At the Leading Women Summit, which was held at the Sun Bet Arena, Time Square in Pretoria, South Africa, in observance of International Women’s Day, Forbes Woman Africa honoured and recognised more than 50 women leaders from all around the continent.
Ministers, diplomats, artists, human rights activists, sports stars, and the continent’s changer drivers were among the participants at this year’s event, which featured over 50 panellists who spoke on a variety of topics.
Renuka Methil, managing editor of Forbes Africa and Forbes Women Africa, gave opening remarks during the summit and urged women to collaborate to spark historic changes for a shared future.
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Other speakers such as Amina J Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Pan-African feminist and Tunisian diplomat, Aya Chebbi, encouraged women to rise up and take their place in governance entities such as the African Union, instead of leaving such organs to be turned into “old men’s clubs”, and Dr Nataliey Bitature, Chief of staff, Simba Group, emphasized the need for young female entrepreneurs to find female mentors to walk with them on their journey to success.
Yvonne Themba, Chief People Officer at McDonald’s South Africa and Patricia Obozuwa Vice President: Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Africa, Kenyan comedian Elsa Majimbo, TikTok influencer Kaitlin Rawson, and Namibian Ophthalmologist, Dr Helena Ndume formed part of this year’s panelists.
The event climaxed with an award gala night that saw many trailblazers on the continent receive accolades for their remarkable work in driving Africa into the future.
These included Ugandan innovator Dr Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa who received the Youth Icon Award, 28-year-old South African ability activist, Michaela Mycroft received the Young Achiever’s Award, Prof Rabia Johnson, was awarded the Academic Excellence Award, and Salima Mukansanga, a Rwandese International football referee listed with FIFA, who received the Sports Award.
The event was also highlighted by performances from 2023 Grammy Award-winning artistes, Wouter Kellerman and Nomcebo Zikode, who performed her global hit single, Jerusalema and the award winning Bayethe. Zikode also took home the entertainer award.
