2063Now

2063Now | March 2026

To mark the end of Women’s History Month, 2063Now is spotlighting women who, each in their own way, are shaping Africa today and tomorrow. Coming from the worlds of business, politics, culture, and sports, they are actively contributing to the continent’s transformation.

Dr. Jumoke Oduwole | Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Investment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
An economist and lawyer by training, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole is a key figure in public policy in Nigeria. Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Investment since 2024, after serving in several administrations as Special Adviser to the President, she has played a central role in improving the country’s business climate and economic diplomacy for over a decade. Her work has helped enhance Nigeria’s appeal to investors and streamline administrative procedures. Educated in Lagos, Cambridge, and Stanford, she is working to implement structural economic reforms and develop strategic partnerships, particularly within the framework of the CEPA signed with the United Arab Emirates and the AfCFTA. She is also committed to issues of women’s inclusion in decision-making spheres.

Rania Al-Mashat | Economist and former Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation of Egypt
An Egyptian economist, Rania Al-Mashat served as Minister of International Cooperation and later as Minister of Planning and Economic Development until 2024. A former economist at the International Monetary Fund, she helped establish several cooperation frameworks between Egypt and its multilateral partners, notably the program The Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy (NWFE), launched in 2022 at COP 27. She has spearheaded innovative financing platforms to mobilize investments in infrastructure, energy, and climate resilience. She currently serves on several international economic bodies and advisory councils. She has been repeatedly ranked among the most influential women in the Middle East by Forbes.

Damilola Ogunbiyi | CEO & Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy

A leading figure in the African and global energy transition, Damilola Ogunbiyi heads the international initiative Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL). She serves as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Energy. As the former director of the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency, she oversaw programs that connected millions of people to electricity, particularly through decentralized solar solutions. At the helm of SE4ALL, she plays a central role in implementing National Energy Transition Plans (ETPs) in several African countries, linking energy access, climate transition, and economic development. She is also involved in the Mission 300 initiative alongside the World Bank and the African Development Bank, which aims to connect an additional 300 million people to electricity in Africa by 2030 by mobilizing public and private financing. She leads the Energy Compacts resulting from the United Nations Energy Summit and actively participates in international climate negotiations. Her work has earned her several distinctions, including inclusion in the TIME100 Climate List and in international rankings of energy transition leaders.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala | Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has served as Director-General of the WTO since 2021, is the first woman and the first African to hold this position. A former Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs of Nigeria who previously worked at the World Bank, she was at the heart of Nigeria’s economic transformation in the early 2000s and 2010s by spearheading major macroeconomic reforms that fueled the country’s growth and negotiating debt relief agreements. At the WTO, she contributed to the agreement on fisheries subsidies and to discussions on access to vaccines. She advocates for reform of the multilateral trading system and greater integration of African economies. She also serves on several international boards of directors and is the author of several books.

Vera Songwe | President and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility (LSF), Former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)

Vera Songwe, a Cameroonian economist, is the president and founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility (LSF), an initiative aimed at reducing the cost of financing for African countries in international markets. As former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), she played an active role in the preparatory work and promotion of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), particularly regarding financing and economic integration issues. She previously held positions at the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where she worked on private sector development and economic policy in Africa. She is currently a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where her work focuses on finance, debt, and the climate transition. Vera Songwe serves on several international boards of directors and is a regular speaker at global economic forums. She features in numerous international rankings of influential leaders in Africa and has received several awards for her work in support of the continent’s economic development.

Boitumelo Mosako | Chief Executive Officer of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Boitumelo Mosako, a South African banker, has led the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) since 2022, where she oversees the financing of infrastructure projects in the energy, water, and transportation sectors in Southern Africa. Under her leadership, the bank has strengthened its commitments to sustainable infrastructure and climate finance by mobilizing large-scale blended finance. She also plays an active role in the Finance in Common (FiCS) initiative, which brings together more than 500 public development banks worldwide. In this context, the DBSA hosted and organized the Finance in Common 2025 Summit in Cape Town, bringing together financial institutions, governments, and international partners to address the challenges of development financing and the climate transition. Prior to joining the DBSA, she held senior management positions in the South African banking sector, notably at Absa. She regularly speaks at regional and international economic forums on infrastructure and development financing.

Carol Koech | Vice President for Africa – Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)
Carol Koech is Vice President for Africa at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), where she oversees investment programs aimed at accelerating access to clean energy across the continent. GEAPP plays a central role in the Mission 300 initiative, led alongside the World Bank and the African Development Bank, with the goal of connecting an additional 300 million people to electricity in Africa by 2030. She works on the financing and deployment of energy solutions, particularly mini-grids and decentralized systems. Before joining GEAPP, she led Safaricom Insurance Agency, where she helped develop mobile-accessible insurance solutions, promoting financial inclusion for the unbanked population in East Africa.

Elsie Kanza | Tanzanian Ambassador to the United States
A Tanzanian diplomat and economist, Elsie Kanza works at the intersection of public policy and global governance. As the former Director for Africa at the World Economic Forum (WEF), she helped advance African priorities in major international forums, particularly on issues related to investment and economic transformation. Since 2021, she has served as Tanzania’s ambassador to the United States, where she works to strengthen economic, trade, and diplomatic relations between her country and its international partners. She actively promotes investment in Tanzania and Africa and regularly speaks at global economic forums. Committed to economic integration, she advocates for greater inclusion of the continent in global value chains. She was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2011 and is listed among Africa’s most influential women by Forbes Africa.

Jenifer Zabasajja | Chief Correspondent for Africa and Bloomberg TV Anchor

Ugandan journalist Jenifer Zabasajja is the chief Africa correspondent and anchor for Bloomberg Television. She covers the continent’s economic, political, and financial issues, with a particular focus on markets, investments, and public policy. She hosts the monthly program “Next Africa” on Bloomberg, as well as the podcast of the same name, which focuses on major economic trends and structural transformations in Africa. She has conducted numerous interviews with African and international leaders and is a regular speaker at leading economic conferences. Her work helps raise the profile and understanding of African economic dynamics on the international stage.

Claude Borna | General Manager of Sèmè City

Claude Borna is the Executive Director of Sèmè City, a flagship project led by the Beninese government aimed at developing a regional hub for innovation, training, and research. Under her leadership, several programs have been launched in the fields of digital technology, entrepreneurship, and the creative industries, in partnership with academic institutions and international companies. Before joining Sèmè City, she held positions in the private sector, notably at Deloitte, Amazon, and Sony Pictures. She is now helping to build an ecosystem designed to strengthen the skills and employability of young people in Benin.

Bogolo Kenewendo | Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy of Botswana

Bogolo Kenewendo has served as Botswana’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy since 2024. She previously served as Minister of Trade and Industry from 2018 to 2019, becoming the youngest minister in the country’s history. She has been particularly active on issues related to economic integration and women’s empowerment. Active on issues of international trade and climate transition, she has contributed to several pan-African initiatives, including the African Carbon Markets Initiative, the African Green Hydrogen Alliance, the African Climate Risk Insurance Mechanism for Adaptation, and the Working Group on Sovereign Sustainability Finance for Nature and Climate. She has also been involved in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). A Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, she regularly speaks on African trade policies, the energy transition, and the continent’s industrialization strategies.

Temilade Openiyi “Tems” | Artist

A world-renowned Nigerian artist, Tems has established herself as a leading figure in contemporary music. Her unique voice and introspective style have won over audiences far beyond Nigeria and are helping to spread contemporary African music worldwide. A 2023 Grammy Award winner, she has collaborated with artists such as Drake, Beyoncé, and Wizkid. She contributed to the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Her recent projects, including Born in the Wild, have further boosted her global profile. She has performed at international festivals such as Coachella and is featured on the TIME100 Next list.

Leïla Slimani | Author, winner of the Prix Goncourt (2016)
Leïla Slimani is a Franco-Moroccan writer who won the Prix Goncourt in 2016 for her novel *Chanson douce*. She is also the author of the best-selling trilogy *Le Pays des autres*, whose volumes were published between 2020 and 2024. She explores themes related to identity, freedom, and social tensions. Her work examines the relationships between cultures and generations. She has also published essays and columns on social issues. A former personal representative of the French President for the Francophonie, she regularly participates in intellectual debates in Europe and Africa and advocates for a more fluid exchange of ideas and cultures.

Léonora Miano | Writer, winner of the Prix Femina (2013)
A Franco-Cameroonian writer, Léonora Miano has established herself as a leading voice in contemporary Francophone literature. The author of some twenty books, she received the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens in 2006 for *Contours du jour qui vient*, the Prix Seligmann contre le racisme in 2012 for *Écrits pour la parole*, and the Prix Femina and the Grand Prix du Roman Métis in 2013 for *La Saison de l’ombre*. Her work explores African and diasporic identities, colonialism and its legacies, as well as contemporary dynamics of memory. Through her novels and essays, she offers a reinterpretation of historical narratives and strives to highlight African perspectives.

Meaza Ashenafi | Former Chief Justice of the Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia
Meaza Ashenafi served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ethiopia from 2018 to 2023. During her tenure, she initiated structural reforms, helped modernize the Ethiopian judicial system, and worked to ensure access to justice for the most vulnerable. A lawyer by training, she is also the founder of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, which provides legal assistance to women. She has received several international awards for her commitment to women’s rights.

Kirsty Coventry | President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Former Minister of Sport and Olympic Athlete

A former Zimbabwean swimmer, Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and the first African to serve as president of the International Olympic Committee in 2025. A seven-time Olympic medalist, she also served as Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sport. As head of the IOC, she oversees the strategic direction of the global Olympic movement. She previously chaired the IOC Athletes’ Commission and participated in several sports governance reforms.

Faith Kipyegon | Athlete, Olympic Champion, and World Record Holder
An exceptional Kenyan athlete, Faith Kipyegon is one of the greatest middle-distance runners in history. A three-time Olympic champion in the 1,500 meters (2016, 2021, 2024), she holds the world records for the 1,500 meters, the mile, and the 5,000 meters, set between 2023 and 2024. She is one of the most dominant athletes of her generation and regularly features in rankings of the world’s best female athletes.