Summit celebrates leading women

The event featured top speakers on topics from hybrid working conditions to female-driven technology solutions

Johannesburg - This year’s Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit recently celebrated leading women in various categories.

This was the seventh edition of the Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit, presented by Mastercard, powered by the Multichoice Group.

Forbes Africa managing editor Renuka Methil congratulated the winners and thanked them for their contribution to women in Africa.

“We need bold leadership that considers the greater socio-economic impact and identifies development opportunities within and beyond Africa. These women have overcome so many challenges and embody this year’s theme, Resetting Everything: The New Face of Leadership,” she said.

Area business head for West Africa at Mastercard, Ebehijie Momoh said the company salutes this year’s winners.

“These women are testament to the resilience, determination and adaptability that women leaders in Africa exhibit. They have made tremendous impact in their respective fields and occupations, and are leading the way in opening up the world’s possibilities to women. A world that works better for women creates limitless possibilities for us all,” Momoh said.

Managing director of ABN Group, Roberta Naicker also congratulated the award-winners.

“These women do not do any of this work for accolades, it is important to acknowledge their extraordinary achievements. By celebrating these strong African women and highlighting the work they do, we ensure the next generation of female leaders learn from the examples set by these role models,” she said.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was won by Dr Phumzile MlamboNgcuka, founder of Umlambo Foundation, former South Africa’s deputy president and executive director of UN Women. She was recently appointed by the General Assembly as chair of the UN World Tourism Organisation Ethics and is on the board of Global Citizen and Women Deliver. She has been on the Gender Commission of the International Olympics Committee.

The Young Achievers Award was won by Amanda Nomnqa, founder of SheIsBrave and an agent of change with a passion for youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, education and community development.

The Social Impact Award was won by Dr Helena Ndume, head of ophthalmology at Windhoek Hospital, an internationally renowned ophthalmologist who has performed sight-restoring surgeries for 35 000 Namibians, free of charge.

The Technology and Innovation Award went to Odunayo Eweniyi, co-founder and COO at PiggyVest, the largest digital savings and micro-investment platform in Nigeria. In 2020, she was one of the Lord’s Achievers Awards honourees, the 100 Most Influential Young Africans and received the Eloy Award for Technology 2020.

The Academic Excellence Award was won by Dr Claire Karekezi, chair of the African Women in Neurosurgery (AWIN). She is a consultant neurosurgeon at the Rwanda Military Hospital in Kigali and the country’s first female neurosurgeon.

She has won numerous awards, including the Aims-Next Einstein Initiative TTP Women in science First Award 2019. She currently serves as the chairperson of African Women in Neurosurgery Africa (AWIN) Committee of the Continental Association of African Neurosurgical societies (CAANS).

The Sports Award went to Tatjana Schoenmaker, a world record holder and Olympic gold medallist. At the age of 20, the breaststroke specialist became the first South African woman in eight years to earn a medal at the Commonwealth Games. At the Tokyo Olympic Games she secured two of the South African team’s three medals.

The Entertainer Award was won by Angélique Kidjo, a singer-songwriter, Unicef International Goodwill Ambassador and co-founder of the Batonga Foundation. A four-time Grammy Award-winner, Kidjo is one of the greatest international musicians, with 16 albums to her name. Forbes Magazine ranked her among the Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa. She is also the recent recipient of the 2015 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award and the 2018 German Sustainability Award.

The Businesswoman Award went to Joana Gyan Cudjoe, CEO at Golden Empire Legacy. Nana Adjoa Awo, known in business circles as Joana Gyan Cudjoe, started as a smallscale miner, working her way up in a male-dominated business. She believes in linking mining to the shared global commitment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals focusing on gender equality, decent work and economic growth.

The recent event, which coincided with International Women’s Day, featured a lineup of top female speakers engaging on topics from hybrid working conditions to female-driven technology solutions.