Humanitarian campaigner Graca Machel; renowned talk show host Felicia Suttle; CNN’s Robin Curnow; Assoc Media founder Jane Raphaely; Wellbeing Foundation President, Toyin Saraki; Ferial Hafajee, acclaimed editor of South Africa’s City Press; Elsie Kanza, Head of Africa at the World Economic Forum; Saran Kaba Jones, the founder of FACE Africa; Swaady Martin-Leke, the founder of Yswara; Moipone Buda-Ramtlo, Executive Director of Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund; Rachel Tladi, founder of Uvuko Civils; Mojanku Gumbi, former legal advisor to Thabo Mbeki; Lukwesa Burak, news presenter for eNCA; Patricia Amira, star of the Patricia Show; musician Lindiwe Suttle; couture fashion designer Zizi Cardow; LEAP Africa founder, Ndidi Nwuneli and Marie Claire editor Aspasia Karas feature in line-up and
An extraordinary lineup of newsmakers, industry leaders and global thinkers have been confirmed to speak at the inaugural WIE Africa. WIE Africa will be the first women’s symposium on the African continent to bring together female leaders from the worlds of politics, business, philanthropy, media, fashion, entertainment and the arts to empower and inspire the next generation. The inaugural WIE Symposium Africa is to be held from May 5th to 7th, 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa. Tickets are on sale at wienetwork.org.
WIE (Women: Inspiration & Enterprise), founded in 2010 is a global annual conference and online community designed to empower the next generation of women leaders. WIE Africa is timed to coincide with the World Economic Forum Africa and will showcase the women taking a central role in shaping the Africa of tomorrow.
The rest of the day will be packed full of panels and workshops on topics such as role of technology in media, tackling social perceptions of African women, entrepreneurship and the influx of western brands to the continent. Graca Machel, humanitarian and the wife of Nelson Mandela, will close proceedings. Following the symposium, WIE and the Wellbeing Foundation will host a VIP fundraising dinner to benefit the Graca Machel Trust whose mission is to foster and promote African women’s leadership and contributions in economic, political and social frameworks.
This is the first time that the WIE Symposium founded by Dee Poku and June Sarpong, will be venturing into Africa, breaking new ground by bringing together the continent’s stars and emerging young female leaders. With Africa experiencing some of the fastest economic growth in the world, WIE Africa aims to contribute to changing any negative perceptions of Africa as a whole by showcasing successful African women and innovation. Dee Poku, Co-Founder and CEO of WIE said: "Africa is truly the land of opportunity and there are some incredibly impressive women seizing that opportunity to launch companies and find innovative solutions to the various issues."
For tickets and further event details, visit www.wienetwork.org
To reserve a table at the gala dinner contact: potcakes@wienetwork.org
Editor’s note: To register as press, please email aequitas@wienetwork.org
WIE (Women: Inspiration & Enterprise), founded in 2010 is a global annual conference and online community designed to empower the next generation of women leaders. Following Cape Town, WIE Africa, a pan African event, will occur in a different African city annually. Previous WIE Symposiums in London and New York have boasted some of the most recognisable thought-leaders from around the world including Alek Wek, Nancy Pelosi, Iman, Sarah Brown, Donna Karan, Ariana Huffington, Cherie Blair, Jill Biden, Diane von Furstenberg, Baroness Valerie Amos, Ted Turner, Dambisa Moyo, Tamara Mellon, Rosario Dawson, Christy Turlington, Nick Clegg, Geena Davis and Aerin Lauder to name a few. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRzh7hhsk84
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa: Established in 2003 by Her Excellency Mrs Toyin Ojora-Saraki, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) seeks to create real and sustainable change for families in Africa by working with communities across the continent to build capacities and empower women. Toyin Saraki’s aim from the start was to reverse the debilitating cycle of poverty in society by creating a state of wellbeing, or in her own words, “a satisfactory condition of existence in health, happiness and prosperity”. WBFA has become one of the most influential and active organisations in the movement for improved maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), bringing together the private and public sectors to help deliver tangible health solutions such as the WBFA IMNCH Personal Health Record©. WBFA goes beyond aid; it is dedicated to the formation and embedding of best practices in health, education, women’s empowerment and social welfare. The foundation is committed to the UN’s Every Woman Every Child effort through diverse multi-sector initiatives, and advocacy campaigns including WBFA 24-7-365.
