Winners of the 2022 Forbes Woman Africa Awards were announced on Wednesday, March 9. The event was part of Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit, which was presented by Mastercard.
The event saw the celebration of leading women in various categories such as technology, entertainment, business, and sport.
Here are the winners of the 2022 Forbes Woman Africa Awards:
The Forbes Woman Africa Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the founder of Umlambo Foundation, a former Deputy President of South Africa and former executive director of UN Women.
Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka was recently appointed by the General Assembly as chair of the UN World Tourism Organisation Ethics. She is on the board of Global Citizen and Women Deliver.
She is affiliated with the Fund to End Violence Against Children and a founder of Umlambo Foundation, a school improvement organisation.
The Forbes Woman Africa Young Achievers Award
Amanda Nomnqa, Founder of SheIsBrave
Amanda Nomnqa has a passion for youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, education, and community development. She plays a significant role in achieving youth policy-making with her youth advocacy, skills development, and activism, benefiting over 800 000 young people on the continent.
The Forbes Woman Africa Social Impact Award
Dr Helena Ndume is the head of Ophthalmology at Windhoek Hospital and is internationally renowned. She has performed sight-restoring surgeries for 35 000 Namibians, free of charge.
The Forbes Woman Africa Technology and Innovation Award
Odunayo Eweniyi, Co-founder & COO, PiggyVest
Odunayo Eweniyi is the co-founder and COO of PiggyVest, the largest digital savings and micro-investment platform in Nigeria. She has received numerous accolades, including being named one of 100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria 2019 by Leading Ladies Africa and one of 50 Most Visible Women in Tech by Tech Cabal in 2019.
The Forbes Woman Africa Academic Excellence Award
Dr Claire Karekezi, Chair of the African Women in Neurosurgery (AWIN)
Dr Karekezi is a consultant neurosurgeon at the Rwanda Military Hospital in Kigali – and the country’s first female neurosurgeon. She’s the recipient of numerous awards, including the AIMS-Next Einstein Initiative TTP Women in science First Award 2019.
She currently serves as the Chairperson of African Women in Neurosurgery Africa (AWIN) Committee of the Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS).
The Forbes Woman Africa Sports Award
Tatjana Schoenmaker, World Record Holder and Olympic Gold Medallist
At the age of 20, the breaststroke specialist became the first South African woman in eight years to earn a medal in the pool at the Commonwealth Games.
After several more awards, she shattered her African long-course records over all three breaststroke distances at the 2021 SA Championships in Gqeberha.
The Forbes Woman Africa Entertainer Award
A four-time Grammy Award-winner, Angélique Kidjo was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2021. Forbes Magazine ranked Angelique on its list of the Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa.
She is also the recent recipient of the prestigious 2015 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, and the 2018 German Sustainability Award.
The Forbes Woman Africa Businesswoman Award
Joana Gyan Cudjoe, CEO, Golden Empire Legacy
Nana Adjoa Awo I (known in business circles as Joana Gyan Cudjoe) is the founder and CEO of Golden Empire Legacy Ltd with ancestral descendants from three royal families. She started as a small-scale miner, working her way up in a male-dominated business.
She strongly believes in linking mining to the shared global commitment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals focusing on gender equality, decent work, and economic growth.
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