selected as one of the Young Global Leaders in 2008, an initiative by the World Economic Forum and named one of the ’20 Youngest Power Women in Africa’ by Forbes Magazine in 2011.
As the New SEA Vice President, Cuba brings to the role a formidable track record of over 20 years of executive experience in telecommunications and finance that will see her steer the continued growth and strategic progress of the SEA region which is critical to MTN’s growth ambitions as it presents a good opportunity for growth in mobile financial services as well as the largest potential for further expansion. The SEA region covers the MTN markets in Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia. Prior to this appointment, Cuba was the Chief Digital and Fintech Officer at the MTN Group. In her previous role, the prolific telecom expert was charged with leading MTN Group’s strategic expansion of its financial services and digital solutions efforts and transformation into a digital operator across its footprint of 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East.
Before joining MTN in July 2019, Cuba worked with the Vodacom Group Limited from 2013 as a non-executive director. She later became an executive member of the company in November 2014 and served as its Group Chief Officer of Strategy, Mergers and Acquisitions and New Business until her promotion to Chief Executive in the company. The seasoned strategist led Vodacom’s mergers and acquisitions as well as its acceleration unit into telco adjacencies such as financial services among others. Subsequently, Cuba was in 2016, made the Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, a role she outstandingly performed resulting in her scooping the coveted title of Telecom CEO of the year in 2018. The other notable awards under Cuba’s belt include; the Top Empowered Business Woman of the Year by Top Companies in 2006 and the Youth Excellence Award by the Black Management Forum in 2007. Cuba also previously served as an Executive Director of Strategy and Business Support at the South African Breweries (SAB) Limited since February 2012. She also previously occupied the position of Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer at New Bond Capital Ltd.
Cuba has served on a number of JSE-listed boards: She was a board member of South African Breweries Ltd; Absa Group Limited where she served for 12 years before resigning in 2019 and has been a member of the Nelson Mandela Investment Committee since 2006.
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Statistics from the University of Cape Town, a Bachelor of Commerce Honors degree in Accounting from the University of Kwazulu-Natal and a Masters of Commerce degree from the University of Pretoria. She is also an alumnus of INSEAD International Executive Program. Cuba is passionate about education and inclusive social and financial development has served on the Advisory Board of Stellenbosch University Business School and has founded Cuba Mtyi Foundation that focuses on empowering young Girls through Education.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolanda-cuba-ca-sa-%F0%9F%8C%8D-24346827/?originalSubdomain=za
Yolanda Cuba (South Africa)
Sarah Munyi - Youth Ambassador (Kenya)
Life Coach, Business Strategist, Change Management Expert
Sarah Munyi (FIIM) is a Life Coach, an Executive Leadership and Change Management Consultant, a Corporate Trainer and Evangelist, a Business Strategist and Author, and an International Advocate for youth empowerment in Africa!
She is the Founder and President of Youth in Africa.
She is the recipient of the Education Mentorship award in Uganda 2017 and the recipient of the most coveted Overall Future Leader of the year award 2019 in South Africa organized by the Global Business Roundtable for her efforts in youth empowerment in Africa!
She is also the recipient of The African Promising Career Award 2019 by the Voice Achievers,
The African Resource Woman of the year 2019 by Women in Africa from Nigeria, recently accorded an Honorary Fellowship (FIIM Fellow) from the Institute of Information Management (Nigeria) and recently been nominated for the Vigor Awards International 2020 from Canada.
https://twitter.com/sarahmunyi
https://ke.linkedin.com/in/sarah-munyi-a7b56b1a
https://www.instagram.com/sarah_munyi/?hl=en
Roberta Annan is a Ghanaian businesswoman and the founder of the African Fashion Foundation. She is also an investor, philanthropist, and a United Nations Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador. Annan was the youngest African to be inducted into the African Leadership Hall of Fame.
Roberta Annan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Annan Capital Partners (ACP), an investment advisory firm working to develop new and growing businesses in Africa. ACP focuses on supporting sustainable projects and community-driven impact with particular emphasis on the creative economy. ACP has interests in other sectors such as hospitality which fall under ACP Trust, and include Frallain Group, Semblance World, Heightsbridge Real Estate, Avignon Chocolates and Agoo.
In 2011, Roberta founded African Fashion Foundation to support the growing fashion industry. She is the Founder of IFFAC Investment Holdings, an investment vehicle aimed at supporting Africa’s creative and lifestyle businesses. IFFAC seeks to invest in small and medium-sized businesses to harness the creativity and entrepreneurship of Africa, and expand social capital in line with SDGs.
Born in Ghana in 1982, Roberta graduated Summa Cum Laude in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada and holds a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Georgetown University, Washington DC. She has also studied on the Program for Leadership Development at the Harvard Business School. In 2021, she was invited to become a member of the inaugural Advisory Council of Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design in London.
She was recruited by the United Nations as a Resource Mobilization Consultant to expedite the implementation of UN projects worldwide. She has led expansion projects for several multinationals and small to medium-sized enterprises in Africa and the establishment of foundations for several high-net-worth individuals. In 2017, she was appointed as Senior Market Liaison for Fieldstone Africa to spearhead business and marketing strategy. She also serves on numerous boards including Industrie Africa, WEIG and Ghana France Business Club. She has also worked with The Rose of Sharon Foundation, by Nigerian business mogul, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, and The European Commission Steering Committee – International Colloquium for the Creative Economy.
Roberta is known as one of the most influential businesswomen in Africa. She was a member of the Young President Organization (YPO) and is currently the UNEP Goodwill Ambassador for the Creative Economy. She has previously been named as one of the “20 under 40 Influential Business Leaders in Ghana” (Business World Ghana), the “40 under 40 Influential Business Leader in Consulting,” etc. She is a lifetime member of Invest Africa Club and the youngest African to be inducted into the African Leadership Hall of Fame.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberta-annan/?originalSubdomain=gh
https://www.instagram.com/roberta.annan/
Roberta Annan (GHANA)
Vera Esperança dos Santos Daves De Sousa (Angola)
In Angola, Vera Daves De Sousa received her appointment as the only female country’s Minister of Finance at age 35. She previously served as Secretary of State for Finance and Treasury and became the first woman ever to lead Angola’s Finance ministry. She is now tasked with reviving an oil-based economy suffering its worst recession since the civil war ended in 2002.
She also previously served in the Markets and Capitals Commission and gained visibility as a regular economic commentator on several media programs.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Vera disclosed her determination to reduce the presence of the state and diversify the economy as the country still hugely relies on revenue from crude oil export.
She was born in Luanda and has a degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Angola (UCAN). She also has several certificates in finance, management, and leadership and is the co-author of a book on Public Finance.
She was listed in the second publication of 100 Most Influential African Women in 2020 by Avance Media.
https://100women.avancemedia.org/veradavesdesousa/
https://www.facebook.com/vera.dossantosdaves.353
https://live.worldbank.org/node/33121
Joy Buolamwini is the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, an award-winning researcher, and poet of code. She advises world leaders, policymakers, and executives on redressing algorithmic harms. Her work is featured in global exhibitions and the documentary Coded Bias available on Netflix. Publications including TIME Magazine and New York Times carry her writing. Joy Adowaa Buolamwini is a Ghanaian-American computer scientist and digital activist based at the MIT Media Lab. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League, an organization that looks to challenge bias in decision-making software.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/buolamwini
Joy Buolamwini (Ghana)
Tina Salama (DR. Congo)
Tina Salama, born in South Kivu in Congo-Kinshasa, is a Congolese powerful politician and journalist.
https://twitter.com/TinaSalama2?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Francine Furaha Muyumba is a Congolese activist and politician serving as Senator in the Senate of Congo. Previously, she served as the president of the Panafrican Youth Union, the official youth body of the African Union from November 2015 to April 2019.
Honourable Francine FURAHA MUYUMBA, a Congolese politician born close to former President Joseph Kabila and a member of the PPRD, has been Senator of Haut-Katanga since 2019.* She was also *president of the Pan-African Youth Union* from 2014 to 2019.
https://www.instagram.com/francinemuyumba
https://www.facebook.com/FrancineMuyumbaFuraha
https://www.linkedin.com/in/francine-furaha-muyumba-3358a251
Honorable Francine FURAHA MUYUMBA (DR. Congo)
Tisya MUKUNA (DR. Congo)
CEO of La Boite and La Kinoise, powerful female entrepreneur. The Congolese woman produces Coffee in the Democratic Republic of Congo.She is the founder of the coffee brand La Kinoise Café.
https://www.africanews.com/2021/04/24/the-congolese-woman-coffee-producer-inspire-africa//
https://twitter.com/tisyamukuna?lang=en
Regional Head, IBM North, East and West Africa, Board Member Bank of Ghana
Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh is a Ghanaian business leader and the Regional General Manager for IBM Africa in charge of North, East and West Africa. She is the former Country General Manager for Ghana.She is the first female to become country director of IBM in Africa and the first African and female to be appointed Regional General Manager.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-kyerematen-jimoh-56090817/?originalSubdomain=gh
Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh (Ghana)
H.E. Aminata NAMASIA BAZEGO (DR. Congo)
Aminata Namasia Bazego is a politician and Former member of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Parliament, appointed Deputy Minister of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education since April 2021
Vice-minister of primary, secondary and technical education.
https://www.instagram.com/aminata_namasia/
Mukuru Clean Stoves (MCS) designs, manufactures and distributes improved efficient, and reliable cookstoves. MCS makes its stoves with locally sourced recycled metal and distributes them through networks of local women business owners and microfinance institutions. MCS’s vision is to significantly reduce household air pollution in underserved markets in Africa.
PERSONAL BIO
Charlot Magayi is the founder and CEO of Mukuru Clean Stoves. Orphaned at the age of 10, Charlot grew up in Mukuru, one of the biggest slums in Nairobi, and became a mother at age 16. When her two-year-old daughter suffered a severe burn injury caused by a traditional stove, Charlot was moved to provide safer cooking technologies for her community. She founded Mukuru Clean Stoves to help mothers keep their children safe, save on fuel consumption, and reduce household air pollution. She has been recognized and awarded for her fight against household air pollution and global poverty and her work to empower marginalized women in western Kenya. She won the Waislitz Global Citizen Award in 2019, The World Bank’s inaugural SDGs and Her Award in 2018, and the AWIEF Empowerment Award in 2019. Charlot believes in a toxin- and smoke-free world and has dedicated her time, skills, and experience to fighting household air pollution. Charlot is a 2020 Echoing Green Fellow.
https://fellows.echoinggreen.org/fellow/charlot-magayi/
https://www.instagram.com/charlottemagayi/?hl=en
https://ke.linkedin.com/in/charlot-magayi-18b63ab0
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/charlot-magayi-waislitz-2019-winner/
Charlot Magayi (Kenya) Entrepreneur
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu (Ethiopia)
CEO, soleRebels
soleRebels / Garden of Coffee; FORBES World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. CNN 12 Greatest Entrepreneurs of Last Century
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is an Ethiopian businesswoman, founder and executive director of soleRebels, Africa’s “fastest-growing footwear company”. Alemu has received honours and accolades for her business acumen, as well as her efforts to shift the discourse on Africa away from poverty to the continent’s entrepreneurial spirit, social capital, and economic potential. Alemu launched “The Republic of Leather”, designing sustainable luxury leather goods, and “Garden of Coffee” retail outlets to promote Ethiopian coffees.
Bethlehem was named among the Inaugural, second and third Lists of 100 Most Influential African Women in 2019, 2020 & 2021 by Avance Media.
https://twitter.com/bethlehemalemu
https://www.facebook.com/bethlehem.tilahunalemu
https://www.weforum.org/people/bethlehem-tilahun-alemu
https://www.lionessesofafrica.com/blog/tag/Bethlehem+Tilahun+Alemu
Minister of Gender, Children and Youth, Ethiopia
Filsan Abdullahi Ahmed, also called Filsan Abdi, is an Ethiopian from Somali Region who founded the Nabad project and satellite television station for promoting communication and peace in Somali Region and between the Somali and Oromo communities.
H.E. Former Minister Filsan Abdullahi (Ethiopia)
Chantal Yelu Mulop (Dr. Congo)
Chantal Yelu Mulop is the Special Advisor to the President of DR Congo on Youth, Gender & Violence against Women, she is a leading activist, a recognized humanist and feminist, a fighter for social justice, economic and women’s rights, without forgetting of course a passionate of the fight against all forms of injustice such as immigration reform, health care reform, reproductive rights, the natural environment, racial equality and workers’ rights. Having spent more time outside the country, in the DR Congo (mainly in Canada and Belgium), Chantal is multilingual. She is fluent in French, English, Kikongo, Lingala and some Swahili. Her professional career is flourishing and varied: President and CEO, Care Coordinator, Director of Nursing, etc. Her clinical background is very laudatory and has mainly focused on the following medical areas: emergencies, long-term care, palliative care, mental health and maternity. What is more, she has been able to access several positions of responsibility within the various organizations as a community leader. Her strong experience in the field of community health and her personal commitment to promote youth and defend the causes of women on the international scene have earned her the choice of the current President of Congo to serve as Advisor on Gender to the current President of DRC Honb’le Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo. She passionately serves the cause of safety, respect and dignity of all, and eliminating sexual violence against women especially in conflict zones.
IBUKUN AWOSIKA is currently serving as the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
She is a businesswoman, author and motivational speaker.
On September 7, 2015, Ibukun became the first woman to be appointed Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria following the resignation of Prince Ajibola Afonja.
She is a member of IESE’s International Advisory Board (IAB) and also sits on the board of Digital
Jewel Limited and Cadbury Nig Plc.
She also recently starred in the 2020 film “Citation” alongside Temi Otedola produced by Kunle Afolayan.
https://www.instagram.com/ibukunawosika/
IBUKUN AWOSIKA (Nigeria)
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA (Nigeria) NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA
*NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA* is a Nigerian-American economist and international development expert who has served since March 1, 2021 as Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
She is the first woman and the first African to hold the office.
43-year-old Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer whose works range from novels to short stories to nonfiction.
She has remained an advocate for gender equality in Nigeria and across the world. Her TedEx speech ‘We should all be feminist ‘ was sampled by American songstress, Beyonce in 2012.
She caught the world’s attention with her novels, Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, which were released to great critical acclaim in 2003 and 2006.
Purple Hibiscus was long-listed for the Man Booker, which is one of the most prominent global literary awards.
Meanwhile, Half of a Yellow Sun was in 2013 adapted into a film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, and John Boyega.
However, it was her 2014 essay, We Should All Be Feminists, that truly cemented her place as a prominent thinker and voice of change.
We Should All Be Feminists questioned why girls are taught to aspire to marriage and traditional gender roles, and why girls are taught that marriage matters more than ambition, leadership, and success, while boys are given the opportunity to define their identity and encouraged to lead.
As well as featuring in Beyoncé’s song, “Flawless”, a copy of We Should All Be Feminists is currently also distributed to every 16-year-old student in Sweden. The essay was also referenced by Christian Dior’s line of slogan t-shirts.
About Adichie’s life and legacy, Forbes wrote in its latest issue: “In modern times, there isn’t a celebrated black female intellectual of international stature whose influence transcends written words as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.”
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15 Inspiring Quotes from Nigerian Author Chimamanda Adichie
“Adichie is a woman who has been able to dissect, shape, and create social dialogues across the globe,” Forbes added.
When it comes to taking feminism to mainstream platforms like pop culture and fashion, Adichie told the Guardian: “This idea of feminism as a party to which only a select few people get to come: this is why so many women, particularly women of colour, feel alienated from mainstream western academic feminism.”
https://www.instagram.com/chimamanda_adichie/
CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE (Nigeria)
AISHA YESUFU (Nigeria)
She is a Nigerian socio-political activist, and co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement, an advocacy group that brings attention to the abduction of over 200 girls, from a secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria, on 14 April 2014, by the terrorist group Boko Haram.
In 2020, she also agitated against the government during the #EndSars protest in Nigeria. She has since been identified as one of the most quintessential figures in modern times.
https://www.instagram.com/aishayesufu/AISHA YESUFU
https://twitter.com/aishayesufu
https://www.facebook.com/aisha.yesufu.1
Tara Fela-Durotoye is a Nigerian beauty entrepreneur and lawyer.
A pioneer in the bridal makeup profession in Nigeria, she launched the first bridal directory in 1999, set up international standard makeup studios and established the first makeup school in Nigeria.
She is the founder of House of Tara.
Tara Fela-Durotoye is a Nigerian beauty entrepreneur and lawyer. A pioneer in the bridal makeup profession in Nigeria, she launched the first bridal directory in 1999, set up international standard makeup studios and established the first makeup school in Nigeria.
https://www.instagram.com/taradurotoye/
https://twitter.com/taradurotoye
https://www.facebook.com/houseoftarainternational
https://www.lionessesofafrica.com/lioness-tara-fela-durotoye
TARA DUROTOYE (Nigeria)
Hon Fatima Binta Bello was born on April 1st, 1971 in Igbuzo, Delta State, Nigeria to a military father from Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State.
Hajiya is the CEO of FBB rice mill company in Kano and also the founder of FBB trust fund foundation for the less privileged.
*Hajiya Academic milestone*
She obtained a grade II certificate from W.T.C Bajoga, Gombe state in 1988, a Diploma in Public Administration from the University of Jos in 1995, and a Bsc in Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri in 2010.
*Hajiya Honorary awards*
1.Honorary doctorate degree by Atlantic International University, Okija campus
2.Best Commissioner of Women Affairs.
Hajiya represented the good people of Kaltungo and Shongom LGA for 8years(2011-2019) In 2015 she was re-elected for a second term in the House and serves as the Deputy Minority Whip.
Hon Fatima Binta Bello (Nigeria)
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa (NIGERIA)
She was the former Chairperson of the House Committee on Diaspora Affairs and was elected for the first time in 2003, and re-elected in 2007 and 2011.
In 2015, she was appointed as the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora. In November 2018, Dabiri-Erewa was given a new role of Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission.
The letter for the confirmation of her appointment was sent to the Senate in 2018 by the Presidency but was delayed until May 2019 when the Senate confirmed her appointment.
She was also a supporter of “Together Nigeria”; an independent advocacy group launched to work towards President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid.
She is the incumbent Chairman/CEO of Nigeria in the Diaspora Commission.
First Female Vice President Of Liberia. (Politician, Philanthropist, Women’s Rights Advocate)
Jewel Cianeh Taylor (née Howard; born January 17, 1963) is a Liberian politician and the current Vice President of Liberia. She was married to convicted war criminal and former president Charles Taylor (whom she married in 1997, but later divorced in 2006) and was First Lady of Liberia during his presidency.[2] In 2005, Jewel Taylor was elected to the Senate of Liberia in Bong County as a member of the National Patriotic Party. She served as the Chairperson of the Senate Health and Social Welfare Committee on Gender, Women and Children
Madam Jewel Howard Taylor (Liberia)
Amina J. Mohammed (H.E.) (Nigeria)
Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.
Ms. Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to four successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development.
Ms. Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. The recipient of various global awards, Ms. Mohammed has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels. She is the mother of six children and has two grandchildren.
https://twitter.com/AminaJMohammed
https://www.instagram.com/aminajmohammed
(Renowned Lawyer, Women’s Rights Advocate)
Attorney Charlyne M. Brumskine is the Managing Attorney and founder of CMB Law Group, LLC. She has over fifteen (15) years of legal experience and is licensed to practice law in the Republic of Liberia, New York State and Washington D.C.
At CMB Law Group, LLC., she provides legal counsel to government clients, non-profit organizations and private entities, including multinational corporations, on a broad range of matters. She manages negotiations, commercial and transactional matters as well as all aspects of litigation for major concessionaires in the mining and logistics sectors of the Republic of Liberia. She negotiates and drafts joint venture and partnership agreements; advising corporate clients on strategic investments including potential returns, corporate mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructurings. She has competences in multilateral trading negotiations brought to bear when she provided legal counsel and support to the Government of Liberia World Trade Organization (WTO) Accession Negotiation team.
Attorney Charlyne M. Brumskine is the Managing Attorney and founder of CMB Law Group, LLC. She has over fifteen (15) years of legal experience and is licensed to practice law in the Republic of Liberia, New York State and Washington D.C.
At CMB Law Group, LLC. She provides legal counsel to government clients, non-profit organizations and private entities, including multinational corporations, on a broad range of matters. She manages negotiations, commercial and transactional matters as well as all aspects of litigation for major concessionaires in the mining and logistics sectors of the Republic of Liberia. She negotiates and drafts joint venture and partnership agreements; advising corporate clients on strategic investments including potential returns, corporate mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructurings. She has competences in multilateral trading negotiations brought to bear when she provided legal counsel and support to the Government of Liberia World Trade Organization (WTO) Accession Negotiation team.
Charlyne Brumskine (Liberia)
Rebecca Enonchong (Cameroon)
Rebecca Enonchong* is a Cameroonian born technology entrepreneur and also the founder and CEO of AppsTech. She is best known for her work promoting technology in Africa. Enonchong has been a recipient of various awards from organizations such as the World Economic Forum. Forbes listed her as one of the 10 Female Tech Founders To Watch In Africa during 2014.
Named in 2017 as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans in SCIENCE, TECH & INNOVATION by the New African Magazine and Jeune Afrique’s 50 Most Influential Africans, Rebecca Enonchong has dedicated her career to promoting tech in Africa.
Enonchong, is the Chair of ActivSpaces (African Center for Technology Innovation and Ventures) in Cameroon. She is also founder and CEO of AppsTech and I/O Spaces an incubator for African diaspora in the U.S. If that wasn’t enough, she is also the Board Chair of AfriLabs and a founding member of the African Business Angel Network (ABAN).
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/03/08/rebecca-enonchong-a-heavyweight-in-african-tech
Hon Fadimatou Iyawa Ousmanou is very influential and President of the Cameroon National Youth Council.
https://m.facebook.com/fadimatouiyawaousmanou/community/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0
Hon Fadimatou Iyawa Ousmanou (Cameroon)
Vera Songwe (Cameroon)
Vera Songwe, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa .
Vera Songwe is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the 9th serving Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Africa’s premier thought leadership institution focused on generating knowledge and applying policy research in support of accelerated economic diversification and structural transformation. Following her appointment, she became the first woman to lead the institution in the organisation’s 60-year history and the highest-ranking United Nations regional official.
She is an economist and banking executive from Cameroon who has worked for the World Bank since 1998, and in 2015 became Western and Central Africa’s regional director for the International Finance Corporation.
https://www.uneca.org/ess/ms-vera-songwe
Syndy Emade Best Cameroonian Actress with multiple awards. CEO of Bluerain Entertainment and Founder of Syndy Emade foundation.
https://www.facebook.com/SyndyEmadeofficial
https://www.instagram.com/syndyemadefoundationcmr/
Syndy Emade (Cameroon)
Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee(Ghana)
Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee is a Ghanaian diplomat who has been serving as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for Africa at the United Nations Secretariat since 2021. In this capacity, she is part of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
Ex political detainee who was incarcerated for over 3 years for a crime she never commited.
➡️Member of Parliament for Harare Metropolitan Province.
➡️Parliamentary Chairperson for Climate, Environment and Tourism
➡️Sits in the Parliamentary committee for Justice and legal Affairs
➡️Member of the Parliamentary portfolio for Local government and Public works
➡️Champion for girl child empowerment and development
➡️Advocate for the rights of people living in Prison and rehabilitation of ex offenders in communities.
➡️Human Rights defender and Activist.
Honourable Yvonne Winfilda Musarurwa (Zimbabwe)
Ilwad Elman (Somalia)
Ilwad Elman (Somali: Ilwaad Elman) is a Somali-Canadian social activist. She works at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu alongside her mother Fartuun Adan, the NGO’s founder. She was voted the African Young Personality (Female) of the Year during the 2016 Africa Youth Awards.
Ilwad Elman was born in Mogadishu, Somalia to a peace activist, Elman Ali Ahmad and social activist, Fartuun Adan. Ilwad works with her mum as the Director of Programs and Development at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre, an organisation with a core objective for promoting Peace, Gender Justice, Civilian Protection and Countering Violent Extremism in Somalia, the Horn and East Africa. The organisation’s work has encouraged changes in government policies.
Ilwad Elman also co-runs ‘Sister Somalia’, a subsidiary of the Elman Peace Centre. This was Somalia’s first program for assisting victims of Gender Based Violence. Sister Somalia provides counselling, health and housing support for women in need through workshops – creating and implementing projects that provide opportunities for both young and old.
Ilwad is a CVE advocate of ‘Extremely Together’ Initiative founded by the Kofi Annan Foundation which aims to counter violent extremism through inspiring and empowering youths globally. Ilwad chairs the Child Protection Working group and the Mogadishu Gender Based Violence Case Management Group. She is also a serving ‘One Young World’ Ambassador to Somalia and a Barack Obama Young African Leaders Fellow. In March 2018, she was appointed by the United Nations into the Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund Advisory Group.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilwad-elman-8a96656b/?originalSubdomain=so
http://elmanpeace.org/ilwad-elman/
https://principlesforpeace.org/personal/ilwad-elman/
https://helena.org/members/ilwad-elman
Member of the National Assembly of Namibia
Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Republic of Namibia
Emma Inamutila Theofelus, born on the 28th of March 1996, is a Namibian politician. She was appointed Namibia’s Deputy Minister of Information, Communication and Technology in March 2020, as part of Hage Geingob’s second-term cabinet.
Honourable Emma Inamutila Theofelus is a young, 24-year-old Namibian born in Windhoek, Namibia and is currently a Member of Parliament and the Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in the Republic of Namibia.
Before her appointment, Honourable Emma was always policy adjacent and was a Youth Activist around issues of gender, children’s rights, sustainable development and youth unemployment. She served as the Deputy Speaker of the Youth Parliament of the Republic of Namibia and the Junior Mayor of the City of Windhoek amongst other roles.
Emma holds an LLB Honours Degree from the University of Namibia, a diploma in Business Management from Amity University and a diploma in Afrikan Feminism and Gender Studies from the University of South Africa.
In her new role, Emma plans to better communicate the activities and programs of the Government of the Republic of Namibia and assist in preparing the Namibian nation for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
https://www.instagram.com/theofelus_emma/
https://www.facebook.com/emmatheofelus
https://twitter.com/emmatheofelus
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-theofelus
Emma Theofelus (Namibia)
Dentaa Amoateng MBE (Ghana)
Akosua Dentaa Amoateng MBE, best known by her stage name Dentaa, is a British Ghanaian entrepreneur, actress, TV presenter, singer, producer and manager. She was awarded an MBE in the 2016 Birthday Honours and in 2017 she received the Ghana Peace Awards Humanitarian Service Laureate in Accra, Ghana.
Akosua Dentaa Amoateng MBE, best known by her stage name Dentaa, is a British Ghanaian entrepreneur, actress, TV presenter, singer, producer and manager. She was awarded an MBE in the 2016 Birthday Honours and in 2017 she received the Ghana Peace Awards Humanitarian Service Laureate in Accra, Ghana.
Dentaa Amoateng MBE is the founder and CEO of the GUBA Enterprise which consists of the GUBA Awards, GUBA Expo, GUBA Foundation, GUBA Careers, GUBA Diaspora Card and GUBA Health. Mrs. Dentaa Amoateng MBE is a dedicated and altruistic individual who has positively influenced many through her work with the GUBA Enterprise. The GUBA Awards has been recognized as a community-building organization with substantial influence. Her work to improve UK-African relations earned her an MBE in Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II’s 2016 Birthday Honours.GUBA Enterprise is dedicated to the positive mobilization of the African diaspora and supporting the growth and sustainability of African businesses.
https://www.instagram.com/dentaa_show/
https://twitter.com/dentaa_show
https://www.facebook.com/maame.dentaaamoo
➡️Firebrand striker for the Zimbabwe women Mighty Warriors Soccer team
➡️Accounting Graduate
➡️Passionate in sports development through community-based projects that are aimed at encouraging young girls to participate in sport.
➡️Social media influencer in promoting women’s soccer.
Rudo Neshamba (Zimbabwe)
Nikki Kademaunga (Zimbabwe)
Sinikiwe “Nikki” Kademaunga is a Zimbabwean motivational speaker and beauty blogger
➡️Living with a disability
➡️University of Cape Town Graduate
➡️Motivational speaker and human rights Activist pushing for the rights of persons living with disabilities in Zimbabwe
➡️Entrepreneur and hardworking
➡️Passionate with the empowerment of persons living with disabilities through programs and projects that equips them from school and in various communities.
Damilola is the Head of PR for Africa at Binance. She began her career working on MTV Shuga – a 360 campaign fusing TV, digital media and mobile elements to educate young people on HIV, sexual violence etc. Since then Damilola has worked as an editor-in-chief and producer for local and global media publications such as CNN, Konbini, Zikoko etc. She is also the co-founder of Wine & Whine – an online community, women’s event and social enterprise for Nigerian women where she tackles issues ranging from sexual violence to financial literacy. Damilola has a BSc in Financial Economics and an MSc in International Finance and Economic Development from the University of Kent, Canterbury. In recognition of her work, Damilola was listed as one of the ‘100 Most Inspiring Women In Nigeria in 2018’ by Leading Ladies Africa and is a 2019 honouree of OkayAfrica’s ‘Okay 100 Women.
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/feminist-coalition-damilola-odufuwa-nigeria-women/
Damilalo Odufuwa (Nigeria)
Odunayo Eweniyi (Nigeria)
Odunayo Eweniyi is the Co-founder and COO of PiggyVest. She previously co-founded pushcv.com, one of the largest job sites in Africa with the largest database of pre screened candidates. She has 5 years of experience in Business Analysis and Operations and is a graduate (first class) of Computer Engineering, Covenant University, Nigeria.
She was named one of Forbes Africa 30 under 30 Technology in 2019 and one of 30 Quartz Africa Innovators 2019. She sits on the advisory board of TrainFuture, an Education Technology company based in Switzerland, as well as the Gender Lens Acceleration Best Practices Initiative, a collaborative effort of Village Capital, US and the International Finance Corporation (IFC)’s Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WeFi). In 2019, she was named SME Entrepreneur of the Year West Africa by The Asian Banker’s Wealth and Society and she is the youngest Nigerian on Forbes Africa list of 20 New Wealth Creators in Africa 2019. She is one of Business Day’s Spark 2019 Women to Watch and made the World Women in Fintech Power List for 2017; the YNaija Most Influential People in Technology 2017 and 2018; she is a 2018 Westerwelle Young Entrepreneurs fellow, and she is a recipient of The Future Africa Awards Prize in Technology 2018. In honour of her work, she was named one of 100 most inspiring women in Nigeria 2019 by Leading Ladies Africa, one of the 50 most visible women in Tech by Tech Cabal in 2019. She works to support the inclusion of women in technology by working with hubs and female-focused networks, including For Creative Girls, GreenHouse Labs, She Leads Africa, Itanna. She is also the co-founder of the women’s community, Wine and Whine Nigeria.
She is the co-founder & Chief Operations Officer, PiggyVest, the largest digital and investment platform in Nigeria. She previously co-founded pushcv.com, one of the largest job sites in Africa with the largest database of pre-screened candidates. She has 7 years of experience in Business Analysis and Operations. She’s an award-winning fintech entrepreneur who is working for diversity equity and inclusion in fintech and technology as a whole.
As the COO of Piggyvest, she oversees the company’s entire operation which cuts across Finance, Investment Management, People Operations, Investor relations, Fundraising and related subcategories. In January 2021, Odunayo co-founded First Check Africa, a female-led angel fund that invests ridiculously early” in women in African tech to make it easier for them to raise venture-backed capital and invest in technology startups. She is a board member at Village Capital, the most active supporter of impact-driven, seed-stage entrepreneurs in the world. She was featured on Bloomberg Business Weekly’s 2020, Bloomberg 50 list, an annual list of innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders who have changed the global business landscape over the past year. She is also a 2021 TIME100 Next honoree. She was named one of Forbes Africa 30 under 30 Technology in 2019 and one of 30 Quartz Africa Innovators 2019.
In 2020, She cofounded The Feminist Coalition, a group of young Nigerian feminists who work to promote equality for women in Nigerian society, with a core focus on education, financial freedom and representation in public office. She also sits on the advisory board of TrainFuture, an Education Technology company based in Switzerland, as well as the Gender Lens Acceleration Best Practices Initiative, a collaborative effort of Village Capital, US and the International Finance Corporation (IFC)’Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WeFi).
https://tmt.knect365.com/west-africa-com/speakers/odunayo-eweniyi-1/
Zoneziwoh is an award-winning feminist humanitarian storyteller with over 10 years of experience in gender and digital activism, movement building, policy advocacy and youth leadership. She is the Executive Director at Women for A Change in Cameroon where she designs, directs and executes programs for the advancement of women’s rights, leadership and empowerment. Her advocacy involves creating spaces for women and girls to engage with policy and decision-makers at the highest levels including the UN Commission on the Status of Women. It also involves translating and raising awareness on national and international women’s rights frameworks including the Maputo Protocol and the Beijing Platform for Action.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoneziwoh/?originalSubdomain=cm
https://web.facebook.com/zoneziwoh?_rdc=1&_rdr
https://wearepurposeful.org/who-we-are/our-people/zoneziwoh-mbondgulo-wondieh/
Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo-Wondieh (Cameroon)
Bonang Matheba, (South Africa)
Bonang Dorothy Matheba, is a South African television presenter, radio personality, businesswoman, producer, model and philanthropist. Born in Mahikeng, North West, she is known for her flamboyant presenting skills and her signature voice.
“From moghel to mogul,” Bonang Matheba, 32, tweeted after the list was made public. Moghel is a South African slang word that loosely translates into homegirl.
It was popularised by Matheba’s reality TV show, Being Bonang. The show is just one of many hats that Matheba wears.
She’s an in-demand MC, presenter, speaker, and entrepreneur whose luxury beverage brand, the House of BNG, produces sparkling wine.
Being a powerful woman, Matheba tells Forbes, “means that you create your own narrative. It means that you are strong enough to make your own decisions, to be free and to break the status quo that people have set up for women.”
For Matheba, being a powerful woman also means using her voice to champion access to quality education, inspired by the historic #FeesMustFall protests that swept across South African universities in 2017.
The protests saw university students demand an end to the high cost of university education.
Matheba launched the Bonang Matheba Bursary Fund in 2017 to help educate girls by paying for their tuition fees, stationery, and accommodation for those who are in tertiary institutions.
As well as her fund, Matheba has also addressed the United Nations on the importance of prioritising girls’ education and has lent her voice in support to Global Citizen campaigns.
Matheba was also one of the co-hosts of the historic Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 that was held in Johannesburg on Dec. 2, 2018.
Related Stories
Bonang Matheba Says No Girl Should Miss School Because of Her Period at Johannesburg Premiere of ‘ACTIVATE’
Most recently, she was part of ACTIVATE: The Global Citizen Movement. The 6-part documentary series, a collaboration between National Geographic and Global Citizen, follows Global Citizen ambassadors and partners as they campaign for causes that range from criminal justice and ending extreme poverty, to education and sanitation.
Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura (born 9 September 1962) is a Senegalese former diplomat and senior executive. She was appointed as the first female Secretary-General of FIFA by President Gianni Infantino on 13 May 2016[3] and assumed her post on 20 June 2016. Previously she worked in various positions at the United Nations. In 2018, Forbes ranked her Number 1 in their Most Powerful Women in International Sports list,[4] and the BBC listed her as one of their 100 women.
Career
After joining the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in 1995, she served as Country Director for WFP in Djibouti and Cameroon[6] and also worked at the WFP headquarters in Rome. She covered numerous complex emergencies, including Kosovo, Liberia, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, and Timor-Leste (East Timor).
On 1 November 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in consultation with the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, appointed her as Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator (DHC) for eastern Chad. She was based in the town of Abéché, located approximately 80 kilometres west of the border with Sudan’s conflict-torn Darfur region. Chad currently hosts over 280,000 refugees and over 170,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), most of whom are in the eastern region, and she was tasked with working for their return.[8] The official’s functions consist in providing support and guidance to a team composed of seven United Nations agencies and over 40 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in eastern Chad.
FIFA
In June 2016 she assumed the role of FIFA Secretary General responsible for overseeing the commercial and operational side of the organization. She replaced Markus Kattner, who was implicated in corruption.
Within months of landing the job, a controversy erupted in the United Kingdom over the rules forbidding the wearing of remembrance poppy symbols by players. Samoura declared on 3 November 2016 that England, Scotland and Wales would be punished if they wore the poppy on Remembrance Day, as FIFA classes it as a political symbol. “Britain is not the only country that has been suffering as a result of war”, she said. “Syria is an example. My own [African] continent has been torn by war for years. The only question is ‘why are we doing exceptions for just one country and not the rest of the world?'” UK Prime Minister Theresa May condemned FIFA and told Parliament that Samoura’s decision was “utterly outrageous”.
In 2017 attended the international Football for Friendship Forum in Saint Petersburg, which coincided with the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Fatma Samoura, (Senegal)
Ahunna Eziakonwa (Nigeria)
Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa officially began her role as UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa on August 15th, 2018. In this role she leads UNDP’s work supporting 46 countries in Africa to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.Ms. Eziakonwa succeeds Abdoulaye Mar Dieye who now leads UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.Prior to taking up this post, Ms. Eziakonwa-Onochie was UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative and UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia (2015-2018), UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda (2012-2015), and before that held the same position in Lesotho (2008-2012). She has also worked as Chief of the Africa Section for Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) where she managed over 15 country operations in Africa. Before joining the United Nations, Ms. Eziakonwa held a series of senior positions with civil society organisations in Africa.Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs with a focus on economic and political development in Africa from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York. Ms. Eziakonwa-Onochie is personally passionate about broadening the space for engaging youth and women in sustainable development.
https://twitter.com/ahunnaeziakonwa?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Noella Wiyaala (known under the stage name Wiyaala; born 22 December 1986) is a Ghanaian Afro-pop singer-songwriter who sings in her native language Sissala and Waala dialects and English, often combining all three languages within her songs.[citation needed] Wiyaala means “the doer” in the Sissala dialect. She has attained public renown with her single “Make Me Dance” and her androgynous image. After making her name in reality shows in Accra, she established a solo career in 2013 with the hit single “Rock My Body”, which won her two awards at the 2014 first edition of the All Africa Music Awards, the Most Promising Artiste in Africa and Revelation of The African Continent. Wiyaala is also associated with UNICEF Ghana and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection of Ghana in campaigns against child marriage, child poverty, health and sanitation. She headlined the 15th London African Music Festival in London. In March 2021, she was among the Top 30 Most Influential Women in Music by the 3Music Awards Women’s Brunch.
https://twitter.com/wiyaala?lang=en
https://northernghana.net/the-life-story-of-noella-wiyaala/
Wiyaala (Ghana)
Afua Osei (Ghana)
Afua Osei is an entrepreneur, investor and public speaker who co-founded She Leads Africa, a media company for millennial African women.
Afua Osei is a Partnerships Strategist helping digital entrepreneurs build the skills, systems and confidence to work with the corporate clients of their dreams.
As a Co-Founder of She Leads Africa, Afua built a digital lifestyle platform for millennial multicultural women reaching more than 800,000 women across 100+ countries. In addition to building a thriving community, Afua secured international partnerships with brands like Facebook, Google, Unilever, Nestle, Samsung, Estee Lauder, Visa and L’Oreal to design culturally relevant and data-driven engagement campaigns. In December 2016, the company rang the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
Afua has been recognized by Forbes as one of the 20 youngest power women in Africa (2014), Quartz Africa 30 innovators of 2017 and received the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Rising Star Award (2020).
She has recently been appointed as a Member of the Board of Trustees of her alma mater Allegheny College and a Board Member of Imara Roose, a mentorship program for students at her old high school Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
Hailing from Prince George’s County, Maryland, Afua served as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company and graduated with a Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago, studied international management at the London School of Economics, and graduated cum laude from Allegheny College.
She is a rebellious daughter, annoying sister, favourite aunty, meme sending friend and competitive mango eater.
https://www.afuaosei.com/about
https://www.linkedin.com/in/afuaosei
