We salute the trailblazers, the changemakers and the emerging leaders. From technology to sustainability, healthcare to education, meet the women tackling some of the biggest challenges and transforming the world as we know it. In honour of International Women’s Day, here are our Top 30 Power Women of The Room for 2022.
Graça Machel, International Advocate for Women & Children’s Rights
“Our hope as women is not just to have a seat at the table but to re-design the table. When this happens, power relations at all levels will change.”
Having lived a life dedicated to improving the fate of women and children, Graça Machel inspires a hopeful optimism about the possibility of building a more just and equitable world. From reducing illiteracy by 72% in Mozambique to producing a ground-breaking UNICEF report that changed the way the United Nations reacts in conflict zones, she is a phenomenal leader who generates impact with every step she takes. Among her many roles, she serves as the co-founder & Deputy Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights.
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a renowned economist and international development specialist, currently serving as the seventh Director-General of the World Trade Organization. She made history as the first woman and the first African to hold this position. A champion for women’s empowerment, breaking glass ceilings is not foreign to her. Her impact-driven and results-oriented nature has allowed her to thrive in international organisations including the World Bank and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. Honoured as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2021, she continues to utilise her power to advance poverty eradication, driven by a keen sense of purpose to create a fairer world.
Rapelang Rabana, Founder of Rekindle Learning
“Not everyone realises that by not choosing, life chooses for you and that is never the ideal outcome. Those who become great are deliberately creating their life path as opposed to allowing life to happen to them.”
Featured on the cover of Forbes Africa before the age of 30, Rapelang Rabana is an internationally lauded techpreneur with a strong belief in the power of education to create opportunities. She is the founder of Rekindle Learning, an award-winning learning & development company providing mobile and computer learning applications for students and adults of all ages. She also co-founded the telecommunications firm Yeigo, an innovative software company that developed some of the world’s earliest mobile VoIP applications. Named Entrepreneur for the World by the World Entrepreneurship Forum, Rapelang is a role model to many, never ceasing to innovate in the spaces of technology and education.
Aarti Shahani, NPR Journalist & Host of the ‘Art of Power’ Podcast
“If you are in a place where people don’t assume you’re capable of very much, you don’t have to listen to their story of you. Know yourself; you know what you’re capable of. Don’t seek everyone else nodding in approval. Chase what you know you can do and build a strategy around it.”
Aarti Shahani is a bestselling author and internationally celebrated journalist who enjoyed a meteoric rise as NPR’s Silicon Valley Correspondent. She is the creator and host of the Art of Power podcast, where she engages in intimate conversations with changemakers such as Barack Obama, Sal Khan, and our very own Fred Swaniker. Aarti’s first book, Here We Are, chronicles her family’s mind-blowing immigration from India to America. A moving story of tragedy and vindication, it reveals her fight against the injustice that stripped her family of the American Dream, overcoming adversity to win their lives, freedom, and power back.
Santie Botha, pioneering Businesswoman & Chair of Famous Brands
“Set yourself difficult goals and targets. Don’t strive for fame and fortune, but strive to be the best that you can ultimately be. Keep searching for the new and what is sometimes viewed as the impossible and always believe that you can change the world for the better.”
A trailblazer in the business world, Santie Botha first rose to prominence when, at the age of 34, she became Absa’s youngest ever board member. She joined MTN as Chief Marketing Officer in 2003, earning the network its reputation as the Top Mobile Brand in Africa and securing its legacy as the first-ever African company to become a global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup. As the former Chancellor of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, she became the youngest chancellor in South Africa when she took on the role. Santie has won a slew of awards for her business acumen and leadership throughout her glittering career.
Navalayo Osembo-Ombati, CEO & Co-Founder of Enda Sportswear
“My ultimate vision is to build one of the top running shoe brands globally, to be Africa’s cultural shoe brand, to be a source of employment for thousands of people and to be an inspiration for millions.”
Hailing from a village near Eldoret, Kenya that has produced generations of the world’s greatest distance runners, co-founder of Enda Sportswear Navalayo Osembo-Ombati is dedicated to bringing Kenyan athletic greatness to runners worldwide. She aspires to use Enda to create jobs, invest in local communities, and fuel the dreams and ambitions of the millions of athletes with talent and limited resources on the African continent. The company is already making an impact in Kenya, supporting multiple organisations, including an organisation on Kenya’s coast that empowers girls through sports.
Joyce-Ann Wainaina, Citi Global Subsidiaries Group Head for Sub Sahara Africa
“Giving other women a sense that ‘yes, it can be done’ is critical to building the confidence and self-esteem necessary to succeed where others have failed.”
With a passion for Africa’s potential, women’s value and nature’s abundance, Joyce-Ann Wainaina is the Head of Global Subsidiaries Group for Citi Sub Sahara Africa, providing Corporate and Investment Banking solutions to subsidiaries in 11 countries. She has held senior positions across the continent in the fields of country management, corporate banking, product management, operations and controls. Dedicated to empowering the next generation of female leaders, she partnered with the Kenya Bankers Association and the Central Bank of Kenya to establish a mentorship program for Women Leaders in the banking industry. She is also a founding Trustee of the JB Wanjui Education Trust, providing grants to girls in universities in Kenya.
Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, International Model & Founder of Malaika
International model Noëlla Coursaris Musunka has graced the pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair. But it is her work with Malaika, the community-driven non-profit she founded to provide educational opportunities to young women and girls in the DRC, that truly fuels her mission. The organisation’s projects have transformed the village of Kalebuka in southeastern DRC, with a primary and secondary school that delivers a holistic curriculum for hundreds of students, a community centre that serves over 5000 youth and adults each year with sports, health and vocational programs, and 23 wells that Malaika built and refurbished to provide clean water to more than 32,000 people.
Elizabeth Okullow, Founder of Aafri Fudi
“I believe we all have the potential to change something, even the smallest of things.”
A talented microbiologist and agripreneur, Elizabeth Okullow has devoted her life to creating food sustainability in Africa. At the age of 25, she has already founded two businesses utilising hydroponic technology to promote sustainable farming. Through her work, she hopes to enlighten young people in Kenya about the opportunities that lie in agricultural entrepreneurship. Elizabeth’s current initiative, Aafri Fudi, is aimed at leading agricultural innovation in Africa. She founded it to create employment for young Africans by harnessing the potential of the agricultural sector.
Emma Dicks, Co-Founder of CodeSpace Academy
“Coding is a new literacy and we’re helping teachers bring this into their classrooms. Young people will now learn to read, write, count and code!”
Emma Dicks is an ALX graduate and the co-founder of CodeSpace Academy, an educational institution that specialises in teaching coding & software development. CodeSpace has received global acclaim for its highly effective initiatives that foster diversity in the tech world. Passionate about supporting young women in tech, Emma founded the non-profit Code for Cape Town in 2014, which teaches coding to high school girls.
Robyn Calder Harawi, Executive Director of The ELMA Foundation
“I stay motivated by spending time with the changemakers and visionaries doing the important work that ELMA has the privilege to be able to contribute to.”
Robyn Calder Harawi is the Executive Director of The ELMA Foundation and a board member of The ELMA Philanthropies Services. The ELMA Group of Foundations invests in healthcare and education for children in Africa, relief for communities affected by humanitarian crises across the world, the growth of social enterprises in Africa and youth development through music in the United States. A leading voice in collaborative philanthropy, she is devoted to solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Maya Horgan Famodu, Founder of Ingressive Capital
“Stick it out, keep your network close and stay in touch. And keep learning constantly, especially from your mistakes.”
Maya Horgan-Famodu is devoted to supporting exceptional talent in accessing the resources they need to build wildly scalable businesses. She is the founder of Ingressive Capital, a $10 million venture fund that supports early-stage African tech startups — earning her the status of being the youngest Black woman to launch a tech fund and the youngest person to launch a tech fund in Sub-Saharan Africa. She also founded Ingressive for Good, a nonprofit providing micro-scholarships, technical skills training and talent placement to African tech talents in need. In 2018, Maya’s remarkable accomplishments were recognised by Forbes when she was named to their “Under 30 Technology” list, as well as “10 Inspiring Women Ruling Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem” in 2019.
Hema Vallabh, Co-Founder & CEO of WomHub
“Life is all about passion — about being a part of something bigger — but most of all, about making a difference!”
Hema is an engineer turned entrepreneur turned investor. She is a founding partner at Five35 Ventures, a pan-African VC fund investing in women entrepreneurs in tech, as well as the co-founder & CEO of WomHub, a boutique pan-African incubator and the first co-working space for female founders in STEM in Africa. The social enterprise tackles gender parity all along the engineering skills pipeline, from empowering 1 million girls in STEM to developing women leaders and entrepreneurs in engineering. Her enterprise has been recognised by the African Union as the top TVET programme in Africa supporting women leaders across the continent.
Rosalind Kainyah MBE, Founder & Marketing Director of Kina Advisory
Rosalind Kainyah believes in the power of business as a vehicle for social change. As the founder and Marketing Director of Kina Advisory, she is a renowned advisor to global companies on sustainable social and economic investment and partnerships in Africa. Hailed as one of the most influential women on the continent, Rosalind is passionate about uplifting young people through educational opportunities. She has supported the African Leadership Academy as well as the African Science Academy (ASA) in Accra, Ghana, since its inception. ASA was founded with the goal of developing gifted young women from low-income backgrounds into Africa’s future STEM leaders.
Muthoni Drummer Queen, Musician & Creative Social Entrepreneur
“I rejected the hyper-sexualised representation of women I grew up seeing in hip-hop because I understood (even without knowing the language) that that imagery is created for the male gaze, and is performative femininity.”
Muthoni Drummer Queen is a powerful musician and creative social entrepreneur in Kenya, creating music that explores her experiences growing up in Nairobi and the spaces that women occupy in the city. Through her music, she reconstructs the image of women in the male-dominated hip-hop scene and repositions them as urban African queens. Muthoni is also the founder & CEO of Blankets & Wine, an East African premiere music festival showcasing emerging genres of Urban-African music. Her impact spreads beyond the African continent and she has won awards such as the Best Artist in French Switzerland at the Swiss Music Awards.
Jackline Muriuki, Pan-African Education & Youth Development Practitioner
“If you fear making mistakes, you will never gain the courage to do anything meaningful.”
With the world’s youngest population, Africa’s young people are one of its greatest assets, and Jackline Muriuki aims to harness this talent by building a movement of creative and innovative young problem solvers. A graduate of ALX, she is a pan-African education and youth development practitioner and enthusiast, currently serving as the Head of Youth Programs for the Timeless Women of Wonder Foundation. Jackline believes in the importance of holistic education as a vehicle for youth development, helping young people proactively champion change in their communities through her work.
Keamogetse “Moula” Mokhobo-Amegashie, Managing Partner at Drayton Glendower & Mokhobo
“My purpose has always been linked to paying it forward and creating opportunities for others.”
With over twenty years of broad consulting experience working for global professional services firms, Keamogetse “Moula” Mokhobo-Amegashie is an expert in the sub-Saharan business landscape, having partnered with multinational organisations across numerous sectors to build their Boards and Executive Committee teams. A firm believer in the power of paying it forward, she is passionate about empowering the next generation of young leaders by creating opportunities and spaces for them to grow and thrive. She is currently the Managing Partner at Drayton Glendower & Mokhobo and leads the Executive Search Capability across sub-Saharan Africa.
Dorothy Ghettuba, Manager of International Originals at Netflix
“Rich stories can come from anywhere and can be loved everywhere across the world. African stories are as diverse as its people, and this continent offers a cornucopia of stories that totally defies any notion of singularity.”
Sourcing and bringing African stories to Africa and the world, Dorothy Ghettuba is the Manager of International Originals at Netflix, where she is dedicated to developing creative talent and telling authentic African stories that resonate with audiences. Dorothy’s commitment to creating compelling African content came to life through her media company, Spielworks Media, an East African regional leader in content creation, production, distribution and broadcast. As a leading figure in the industry, she has produced dozens of acclaimed television shows, web series and original African movies for television, mobile, web and video-on-demand platforms.
Winnie Ngumi, Founder & CEO of Space and Style
“One of the biggest troubles that I face is bias because I’m a woman; everywhere I go, I face bias because I’m a Black woman. But the worst thing you can do is not try — you have to choose what you want to do and if you’re passionate about something, go for it. Now is the time!”
A formidable force in the male-dominated construction industry, Winnie Ngumi is the founder and CEO of Space and Style Ltd in Nairobi, Kenya. Providing premier building and construction product solutions in the East African region, Winnie seeks to deliver the infrastructure of the future. A recipient of the Manufacturing Award from the Women in Manufacturing Programme by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, she is an inspiration to women entrepreneurs across the continent, driven by a steadfast belief in the power of perseverance.
Diana Mulili, Chief Growth Officer of xetova
Developing sustainable solutions to youth unemployment is at the heart of Diana Mulili’s mission. This Kenyan changemaker and youth coach has over 15 years of leadership experience across the Private Sector and Economic Development Sector in East Africa. As the Chief Growth Officer at xetova, a tech company using Artificial Intelligence (AI)-led innovations and initiatives to transform B2B supply chains in the context of Africa and its unique-placed challenges, she is leading the growth of a new digital reality that will unleash the full potential of supply chains in creating direct socio-economic impact to women and youth-owned SMEs.
Michelle Adelman, Founder of Accite Holdings
“There is nothing more important than tackling food insecurity in Africa. It is the central catalyst for so many things, from nutrition and health to education, from the livelihoods of women to climate change.”
Michelle Adelman is tackling food insecurity in Africa head-on. As the founder of Accite Holdings, an investment firm focusing on technology-led, sustainable food projects, she is committed to creating employment opportunities for youth and women. Over the past nine years, Accite has developed award-winning food and agricultural businesses in Botswana, South Africa, Mauritius, and Kenya, including Go Fresh! and Infinite Foods. Named by Forbes Africa as a Top 20 “New Wealth Creator” and CEO Magazine as Africa’s “Most Influential Woman in Business & Professional Services”, Michelle’s dedication to youth and women empowerment is propelled by a desire to address the lack of economic diversification and end repeating cycles of poverty.
Feven Tsehaye, Founder of Tchakka Origins
“The biggest challenge is getting out of your own way and staying grounded in the larger vision of what you’re building.”
Fuelled by her deep appreciation for nature, her desire to sharing the story of Ethiopia’s indigenous plant species, and a proposition for a plant-based lifestyle, Feven Tsehaye founded Tchakka Origins in 2019. With a goal of transforming sustainability in business, Tchakka Origins uses an agroforestry model to source and craft plant extracts and natural ingredients from Ethiopia for use in personal care and wellness. The business promotes equitable opportunities for partner farmers, with a particular focus on empowering women farmers, who grow a range of spices, herbs, botanicals, flowers, fruits and oil seeds from Ethiopia’s biodiversity hotspot.
Nglan Niat, Group Chief Human Resources Officer of Dangote Industries
“Although gender equality in the workplace is slow, we should remain positive and make individual efforts towards improvement. Younger women should look up to more seasoned ones to provide the encouragement they need, then take a risk and go for it. More mature women professionals should pull up the younger ones as they climb the ladder and not pull the ladder up as they climb. As the saying goes, once a glass ceiling is broken, it stays broken.”
Nglan Niat is a seasoned HR professional who has worked in various facets of Human Resources Management spanning North America, Europe and Africa. An ardent believer in using her position to support upcoming younger women, she serves as the Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Dangote Industries Limited and on the board of WELEAD, a non-profit initiative aimed at empowering women to aspire and attain strong influential positions in management, business and the public sector.
Dr. Robyn Whittaker, Collaboration Convenor
“Before we can hope to collaborate, we first need to connect and build relationships.”
Collaboration Convenor Dr. Robyn Whittaker seeks to develop our understanding of how effective collaboration can be fostered through relationship building. Since finding a gap in the world for orchestrators of relational spaces, she has been working to fill it. With a particular focus on human development and on understanding the “how” of deep collaborative work, Robyn’s initiatives, Kaleidoscope Lights and Africa Voices Dialogue, support the evolution of functional and relational impact ecosystems and guide organisations to engage in deeper forms of co-creative work.
Nicole Amarteifio, acclaimed Filmmaker
“There are so many women doing such beautiful work and I want to see their words — whether they are from scripts or from books — make it to the big screen.”
The accurate representation of Africa in the global entertainment industry is critical in telling authentic stories, and that is exactly what Ghanaian filmmaker Nicole Amarteifio is doing through her work. Cited in The Financial Times “Top 25 Africans to Watch” list after the launch of her hit web series An African City — dubbed by CNN and the BBC as Africa’s answer to ‘Sex and the City’ — Nicole turned to filmmaking following a successful career in international development, including her role as the first ever social media strategist for the Africa Region at The World Bank. She aims to rewrite the African narrative, dismantling long-held misconceptions around Africa and showcasing strong African women in her film and television projects.
Sarah Otieno, CEO of Curls and Wraps
Sarah Otieno channells her passion for women’s empowerment and her desire to solve the world’s biggest challenges through the African beauty industry, developing products that are relevant and useful for African women. She is the CEO of Curls and Wraps, a premier beauty brand that provides safer, organic, natural haircare and skincare products for the discerning African woman. She is committed to upholding values of representation, self-care and community as important tenets in achieving outer and inner beauty.
Laureen Kouassi-Olsson, Founder & CEO of Birimian Holding
“At the end of the day, it’s about creating impact for people living locally — strong entrepreneurs and young people who are dynamic and proactive. I get inspired by that entrepreneurial spirit.”
Laureen Kouassi-Olsson is a seasoned executive in the African financial services and private equity industries with over a decade of experience in investing in companies and financial institutions on the African continent. She is the founder and CEO of Birimian Holding, an investment company promoting luxury and premium African heritage brands, with the intention of keeping revenues in the hands of the Africans who build and craft these brands. Laureen has been recognised as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women by Avance Media and was nominated twice on the Choiseul Institute list of Emerging Economic Leaders.
Professor Hazel Miseda Mumbo, Vice-Chancellor of The Great Lakes University
“If we want to change the narrative about Africa, we must give opportunities to the future leaders.”
Professor Hazel Miseda Mumbo is the Vice-Chancellor of the Great Lakes University of Kisumu. As a multidisciplinary visionary leader with strategic competencies to manage complex assignments, she has over 26 years of experience in various sectors and positions. By daring to dream big, she has risen in the world of academia. Her determination saw her go from a primary school teacher to occupying a senior leadership position at a prestigious institution. Her story is one that motivates students, teachers, academics and women in all fields to go after their dreams despite the hurdles along the way.
Firdaus H. Salim, Software Engineer & Technical Writer
“Understanding your purpose is beneficial. It will be your drive to always keep on working towards it.”
Firdaus H. Salim is a full-stack software engineer, technical writer and published author. A graduate of the ALX Software Engineering programme, her determination, passion and commitment to the causes she cares about are so contagious that Fred Swaniker said the 20-minute conversation he had with her in 2021 was his most inspiring conversation of the year. Fun fact: last year, Firdaus read 63 books!
Nabou Fall, CEO of Vizeo
“The African woman has always been an entrepreneur. We see it when we go to the market — it is the women who control the food crop. So the passion already exists. My mission is to provide women with tools that allow them to sustain and make their businesses profitable in order to grow and achieve lasting financial independence.”
Nabou Fall is a business owner, executive coach, writer and activist for women’s rights. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Vizeo, an agency that supports some of the largest companies and multinationals on the African continent in their communications and public relations strategies. With a vested interest in women’s empowerment, her book Virtual Escape celebrates the stories of African women.
