The Iconic Leadership Magazine

MAR - MAY 2021

™

A WORLDWIDE MAGAZINE CELEBRATING ICONIC LEADERS OF OUR TIMES

Power

WOMEN IN DECISION MAKING

PATHWAYS TO

Power

FOR MILLENNNIALS

NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION

Editor`s Message Welcome to our March 2021 Issue of the Iconic

Leadership Magazine™. This is a very special issue, because March is a special month for women all over the world. It is the Month in which we appreciate and celebrate women’s achievements.

The Iconic Leadership Magazine™ is a quarterly publication that celebrates and shares the amazing and inspiring stories of iconic leaders of our times.

This year’s International Women’s Day, which falls on Monday 8th March 2021, has two themes. The campaign theme of #ChooseToChallenge calls upon all of us to challenge the gender stereotypes in all walks of life.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala has just taken up her post as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation from 1st March 2021. She has made history as the first woman and first African to hold this post since the creation of the World Trade Organisation in 1995.

The official theme of the United Nations is: “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVD-19 World”. The Covid-19 era will go down in modern history as the time when the power of female leadership was brought to the fore and proved that given the same opportunities, female leaders have what it takes to handle a crisis as much as their male counterparts or even better.

Finally, our organisation, the Justina Mutale Foundation, announces its speakers, delegation and official CSW65 Parallel Event to be held during the United Nations 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. This will be an intergenerational dialogue addressing “Pathways to Power for Millennials into Decision Making in Public Life”.

The month of March is special, because it is also the host month for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The priority theme of the CSW65 is: ‘Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls’. While the Review theme is: ‘Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development’.

Wishing you a blessed month and a great read of this Special Issue of the Iconic Leadership™ Magazine!

In talking about women in leadership and decision-making, we are delighted to celebrate one of the world’s iconic female leaders, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who is featured as our cover story.

JUSTINA MUTALE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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CONTENTS 06 LEADERSHIP EMPOWERMENT POST COVID-19

08 MWAKA TWAGIRAYESU

FEMALE GLOBAL TELE-EVANGELIST

11 22 25

DR. NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA DIRECTOR-GENERAL WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION

JUSTINA MUTALE FOUNDATION UNITED NATIONS CSW65 PARALLEL EVENT

THE JUSTINA MUTALE FOUNDATION

28 THE POWER OF RESILIENCE TO LEAD IN LIFE 30 CHOOSING TO CHALLENGE ICONIC LEADERSHIP MAGAZINE

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HIGHLIGHTS

P6

P8

Feature

Leadership Empowerment Post Covid-19

P11 Cover Story

NGOZI-OKONJO IWEALA Director-General World Trade Organisation

Feature

DR MWAKA TWAGIRAYESU Female Global Tele-Evangelist

P22 Highlight

JUSTINA MUTALE FOUNDATION United Nations CSW65 Parallel Event Pathways to Power for Millennials into Decision Making in Public Life

P30

P28 Feature

Choosing To Challenge

Feature

The Power of Resilience to Lead in Life

LEADERSHIP EMPOWERMENT

POST COVID-19 Dr. Brenda Morant

T he global outbreak of COVID-19 has created one of the best strategic opportunities for women and girls to be

empowered with resilient mind-sets. We are positioned to write our future and shape it in a reflective way that mirrors us post COVID-19. And we must take opportunities such as this to determine our response and strategies moving forward. I believe it is time for bold prioritization, we must move to put women at the forefront of recovery. The pandemic COVID-19 has been categorized as a disrupter to the norms of life and is a worldwide game-changer.

Historically, pandemics force people to break with the past and imagine their world anew. COVID-19 is no different; it is a gateway between one world and the next. The world after COVID-19 is unlikely to return to the world that was. Using the Sustainable Development Goals as our guide, strategic opportunity can provide our various organizations with the opportunity to collectively collaborate and plan to leverage our strengths, minimize our weaknesses and tap into resources we previously didn’t have access to; thus achieving desired goals to include working as a collective to strengthen our multi-sector partnerships.

At the International Women’s Think Tank (IWTT) we have successfully initiated a project: “Women United for a Better World”. Under this project, we use every strategic opportunity to expand our network in support of strengthening multi-sector partnerships and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. We have a planning committee of thirteen women leaders, representing government, business, NGO’s and community each brings her individual constituency network combining it with the IWTT. We have collectively combined our networks to support several initiatives to include: the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit, Health and Wellness Post COVID-19, Human Trafficking and Women in Technology.

Planned activities of the Women United for a Better World initiative includes: the product co-branding of two women owned businesses, a Women’s Economic Empowerment Webinar, Sustainable Tea Series on Women in STEM, International Women’s Day, Incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals into Business Strategies and planning for a 2022 Women’s Summit.

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Our vision is to continue our planning for 2021 and beyond and to collaborate with the Justina Mutale Foundation to become a global platform of dynamic networking think tank organizations, having access to resources and relationships that will write our future to reflect women in leadership post COVID-19 and produce breakthrough results in governments, businesses and communities.

Our mission (objective) is to optimize, support and increase the global mandate of promoting gender equality and empower women leaders by connecting communities from across the globe with clearly defined goals centred on critical issues as addressed in the Sustainable Development Goals.

About Brenda Morant Brenda Morant is a pioneer and forerunner for the empowerment of women and girls. She serves as President of the International Women's Think Tank (IWTT), an organization focused on promoting professional and leadership development for women and girls through IWTT’s Distinguished Scholars Series (interactive discussions), networking; skill set enrichment, strategic alliances, research, critical thinking and innovative solutions. She is a thought leader, influencer and entrepreneur and consults with small business owners to include female farmers on best practices for business development. As a thought leader, Brenda is committed to conscious conversations that foster women’s sense of empowerment and unveil their impact on the world stage. She is a partner to one of the largest public school districts in the USA and supports aligning pathways to existing and future job projections and also the development of strategic partnerships. The Georgia State Senate honored Ms. Morant by presenting her with Senate Resolution 5, which commends and recognizes her work to improve the status of women and girls

Dr. Brenda Morant President International Women’s Think Tank Atlanta, Georgia USA

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MWAKA TWAGIRAYESU

FEMALE GLOBAL TELE-EVANGELIST

D r Mwaka Twagirayesu is an International Conference Speaker, trusted Apostolic and Prophetic Voice, British trained

lawyer, Mediator, TV and Radio Host, Author, Woman of Prayer, Wisdom and Grace. She has travelled extensively all over the USA, different parts of Europe and Africa, as far as the Middle East preaching the Gospel in crusades, conferences, conventions, church services, revivals, workshops and seminars.

Dr. Mwaka loves The Lord Jesus. Gave her heart to The Lord at the age of 16. She is a Global Transformational Leader and Developer whose passion is to equip, enrich and empower people and leave them better than she found them. She has been happily married to Apostle Darius Twagirayesu for the last 28 years. They are proud parents of five miracle children.

Her role models are her biological parents, the late Mr. Kabuka S. B. Nyirenda and Ambassador Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika.

“They taught me to fear God, love my nation and culture. They instilled in me to value and respect people from all walks of life. They showed me the example of humility”, Dr. Mwaka said.

She said: “Both were very educated and high profile people yet they were and so humble. They were very hospitable, generous and always willing to lend a helping hand. I practise this principle of giving and it has changed my life in ministry and in our humanitarian outreach.”

The challenges Dr. Mwaka faced in ministering the word were earlier on in ministry when she would be the only female preacher among male preachers and they would give her a negative attitude like she does not belong to the pulpit!

Disappointing moments are when you do your best for people but they are not reciprocal. Sometimes the ones you have done the most for are the ones who betray you and wound you most.

“Happiest moment is when the Lord blessed us with our five miracle children after doctors had predicted we would never have children!”

By Moses Walubita Lusaka, Zambia

“Each of their births was a reminder of God’s power and faithfulness! It was also wonderful happy moment when I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophies and Humanities in November 2020,” Dr. Mwaka recalled.

Her husband Darius Twagirayesu is a great Apostle to Nations, Church planter who has raised and trained many spiritual sons and daughters around the world who today are strong Pastors and leaders around the world.

He is the founder of International Hope for Africa, an organization that helps vulnerable families especially widows and orphans with food, clothing, education and empowerment projects.

“My husband and children have been a tremendous support. We work as a team in our service to God. We support each other and we are there for each other. We are based in Dallas, Texas, USA, but slowly transitioning home to Zambia. I was called by The Lord in 2004. I had a supernatural encounter and that’s how the Prophetic Ministry was birthed. Our ministry is called Fresh Aroma International Ministry”, Dr. Mwaka said in an interview.

Dr. Mwaka received her Law degree from the University of Buckingham in Buckingham, England in 1990. Her husband’s name is Apostole Darius Twagirayesu from Rwanda, East Africa.

Their children’s names are Zach, Trey, Prince and twins Angela and Isaac.

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Stop the Spread of Germs Help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19.

6 ft Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from other people.

When in public, wear a mask over your nose and mouth.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.

Do not touch your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

cdc.gov/coronavirus 316917C August 26, 2020 11:37 AM

NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Eric Baradat/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

Itimes. n Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Africa has produced one of the most brilliant minds in the field of economics in contemporary Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is an eminent economist and international development expert. She first made history as the

first-ever female finance minister of her country, Nigeria, the world’s most populous Black nation, and the largest economy on the African continent. Okonjo-Iweala has once gain made history by becoming the first woman and first African to hold the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organization since it was established in 1995.

Born in Ogwashi-Uku in Southern Nigeria, Okonjo-Iweala studied Economics at Harvard University, and then went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Regional Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, after which she was headhunted by the World Bank for recruitment as a development economist. At the conclusion of her first tenure at the World Bank, Okonjo-Iweala returned to Nigeria to assume the office of the country’s Minister of Finance. She also later served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. She is the first woman in Nigeria to hold both of these highly sensitive government portfolios.

After serving for one term as Minister of Finance, she returned to the World Bank as a Managing Director. Her skill, experience and leadership qualities later made Okonjo-Iweala a highly recommended candidate for the position of President of the World Bank.

As soon as Okonjo-Iweala took over as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, she embarked on a mission to introduce sanity to Nigeria’s financial sector, and to clear the country’s burden of unsustainable foreign debt. She set about tracking, tackling and preventing corruption that was costing the country over US$15bn per year. Her relentless fight against corruption quickly earned her the sobriquet “Trouble Woman,” even as she declared a total and uncompromising war on, and a zero tolerance for, the pervasive culture of bribery and kickbacks. In the process, many corrupt Ministry of Finance officials were ignominiously relieved of their duties. Hundreds of individuals and groups involved in illegal schemes of conning people out of money through notorious internet letters, tricks and scams were sent to jail.

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She put her life at risk when she worked to make the energy sector more transparent and targeted military and political leaders who had unscrupulously enriched themselves through corrupt practices, especially the exploitation of the country’s massive crude oil potential. Her diligent fight against corruption became a veritable threat to many government officials, and this led to her resignation. At the advent of a new administration in Nigeria, she returned as Minister of Finance for the second time after serving as Managing Director at the World Bank. Having also served as both Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Foreign Affairs, in many quarters she was considered almost as a sort of de facto Prime Minister without necessarily or officially holding that title.

Okonjo-Iweala has not only been hailed as a brilliant reformer but she has also been credited with the emergence of Nigeria as Africa’s strongest economy. Her leadership, competence and passion for Nigeria resulted in the country turning the tide after two decades of reversal in economic growth. During her tenure, Nigeria saw its economy rebound and the country enjoyed strengthened economic growth. Seen as an orthodox economist, she slashed the US$7.5bn fuel subsidy to resuscitate the country’s economy and eliminated civil servant ghost positions that were on the government payroll.

In her efforts to drive transparency and good governance, Okonjo-Iweala introduced the practice of the publishing of the monthly financial allocation from the federal government to each state in the popular newspapers. She also helped to build the Government Integrated Financial Management and Information System, an electronic financial management platform that included the Treasury Single Account and Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, which helped to curtail corruption. By 2014, the system had eliminated ghost workers from the payroll, saving the Nigerian government approximately US$1.25bn.

Planned activities of the Women United for a Better World initiative includes: the product co-branding of two women owned businesses, a Women’s Economic Empowerment Webinar, Sustainable Tea Series on Women in STEM, International Women’s Day, Incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals into Business Strategies and planning for a 2022 Women’s Summit.

She spearheaded several of the initiatives of the World Bank that assisted low-income countries during the food crises and the financial crisis. She served as chair of the IDA Replenishment, which was the World Bank’s successful drive to raise US$49.3bn in grants and low-interest credit that was made available to the world’s poorest countries. In addition, she was a member of the Commission on Effective Development with Africa.

Okonjo-Iweala’s past work and strong experience in governance, economics, finance and development, as well as in the humanitarian sphere, are all indicative of her great leadership skills. Her establishment of the Mortgage Refinance Corporation stimulated the housing market in Nigeria. She was also involved in various gender and youth empowerment schemes, including the Youth Prize with Innovation, which supports young entrepreneurs and creates jobs for young people. She has been credited for being instrumental in totally reshaping Nigeria’s economy by introducing necessary reforms and increasing transparency in governance.

Furthermore, Okonjo-Iweala’s leadership and pragmatism secured Nigeria a debt cancellation of US$30bn. She led Nigeria in obtaining its first sovereign debt ranking, which strengthened and stabilized the country’s public finance systems. During her tenure as Minister of Finance, Nigeria emerged as Africa’s largest economy with a GDP of US$481bn in 2015.

Okonjo-Iweala served in several key positions at the World Bank, including as Managing Director. During her tenure as Managing Director, Okonjo-Iweala had the overall responsibility for overseeing the World Bank’s operational portfolio for Africa, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia, a portfolio that amounted to US$81bn.

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Having served twice as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, having once served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and having served in the World Bank as Development Economist and Managing Director, Okonjo-Iweala was a highly commendable candidate for the position of President of the World Bank. She serves as Chair of African Risk Capacity, a specialized agency of the African Union that helps member states to prepare for and respond to extreme weather and natural disasters. In addition, she is a senior adviser at Lazard, and serves on the board of the Rockefeller Foundation and the Center for Global Development, among others.

In the wake of the global coronavirus crisis, the Chair of the African Union, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa appointed Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to a high-powered team of Special Envoys of the African Union that will mobilize international support for Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges African countries will face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Special Envoys are tasked with soliciting rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20, the European Union and other international financial institutions. Shortly before this momentous appointment, she had been endorsed for the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

According to the declaration communiqué signed by ECOWAS President Mahamadou Issoufou: “The strong academic and professional background of Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and her large experience in national affairs as Nigeria’s Finance Minister (2003-2006 and 2011-2015) and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister briefly in 2006, her long years of managerial experience at the top echelons of multilateral institutions, her established reputation as a fearless reformer, her excellent negotiating and political skills, her experience of over 30 years as a Development Economist with a long standing interest in trade, her excellent academic qualifications, her positions as Managing Director World Bank, and currently as Board Chair GAVI, and African Union Special Envoy to Mobilize Financial Resources for the fight against COVID-19, make her the best candidate for the job.”

Meanwhile, back in her home country, Nigeria, she received tremendous backing and overwhelming support from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. In October 2020, Okonjo-Iweala was overwhelmingly elected Director General of the World Trade Organization, a position in which she would be tasked with managing the trade war between China and the United States, initiate reforms in the face of rising protectionism, and steer the world to new trade pastures in the face of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Photo Credit (Reuters Photo)

On 1st March 2021 Okonjo-Iweala took office as the first woman and first African to hold the position of Director General of the World Trade Organization since it was established in 1995.

Okonjo-Iweala has received various awards, honors and accolades in recognition of her leadership and her outstanding feats as an economist, development expert and humanitarian. She was named by Fortune magazine as one of the 50 greatest world leaders in 2015, and by Forbes as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world for five consecutive years. In 2014, she was recognized by TIME magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people.

Okonjo-Iweala holds various honorary doctorate degrees and she has authored several books, including “Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria”, published in 2012.

This is an Excerpt from the #1 international bestseller: “The Art of Iconic Leadership: Power Secrets of Female World Leaders”, Authored by Justina Mutale and Published by Panoma Press.

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HER EXCELLENCY DR. AMEENAH GURIB-FAKIM President of the Republic of Mauritius 2015-2018

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Her Excellency, Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim is the first-ever female President of the Republic of Mauritius. She served as 6th President of Mauritius from 2015- 2018. In June 2016, she was featured in the Forbes List of 100 ‘Most Powerful women in the world’, and was listed 1st among Top 100 Women in Africa Forbes List 2017 and 2019. She was also honoured as one of Foreign Policy’s 2015 Global Thinkers and Honorary President of the International Engineering & Technology Institute (2020). Dr Gurib-Fakim has served as Managing Director of CIDP R and I; Professor at the University of Mauritius, where she served successively as Dean and Pro Vice Chancellor and Manager at the Mauritius Research Council. She earned her BSc Chemistry from the University of Surrey (1983) and a PhD from the University of Exeter, (1987). A Recipient of 5 DSc, Dr Gurib-Fakim has authored various books and articles in the field of sustainable development. She was elevated Chevalier L’Ordre des Palmes Academiques, Government of France in 2010 and has received: l’Oreal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science (2007), the African Union Commission Award for Women in Science (2009). She has also been elevated to the Order of CSK and GCSK (GoM), and received, inter alia: Legion d’Honneur, Government of France (2016); Order of St George, Semperopernball, Dresden, Germany; ‘Trailblazing Award for Political Leadership’ by World Women Leaders Council, Iceland (2019).

HER EXCELLENCY DR. JEWEL HOWARD-TAYLOR

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Vice-President Of The Republic of Liberia Liberia Her Excellency, Dr Jewel Howard-Taylor is the first female Vice-President of Liberia and former First `Lady. She was elected to the Senate of Liberia as a member of the National Patriotic Party and served as the Chairperson of the Senate Health and Social Welfare Committee on Gender, Women and Children. She had previously held a number of official posts in the Liberian government, including Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Liberia, President of the Agriculture Cooperative and Development Bank (ACDB) and Mortgage Financing Underwriter of the First Union National Bank. Vice-President Howard-Taylor holds a graduate degree in Banking and two Bachelors in Banking and Economics.

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H.E. DR. JUSTINA MUTALE Founder & President Justina Mutale Foundation United Kingdom

CONVERNOR

Her Excellency, Dr Justina Mutale is the Convenor of the World Summit on Women & Girls. She is the Founder & President of the Justina Mutale Foundation and its Scholarship Programme for underprivileged young women and girls from Africa to access tertiary education around the world. Dr Mutale has for years, consistently advocated for gender equality, diversity and inclusion, and the empowerment of women and girls. In the process, she has won global acclaim as one of the most influential women of African origin having in 2012 been named “African Woman of the Year”, sharing a platform with many African Heads of State. Dr Mutale sits on the Board of the World Leaders Forum Dubai and serves as Global Envoy for Gender Equality and Spokesperson of the International Women’s Think Tank. She leads and serves on several other Boards in various parts of the world.

Featured in the 100 Most Reputable People on Earth and 100 Most Influential Women, Dr Mutale has been honoured with numerous international awards. She capped her accolades with an induction into the World Book of Greatness in 2020. Dr Mutale is author of the highly cerebral book: “The Art of Iconic Leadership: Power Secrets of Female World Leaders” and co-author of "Women on Corporate Boards: An International Perspective”.

More information: www.justinamutale.com

FATOUMATA DIALLO Programmes Development Manager Justina Mutale Foundation Founder, The Minute Factor with Fatoumata Diallo United Kingdom

MODERATOR

Fatoumata is the Programmes Development Manager and the Justina Mutale Foundation and Founder of the Minute Factor with Fatoumata Diallo, a platform dedicated to helping young people grow their mind with engaging and thought provoking content (to be launched soon). She previously worked in Business Development at Duke Corporate Education, one of the world’s leading providers of custom executive education and leadership development. At the Justina Mutale Foundation, Fatoumata leads on advocacy priorities with focus on Women’s Leadership, Young Voices and Gender Equality. Fatoumata forms part of the Justina Mutale Delegation as speaker at multiple International Forums, including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), the African Union Heads of States and Governments Summit, the Women’s Economic Forum (India), and the UK Houses of Parliament. She sits on the Board of the National Alliance of Women’s Organisation and the Samuel Lithgow Youth Centre (SLYC) London helping to oversee strategic direction and diversity.

Fatoumata is Bilingual (French/English) and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and a Masters in Public Administration with High Distinction from London Metropolitan University.

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GUGULETHU NDEBELE Executive Director Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls South Africa

SPEAKER

Gugulethu Ndebele is currently the Executive Director of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG). She joined the organisation after a long and distinguished career as the CEO of Save the Children South Africa.

Gugulethu previously worked at the Department of Basic Education as Deputy Director-General responsible for Social Mobilisation and Support Services. She is one of the pioneers of the biggest Adult Literacy Campaign in SA. In 2016 she was appointed Vice-Chair of the UNESCO Bureau of the Global Alliance for Literacy. And in 2017 she was appointed as the Literacy Ambassador for the Read to Lead Campaign. Gugulethu is a Member of the South African Human Rights Commission’s Children’s Rights Advisory Committee; the Institute of Directors Southern Africa; and the Southern African Heads of Independent Schools; in addition to serving on the Executive of the Central Region of the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa and as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Trust. She was recently appointed to the Council of Rhodes University. Gugulethu holds an MSc in Organisational Change and Development from Manchester University in the UK), and a Post Graduate Diploma in Adult Education (Wits) and a Management Advancement Programme Certificate (Wits Business School).

His Excellency Ambassador Boubacar Issa Abdourhamane is the Senior Political Adviser to West Africa at the International Organisation of the Francophone (Organisation de la Internationale de Francophonie - OIF). He previously served as Permanent Representative of OIF to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The International Organisation of the Francophonie is an international institution with membership spread over five continents. Its primary mission is to promote peace, democracy and human rights, as well as the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity, supporting education and training, promoting cooperation with the Office for Sustainable Development, intensifying dialogue between cultures and civilisations, and enhancing solidarity among member states and governments through multilateral cooperation aimed at strengthening economic growth. Ambassador Abdourhamane studied Comparative Constitutional Law and holds a Doctorate in Public Law from the Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV University and a Degree and Advanced Diploma in Political Science from CEAN / IEP Bordeaux.

H.E AMBASSADOR BOUBACAR ISSA ABDOURHAMANE Senior Political Advisor, West Africa Former Representative of Frachophonie to the African Union Addis Ababa

SPEAKER

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ANNA MASLON-ORACZ

Professor & Rector`s Plenipotentiary to Africa Warsaw School of Economics Poland

SPEAKER

Dr Anna Maslon-Oracz is a business-oriented researcher. She’s senior manager for over 15 years with extensive experience in global organisation in managing various areas of business operations in Poland/CEE/Africa region and partnering with business stakeholders on all business related initiatives. Good understanding of the business and the commercial environment, combined with a deep and broad knowledge across the range of Business Operations issues, tax and employment regulations as well as excellent negotiations skills enable her to provide business focused solutions to Clients, to work effectively in a matrix and virtual environments, to ensure that the business has no exposure to operational risk, and to build strong relationships with different stakeholders. Completed postgraduate studies in Human Resources Management (University of Warsaw) with a master’s degree in the field of International Relations (University of Warsaw). PRINCE 2 Certificate holder. She’s vice-President of Polish European Community Study Association (belonging to an international network of ECSA-World), a member of the International Women’s Forum.

MERVIN AZETA Product & Service Delivery Manager Schlumberger Nigeria

SPEAKER

Mervin Azeta is an award-winning Nigerian energy professional, intersectional advocate, multi-talented engineer, and presidential scholar, with almost a decade of industry experience. She is also a Product & Service Delivery Manager with Schlumberger, one of the world's largest energy service and technology providers.

Based in the Republic of the Congo, she is improving the quality of delivery of oil & gas well completion projects, developing talents, and promoting higher levels of engagement and internal alignment to sustain solid performance in an increasingly competitive and dynamic marketplace. She has been featured in media publications as an influencer and trailblazer, keenly passionate about sustainable development, gender equality, youth engagement as well as cultivating the next generation of female scientists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians and transformative leaders. In addition, she has ideated, and continues to drive, several change management & social impact initiatives across the globe. She serves on multiple boards inspiring a shared commitment to deliver a cleaner, healthier, secure and sustainable energy future for all. Mervin holds a BEng, with First Class Honors, in Chemical Engineering from the University of Benin, as well as an MSc, with Distinction, in Sustainable Energy Futures, from the Imperial College London.

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ANNA MARIA ROZEK Elected Member Warsaw City Council (2014 - 2018) Poland

SPEAKER

Anna Maria Rożek is a professionally-educated lawyer and a trainee advocate based in Warsaw. She is a former elected member of the Warsaw City Council. In her work, activism towards promoting women’s rights is one of her main objectives in order to get more women actively involved in politics. For her Polish-American community work to date, Anna was nominated for the prestigious Polish Community award “Polak z Pasj„” (‘a Pole with a passion’), and Zčoty Mikrofon Radia Rampa (‘Radio Ramp's Golden Microphone’) in New York, USA. As a long-term lawyer and supporter in the Light for Africa foundation, Anna was involved in deals aiming to bring electricity to rural areas in Africa, and also helped various Polish companies investing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her next ambition is to start a PhD next year.

FLORENCE MULENGA

SPEAKER

University Student Zambia Florence Mulenga is currently pursuing her Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy at the University Of Zambia. She has been raised by a single mother, who has always taught her that: “no matter your gender, education is the best equaliser.” Florence has won two national awards for her brilliant ways of combining science and entrepreneurship by suggesting solutions to solve problems faced globally in the health sector. She is passionate about seeing girls and women take up the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields in the world today and always advises them to not be afraid to suggest solutions to their communities and world leaders at large. She says that "Gender is a physical appearance and not a mental limitation, everyone has an extraordinary potential waiting to be unleashed."

Florence has been nominated and won several awards, including Best Student Innovation at The FemBioBiz Acceleration Program (Under Southern Africa Network For Biosciences) in Zambia; Best Student Innovation at the Zambia Entrepreneurship Summit (Under The Women's Entrepreneur Access Center) and Southern Africa Start Up Awards (Country-Level).

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SRISHTI

Graduate Delagate Justina Mutale Foundation India

SPEAKER

Srishti is a young law graduate and has enrolled herself at the State Bar Council as an advocate. She is presently undertaking her judicial clerkship programme at the Allahabad High Court, India.

With active participation in multiple competitions all around, she has challenged herself on different levels. She has published and presented her paper, which focused on the institutional discrimination faced by vulnerable populations on different levels.

She describes her internship experience at the National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi as one of the most fruitful experiences, for she not only worked on her researching skills and learnt about the issues on a deeper level, but it was a starting point where she developed this interest to work in the field of human rights. She was also a senior moot court committee member in her law school days, where she was also awarded a token of excellence for her skills and sincere contribution. She’s been associated with the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations NAWO, where she has actively participated in virtual conferences, where strong women from across the world have discussed about women and gender rights and have inspired each other, and has also contributed in writing pieces in their monthly newsletters from time to time.

NISHI JOSHI-BHATT United Kingdom

SPEAKER

Nishi is a choreographer, performer and civic leader based in London. At 15, Nishi founded ‘Dance Shakti’, a dance troupe inspired by the female power: ‘Shakti’. With a special emphasis on helping promote cultural diversity and community integration, since its formation, Dance Shakti has helped raise thousands of pounds for charities including BBC Children in Need, Cancer Research UK, and awareness for key platforms including female-participation in STEM. Alongside Dance Shakti, as well as a solo artist, Nishi has performed internationally at arts festivals and cultural events. In 2017 she was the youngest choreographer to bring her group and perform at the Mayor of London’s Diwali on Trafalgar Square in front of over 35,000 people. She was selected as one of 20 young choreographers across the UK to showcase her work at Studio 3 Arts’ Vital Stages Showcase. She is currently studying International Development at King’s College London. She is a Kings’ Civic Leaders 2019/20, working with ‘Breaking Barriers’, a charity dedicated to help educate refugees in the UK to better integrate and empower them. In 2018 she was given the High Sheriff of Surrey’s Youth Recognition Award for her contribution to the community through the arts.

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UNITED NATIONS CSW65 PARALLEL EVENT PATHWAYS TO POWER FOR MILLENNIALS INTO DECISION MAKING IN PUBLIC LIFE:

The Push for Equality in the Next Decade to Level the Playing Field INTRODUCTION

This will be an intergenerational dialogue, at which Speakers and participants will address and share intergenerational ideas, opportunities, challenges and realities on the ground and emerging issues, to carve out space and the role of millennials in decision-making in public life and the achievement of gender equality.

BACKGROUND

The year 2020 marked 25 years since the 4th World Conference held in Beijing in 1995. Women and girls today still face the same structural barriers that were there before the Beijing Platform was held. To date, women and girls are still under-represented in key leadership and decision-making positions in all spheres of life. No country in the world has fully achieved total parity in gender equality whether in relation to politics, economy, or society including poverty, violence against women or social justice. On the other hand, the biggest part of the population who are “the millennials” appear to know very little or nothing about the cornerstone that defines and shapes all aspects of their current and future life (political, economic, social, etc). There is a huge gap and a disconnect between those who define policy and those whom policy affects, who happen to be the millennials who will be the young adults, the political and business leaders, the decision-makers and policy makers, and the managers of the development process at the conclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030. According to various studies, millions of young people all over the world (both young men and your women) lack the skills and access to succeed in a fast-changing world of work, as well as political and social landscape and decision making in public life. This constitutes a real impediment to realising gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in order to secure a 50-50 Planet by the year 2030.

RATIONALE

As stated by author, Aviva Winternberg-Cox, “Our grandmothers got us the vote. Our mothers got us the pill, our generation got a good job and a great education…” What then, should we expect from our children who are the Millennials, who will be the young adults, the political and business leaders, the decision-makers and policy makers, the managers of the development process at the conclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030? There is a need to disrupt traditional and conventional ways of doing things, which has shaped the gender fight for the past 25 years and held women back. In order to do that, we need millennial mind-sets and fresh thinking to help drive the process. To achieve gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, the world will need to tap into the ingenuity and perspectives of young people, in order to shift attitudes and behaviours towards the current shape of the Gender Agenda and accelerate the pace to equality. The next decade should be used as an accelerator for the millennials to jump onto the gender fight and the decision-making process in public life by increasing the space for young people to allow co-creation and intergenerational collaboration and dialogue in the fight for gender equality. With less than 10 years left to the conclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals, governments and member states have an opportunity to accelerate the Beijing+25 Agenda by leveraging the millennials as a great resource and a vital force for driving the implementation of the sustainable development goals. The future of equality belongs to the millennials and it is their world that we are talking about. Therefore, there should not be any room for decision-making in public life and policy-making for millennials without the participation and input from millennials. In order to truly accelerate progress towards gender equality, the world needs the millennial task force to own and drive the agenda and the process.

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OBJECTIVES •

Hold an intergenerational dialogue on ideas, opportunities, challenges and realities on the ground regarding the space for millennials in decision-making in public life and the achievement of gender equality

•

Educate millennials (young men and boys/ young women and girls) on their rights and critical role in decision-making in public life and achieving gender equality

•

Tap into the psyche and perspectives of the millennials towards decision-making in public life and the fight for the gender equality

•

Embark on an awareness-drive of gender issues for millennials across the globe

•

Create a millennial vital force towards decision-making in public life and the achievement of gender equality

•

Allow the millennials to shape the future of equality by giving them access to decision-making in public life

OUTCOMES •

Intergenerational ideas, opportunities, challenges and realities on the ground and emerging issues in decision-making in public life and achievement of gender equality outlined

•

Millennials educated on their rights and critical role in decision-making in public life and the fight towards gender equality.

•

Perspectives of the millennials regarding decision-making in public life explored

•

Awareness-drive of gender issues and decision-making in public life for millennials incorporated

•

Creation of a Millennial vital force to drive and accelerate millennial decision-making in public life and the achievement of gender equality explored

•

Millennials included and allowed space to shape policy, decision-making in public life and the future of equality

•

Space created for millennials to participate in decision-making in public life to help drive the fight towards equality

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O U R U N I T E D N AT I O N S C S W 6 5 D E L E G AT I O N

H.E DR. AMEENAH GURIB-FAKIM KEYNOTE SPEAKER

H.E DR. JEWEL HOWARD-TAYLOR KEYNOTE SPEAKER

H.E AMBASSADOR BOUBACAR H.E DR. JUSTINA MUTALE ISSA ABDOURHAMANE CONVERNOR SPEAKER

ANNA MASLON-ORACZ SPEAKER

FATOUMATA DIALLO MODERATOR

MERVIN AZETA SPEAKER

ANNA MARIA ROZEK SPEAKER

MICHELLE WALUSIMO DELEGATE

MEETA JOSHI DELEGATE

ANNIE MUTALE DELEGATE

AIMEE OSAMUDIAMEN CHRIS DELEGATE

ZIPHOZIHLE NTLANGANISO DELEGATE

FLORENCE MULENGA SPEAKER

SRISHTI SPEAKER

CHILOMBO SAMISELO DELEGATE

MANDA MOYO DELEGATE

MAMBWE KAMANGA DELEGATE

NICOLE ROSS DELEGATE

NISHI JOSHI-BHATT DELEGATE

MARY CHIBULA DELEGATE

WAME MHLANGA DELEGATE

CHEREENA MILLER DELEGATE

GLADYS CHAVULA DELEGATE

GUGULETHU NDEBELE SPEAKER

A UNITED NATIONS CSW65 VIRTUAL FORUM PARALLEL EVENT

THE JUSTINA MUTALE FOUNDATION

OUR Values OUR Vision

To Inspire, Empower, Educate, Enrich and Motivate

We envision a world in which each woman and girl, and their communities have an opportunity to reach their highest potential. We believe that every girl has potential and we work to ensure that one day, every girl can have access to quality education to enable her to reach her highest potential, escape poverty and live a fulfilling life, so that every girl can one day have the capability to effectively participate and make a positive contribution to the global economy and the development of Africa and the rest of the world.

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OUR Mission To educate, empower, inspire and motivate women and girls to become effective and influential leaders in business, politics, society, environment, science, technology and all other walks of life. Our Mission is to equip women and girls with the necessary leadership skills, tools, knowledge, information, systems and networks required to close the gender gap.

WHAT WE DO:

We believe provision of quality education is paramount to the eradication of poverty and its feminisation. We advocate for the retention and completion of tertiary education for young women and girls from rural and disadvantaged families, by providing them scholarships to access higher education; technical and vocational training education; and entrepreneurship and leadership training and mentorship. We aim to contribute to the actualisation of the United Nations Agenda 2030 Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063, with a focus on the achievement of gender equality, empowerment of women and girls, protecting and upholding the rights of women and girls, and the alleviation of poverty and its feminisation, by providing access to proper healthcare, quality education, personal development and improving the quality life of women and girls, and their communities.

WHO WE ARE

The Justina Mutale Foundation was launched in the House of Lords at the UK Houses of Parliament in London, United Kingdom on Thursday 29th October 2015. The Foundation is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation registered under the laws of England and Wales with its registered office in London and further registered as a non-governmental and non-profit organisation registered under the laws of Zambia with its registered office in Lusaka, Zambia.

The Foundation is supported by san international Advisory Board and was founded by African Woman of the Year (2012) and Mandela100 Prize Winner, Her Excellency, Dr Justina Mutale, who is listed as Africa’s Best Female Philanthropist and named in the various WHO’s WHO, Power Lists, Influential Lists and Halls of Fame, including the100 Most Reputable People on Earth; as well as the Powerlist of the Most Influential Black People in modern Britain and the 100 Most Reputable Africans in the World. Dr Mutale sits on the Board of the World Leaders Forum headquartered in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; and serves as Global Envoy for Gender Equality & Spokesperson of the International Women’s Think Tank headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She is also the Vice-President of the ~United Kingdom’s National Alliance of Women’s Organisations. Dr Mutale has been honoured on various global platforms for her phenomenal leadership qualities. She is the author of the highly cerebral book: “The Art of Iconic Leadership: Power Secrets of Female World Leaders” and Co-author of: “Women on Corporate Boards and International Perspective”, in addition to various other publications and books on women leadership.

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GRAPHIC & WEBSITE DESIGN We are specialised in: GRAPHIC DESIGN, FLYERS, BRANDING WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT, COMPANY PROFILE BRONCHURES, LOGO, NEWSLETTERS MAGAZINES ETC

CONTACTS EMAIL: zedkid101@gmail.com CELL/WHATSAPP: +260 973 679 783

THE POWER OF RESILIENCE TO LEAD IN LIFE “Our struggle was not a flash in the pan. I had kept it alive with every means at my disposal.”

Winnie Mandela

R esilience. The sound of the word itself innocently belies the inherent strength it proclaims. Resilience is the capacity to

recover quickly from difficulties. It is because it is the ability to recover from or adjust with some ease to misfortune or change that it is also considered a synonym of toughness. A resilient person has the capability to cope in the face of daunting challenges, setbacks, barriers or limited resources. That is perhaps why resilience is easily also a measure of just how much one desires something, and how much one is willing to sacrifice, through a combination of ability and willingness, to get that thing, or attain that goal.

Without doubt, resilience demands a certain degree of emotional strength. That cannot be otherwise since resilience also hints at some core inner strength. In conjuring up the image of a ball bouncing back to its thrower, it means to survive in the School of Hard Knocks. Indeed, if human existence can be likened to the University of Life, then the resilient leader is necessarily one of its first class or summa cum laude graduates, depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re on. Definitely, it means to be the proverbial cat with nine lives.

The resilient leader knows that life is not all about her alone.

Quite often, such a leader is aware, possibly at a subconscious level, that she has been brought into this turbulent world to be an instrument of massive transformation in the lives of others. This can be a powerful source of motivation for survival in such people. It tends to give them the psychological strength to cope with stress, hardship and other vicissitudes of life. It also serves as the mental reservoir of strength that such leaders are able to draw upon in times of adversity.

Resilient leaders tend to remain in acute awareness of critical situations and the behavior of those around them. It is this awareness that allows them to maintain firm and effective control of a situation, while innovating fresh perspectives to solve problems. It takes courage to traverse the vicissitudes of life. That is why courage is almost synonymous with resilience.

How to Gain Access to Your Power of Resilience 1. Develop the capacity and capability to recover rapidly from difficulties.

2. Come into the knowledge that resilience is synonymous with toughness. Therefore, resilience is also your capability to cope in the face of daunting challenges, setbacks, barriers or limited resources.

3. Be prepared to sacrifice time, effort and resources, because resilience is also a measure of just how much you desire your objective, and how much you are willing to sacrifice to achieve it.

4. Be prepared to deploy a combination of ability and willingness to achieve your goal.

5. Resilience will demand a great deal of emotional strength from you.

6. Be prepared to be an instrument of massive transformation in the lives of others.

7. Be prepared to remain in awareness of critical situations, and the behaviour of those around you.

8. Develop courage, because courage, also, is almost synonymous with resilience.

An extract from (“The Art Of Iconic Leadership; Power Secrets of Female World Leaders.” ) By Justina Mutale

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THE POWER OF FEMALE WORLD LEADERS Every girl and every woman needs to read this book and pass it on to the next girl and the next woman to read it. In this remarkable ground-breaking book on female leadership, the author intellectually celebrates the emerging power of female world leaders on the global political landscape.

She chronicles the remarkable achievements of a few brilliant women leaders who have employed mostly soft leadership skills to unleash remarkable transformation in their own lives and those of others, using the instrumentality of sheer industry, uncommon courage, unrivaled compassion and indomitability of spirit.

Essentially, this book aims to inspire and motivate a new generation of women all over the world through the stories of these iconic female leaders, who have made the world a kinder and fairer place with their brilliant personalities, ideas and achievements.

#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER The book is available at all Amazon sites around the world.

Proceeds from the book go to the Scholarship Fund at the Justina Mutale Foundation to help disadvantaged young women and girls from Africa access tertiary education across the globe.

BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT: https://amzn.to/300u6ci www.justinamutale.com www.justinamutalefoundation.com /justinamutale

CHOOSING TO CHALLENGE

By Wame Mhlanga

F rom time immemoral we have seen women rise in positions of leadership. However, much as this can be qualified as good news , the numbers are less captivating. These numbers tell a story depicting that females face more challenges in order to rise to the top than their male counterparts.

Every Year March 8th is marked as International Women’s day under different themes to reflect the progress made by women in areas such as; politics, science and Technology and Economics. The first held celebration for international women's day was about ending harmful workplace conditions, exploitation as well as advocacy for equal rights and pay.

Sadly in the 21st century women and girls have to fight for the same reasons and for their voices to be heard.

Indeed it can be proven that there are numerous challenges that affect the rising of women in society one of those being response to emergencies and stereotyping.

The response of governments to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in closure of women's health care and budget cut off from sexual and reproductive health resources. This resulted in unplanned pregnancies, high mortality rate and an increase in gender based violence cases. In the midst of a pandemic essential women's basic necessity is neglected as majority of women do not hold a lot of political power.

With this year’s International Women's Day theme being #ChooseToChallenge, with the main objective of challenging gender stereotypes, it is essential to highlight the traditional gender stereotypes set by society and passed on through gender roles in order to advocate for change with regard to such stereotypes.

Majority of women are not key decision makers and some have no control of how their income is used. On the contrary male stereotypic role is that of a financial provider for his family and key decision maker at the household level men’s contribution involves financial decisions only not childcare responsibilities.

The absence of women in positions of leadership is a hindrance to unearthing women’s talent as well as their involvement in policy and implementation, as women's experiences are different. Unfortunately Sweden and Finland are the only countries having high women’s participation in the public life.

Traditionally, female stereotypical role is to marry and bear children as well as put her family's needs before her own as well as those of her husband. She is considered a representative of her husband and family hence obligated to behave properly. Women have to juggle various tasks simultaneously by either taking care of family and earning low incomes or becoming a full time housewife with no wages.

When the woman's marriage ends in divorce there is no compensation for all the household chores she did if she was a full time wife and a mother. A lot of women do not have body autonomy regarding whether to become a parent or not.

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Working women each day are in a constant battle to balance between being a family care taker and being a productive employee leading to few women who are qualified to take high earning jobs. As a result all over the world men earn higher than women. Women are over represented in low paying jobs and underrepresented in high earning jobs with few of them holding senior positions.

Some women all over the world intentionally break through the glass ceiling and challenge the gender stereotypes .

During the 2019 Miss Universe pageant a 26 year old South African representative, Zozibini Tunzi was asked about what should we teach young girls today? Her response was Leadership. For her it is something which has been lacking in young girls and women for quite a long time. It is not that women do not want to be leaders but rather women act and respond to labels put on them by society. She further went on to say that women deserve every opportunity due to the immerse power they carry hence the need to take up space and cement themselves. Considering that women represent half of the population, the global economy world benefit from boosting women in the labour force.

Other examples include Ms. Kamala Harris who became the first vice President of the United States of America, Dr Ngozi Okonjo- lweala was appointed as the first African director general of world Trade organization and in Botswana kgomotso Phatsima became one of the first female military pilot.

To conclude a holistic advocacy for gender equality is vital in order to see a lot of women in senior positions. At the same time women need to realize that change is possible when accepting that all women are affected by gender inequality.

Also feminism does not mean men-hating.

By Wame Mhlanga ICONIC LEADERSHIP MAGAZINE

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ol of Economic o h s& c S Ap al t p n

ciences dS lie

Intercon tin e

INTERCONTINENTAL SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS & APPLIED SCIENCES

I SEAS

Knowledge - Competence - Resilience

Email: info@iseas-ac.uk | website:iseas-ac.uk I N D U S T R Y R E L E VA N T & S TAT E - O F - T H E - A R T C U R R I C U L U M C U S T O M I Z E D F O R A F R I C A