Paulette Lopes is a distinguished lawyer, a partner at FBL Advogados and a law lecturer at Agostinho Neto University in Luanda. She was one of the authors of the Angolan Family Code and worked on the ratification and implementation of several international conventions on the status of women and their empowerment. Lopes says the injustices of colonialism were particularly tough on Angolan women. In addition, “African tradition and in some cases religion influenced policies and even laws, leading to diminished women’s rights … and endless abuses from husbands and even sometimes from other relatives”. She adds: “Observing this during my childhood, I promised myself to be an economic independent woman and through my example encourage other women to become independent, to voice their feelings and needs, and not tolerate abuses.”

Virginia Lacerda Quartim, Dean of José Eduardo dos Santos University in Huambo, in Huambo Province, is the country’s only female head of a university. The position is referred to as President or Vice Chancellor in other countries. Prof. Quartim won elections to the position in 2021 by a landslide, garnering more than 90 per cent of votes cast. Quartim says she was motivated to run for the position “because I wanted to pave the way for more women. “I want women and girls to believe that they have skills and capacity just as the men, but they must have the courage,” she says. Prof. Quartim, who is a professor of agronomy, explains that women bring “unique rationality and sensitivity to decision-making processes, which can foster more inclusivity.” With inclusivity, she adds: “We are talking about achieving harmonious development of the country.”

Christelle Ogo is a physicist who is passionate about promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and breaking down gender barriers in science. In 2016, when she was an undergraduate, she founded Women in Science and Technology to support female scientists. Her efforts have been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which supported the training of 30 female STEM ambassadors and an awareness-raising campaign targeting 2,000 girls in 25 schools nationwide. Ogo says: “Thinking back to when I was a little child, I would have liked for someone to tell me, ‘you are smart, you can do it. You can build a plane, a TV or a telephone’. Let’s inspire future generations to believe in themselves, to boldly pursue their dreams".

Ruth Gbagbi joined the Ivorian taekwondo team at the age of 15 and went on to become a seven-time African champion, a two-time world champion and a two-time Olympic bronze medallist. She originally wanted to be a footballer but her mother sent her to taekwondo lessons at the age of eight. “My gym manager … made me fight against men, which is what made me the warrior I am today, this brave, combative, resilient girl,” she says. Gbagbi, who became a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) peace ambassador in 2021, says her Olympic medals have “enabled women to believe in themselves and encouraged them to become leaders in various fields”.

Bunny Claude Massassa is a multidisciplinary artist and photographer who has been recognised for her work in promoting gender equality through art. As an artist, Massassa denounces social stigmas relating to identity and mental health and explores themes of traditions and myths. She has represented Gabon in many international exhibitions. In 2016, Massassa launched a start-up dedicated to photography production. Today, Dwabi Studio in Libreville offers photography, videography and production services and gives creative professionals and amateurs access to the equipment and opportunities they need to flourish. “Our primary goal is to stimulate the creative scene in Gabon and allow those artists to truly express themselves. We are here to change things,” says Massassa.

Lilia Ravoniarisoa founded the Federation of Women Farmers in Madagascar in 2001, a significant step towards empowering women in agriculture. Up to a third of the rural population are without land, and even though most family tasks are done by women, they do not inherit land due to local customs. Ravoniarisoa’s women’s groups have mapped land throughout the country, including community land which they protect by replanting mangrove trees. They sell mangrove byproducts for income: the wood is used to build coastal houses, while the roots and leaves are used for medicine. “The aim is to reduce the vulnerability of women by increasing their income and food security,” says Ravoniarisoa. The women plan to form cooperatives to give them more say over land issues.

Zebeline Ertance is the founder and managing partner of Videeko Vanilla, which grows, cures and exports premium vanilla beans, supporting more than 100 local families. Ertance says her team is made up of mostly single-parent women who are struggling to survive and provide for their children. “This is a dream for them because they recognise the benefits, and they work incredibly hard to support the growth of the company,” she says. Her dream is to provide free healthcare and education in the community of Mananara, and she has founded the Nosy Foundation to work with community leaders and residents to identify areas of need in education, food supply, infrastructure and religion. Ertance’s advice to other women entrepreneurs is “don’t be afraid to take risks [and] don’t let your emotions dictate your actions and decision making.”

Emma Theofelus was a day short of her 24th birthday when she was appointed as an MP and Namibia’s Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology in March 2020. Until then, she had been a youth activist on issues of gender, children’s rights, youth unemployment and sustainable development. Theofelus says one of the best weapons in the fight for gender equality is having women in positions of political power. “Representation is important,” she says, and the mere presence of women in power trickles down to have a significant impact on individual women. “The more people that you see that look like you, that are from your background, the more it is easier for you to believe in yourself that you can also do it.”

Mary Shikukutu opened a mahangu flour (pearl millet) mill in Windhoek, started growing her own crop, and has played a significant part in commercialising what was once a staple food in most Namibian homes. Mahangu is processed into flour, porridge, and a traditional fermented drink used as a meal replacement, and Shikukutu’s company, NT Okawa, has become the country’s second biggest miller. She says it’s been tough to succeed in a male-dominated industry, “but the excitement of what is to come and what I can achieve keeps me motivated. I have met many people who appreciate my work and the positive impact I am making on the community.” Shikukutu plans to build a multi-functional processing factory with a modern milling plant, a traditional drink pilot plant and warehousing facilities that will allow her to buy raw materials in bulk.

Aimee Laetitia Umubyeyi was born and raised in the rural community of Kirehe in Rwanda, where she saw the struggles commercial and subsistence farmers experienced as harsh climate patterns affected their harvests. Women and girls were the most affected by the tough life – often being forced to beg to survive – and Laetitia founded the Umubyeyi Initiative in 2017 to help vulnerable women in rural areas. After training as an electrical engineer, she returned to her community to help electrify her village. For that she received awards, then turned her attention to something bigger – spreading awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights Using her prize money, she set up a website to provide more information on sexual and reproductive rights to parents and children.

Kiara Nirghin is a tech entrepreneur and award-winning AI technologist from South Africa who has been featured by TIME Magazine and The Guardian on their “most influential” lists and named one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year. She gained recognition at a young age when she won the Google Grand Prize for seminal research in AI algorithms and predictive modelling for real-world applications. She is recognised as one of the United Nations' Young Champions of the Earth and is a Global Ambassador for Room To Read. At 16, while still at school she won a scholarship for developing a unique polymer that keeps crops hydrated during dry spells using organic materials, including food waste. Part of Generation Z, she encourages other girls to realise that there is nothing they can’t do.

Pretty Yende is one of South Africa’s biggest global music superstars – and has come a long way from her humble township roots in an Mpumalanga town where her father was a taxi owner. Inspired by the singing in a TV ad, she went for singing lessons and rapidly rose through the ranks to become one of the world’s leading operatic coloratura sopranos. She has performed leading roles at opera houses internationally, including La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera. She performed at the coronation of the UK’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla. She also topped the bill at the reopening of the restored Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. In January this year, she teamed up with singer John Legend in a duet described by critics as an astounding performance.

Naadiya Moosajee may be an engineer by training, but being an entrepreneur is her passion – along with a vision to empower women and girls in the scientific, technical and business fields. She is cofounder at WomHub, a boutique advisory firm and incubator supporting clients reach diversity and inclusion, building future talent pipelines, and working with female founders to support the growth of women-owned tech and scientific businesses. As an emeritus board director of the International Youth Foundation and Global Future Council Member with the World Economic Forum, she has been voice of marginalised women and has taken the opportunity to push for the transformation of fields such as engineering. She says diversity, inclusion, innovation, entrepreneurship and education are key in “leaving no one behind in a tech-enabled future”.

Thembiso Magajana, recognised as one of South Africa's most influential young people, is a self-described “inclusion activist and technophile”, who partners with corporates, government and family foundations to help bring digital inclusion to rural communities. Social Coding SA was originally set up to help black girls code, but it now recruits, trains and employs young people from rural areas to teach digital literacy and coding at high schools. Magajana believes that digital upskilling holds much promise for future economic growth in remote rural areas. So far, she has impacted the lives of more than 5,000 youngsters through the venture. By improving the digital literacy of people in rural areas, she believes she is unlocking their ability to participate in the economy and have a successful future.

Desiree Ellis is coach of the Banyana Banyana national women’s football team and has led them to new heights. She spent nine years as a national player but Ellis was hampered in achieving her dream of a football career by apartheid, which limited opportunities for people of colour, and by the male domination of the sport. For her accomplishments with Banyana Banyana, she won CAF Women's Coach of the Year honours every year from 2018 to 2023. In April 2023, Ellis was bestowed with the National Order of Ikhamanga by the South African government for her contributions to soccer. After being awarded an honorary doctorate by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Ellis revealed that her philosophy is: Don't be afraid of failing because that strengthens you and you get another opportunity to succeed later.

Dr Natalie Raphil is the founder of Robots Can Think – a fintech using artificial intelligence (AI) for good across the globe. One of Forbes Africa’s Top 100 Innovators and Inventors and Women in AI Southern Africa Ambassador, she was SA’s financial services sector’s only black female innovator for four consecutive years. She makes time to teach forgotten communities, and each year more than 5,000 young people learn robotics, coding and AI. She also helps apply the tech in rural areas and differently abled communities — allowing those formerly on the fringes to become part of society’s and technology’s, mainstream. This includes sending children from shanties in South Africa to the United States to compete on a global stage in a robotics competition.

Nompumelelo Thembekile Madisa (born 1980), known as Mpumi Madisa, is a South African businesswoman. On 8 March 2019, she became CEO-designate of Bidvest Group, the first black and African female to be appointed CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange top 40 company, seen as signalling a new advancement in gender transformation in business in South Africa. Growing up in townships near Johannesburg, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics, a BComm honours degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Finance and Investment, all from the Wits University. As CEO of the Bidvest Group, Madisa has masterfully balanced tradition with forward-thinking approaches, leading the company to unprecedented heights. Under her guidance, Bidvest has evolved into a dynamic force across industries, including services, trading, and distribution. Her visionary leadership has helped the company navigate through complex economic landscapes, positioning it as a stalwart in the competitive global market. Madisa is passionate about empowering women in the workplace and promoting equal opportunities for all. Her relentless pursuit of gender equality has garnered widespread recognition, earning her a place among the most influential women in business.

Caroline Owashaba grew up in a rural family where her mother owned a small business. Money was always tight and there were days she couldn’t go to school because the fees had not been paid. Those struggles – and the desire to help others – saw her put her master’s degree in women, leadership and governance in Africa and professional certifications in digital fluency and project management to use as team leader and cofounder at Action for Youth Involvement Uganda. She followed this up with other civil society initiatives in health, education, climate change, and women’s health. She was a member of the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) and has gone on to further her career and her social outreach in Canada.

Zimbabwean activist Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda founded the Rozaria Memorial Trust in honour of her mother, whose leadership and hard work sustained the family, even during the dark days of the country’s violent independence struggle. Having grown up in a village in the Murewa area, she believes that while young girls are often marginalised, they can be nurtured to grow, both educationally and professionally. Gumbodzvanda urged governments to prioritise equality of opportunities between men and women. In 2024, the United Nations appointed her as assistant secretary-general and UN Women deputy executive director for normative support, UN system coordination, and programme results. She has made a point of calling on governments across the world to eliminate gender discrimination and to ensure women and girls have the same opportunities as men.

Prof Francisca Mutapi from Zimbabwe is a global health expert, empowering African scientists and policymakers to tackle infectious diseases and improve epidemic preparedness by prioritizing local needs and solutions. She holds a chair in global health infection and immunity at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where she is the deputy director of the Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa Partnership. Mutapi leads research that develops and deploys infectious disease diagnostic tools and interventions across Africa. Her work has led to health improvements for more than 50 million children. She is also a writer, a visual artist and founder of Mwenje Wedu Foundation, which aims to enable children and youth in Zimbabwe to reach their full potential by providing scholarships and training.

Glanis Changachirere, Zimbabwean women’s rights activist, is the founding Director of the Institute for Young Women Development (IYWD) and the founding Coordinator of the African Women Leaders Forum. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Zimbabwean chapter of the UN Women-supported African Women Leaders Network. Raised in the deeply patriarchal, rural province of Mashonaland Central , Changachirere explains that it was the pain she experienced trying to assert that girls were equal to boys and deserved equal education and career opportunities that motivated her to start IYDW at the age of 26: “As young women, we need to redefine ourselves, both to ourselves and also to the society they need to see a young women in a different way altogether,” she says. In 2013, Changachirere received the 30 Under 30 Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy in recognition of her pioneering work on young women’s political participation. Today, IYWD is a movement of 7,000 young women members across rural and mining communities in the country.