Women, Inspiration and Enterprise Network (WIE) launches its’ Africa Power Influencer list ahead of its debut symposium in Cape Town in May. President of Malawi, Joyce Banda; humanitarian and former First Lady of South Africa, Graça Machel; supermodel and entrepreneur Iman; activist Dr Mamphela Ramphele, internationally acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and actress Thandie Newton all feature on the WIE Africa 60
WIE, the global women’s network and empowerment conference announced its WIE Africa 60 list today, naming the most influential African women around the globe. The WIE Africa 60 acknowledges women whose personal and professional achievements have significantly and positively impacted the continent, and these women will be celebrated at the WIE Gala Dinner which marks the closing night of the inaugural WIE Africa, a two-day conference taking place in Cape Town from 5th - 7th May Africa. Africa is experiencing some of the fastest economic growth in the world and these are the women playing a key role in that success.
The WIE Africa 60 acknowledges women from the worlds of politics, business, technology, philanthropy, media, fashion, finance and entertainment. The 60 women will be celebrated at a gala dinner on Monday May 6th in Cape Town to benefit the Graça Machel Trust. Other honorees on the list include: President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; ABSA Group CEO, Maria Ramos; CNN’s Isha Sesay, designer Lisa Folawiyo, entrepreneur Precious Motsepe, chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Ngozi Iweala Okonji and the African Union Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to name a few. The full WIE Africa 60 list can be found at www.wienetwork.org/africa-power-list-2013
Dee Poku, CEO and co-founder of WIE commented: "It’s incredibly important to give visibility to, and celebrate the achievements of African women. The generation coming up the ladder need role models and these impressive women are the change-makers paving the way."
The WIE Africa Symposium is designed to empower and inspire women. WIE Africa is being held in association with The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, and brings together the continent’s stars and emerging young female leaders for challenging panel discussions and powerful keynotes on topics such as the role of technology in media, tackling social perceptions of African women, entrepreneurship and the influx of western brands to the continent. Speakers include humanitarian campaigner Graca Machel; renowned talk
show host Felicia Suttle; CNN’s Robin Curnow; Assoc Media founder Jane Raphaely; Wellbeing Foundation President, Toyin Saraki; 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; Patricia Amira, star of the Patricia Show; couture fashion designer Zizi Cardow and LEAP Africa founder, Ndidi Nwuneli. WIE Africa aims to contribute to changing negative perceptions of Africa as a whole by showcasing successful African women and innovation.
For further information about the WIE Africa symposium please visit www.wienetwork.org
To reserve a table at the gala dinner contact: potcakes@wienetwork.org
To register as press and for all further enquiries about the symposium please email: aequitas@wienetwork.org
About WIE (Women: Inspiration & Enterprise), founded in 2010 is a global annual conference and 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 Nancy Pelosi, Iman, Alek Wek, 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, Elizabeth Banks and Aerin Lauder to name a few. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRzh7hhsk84
About 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.
