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7 African Women Expected To Move The Needle In 2016

7 African Women Expected To Move The Needle In 2016

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We expect some economies in Africa to endure further hard times in 2016. There will be some elections that will transform the political landscape. Behind all of the economic and political changes are 7 women expected to make big contributions to “moving the needle” on the African continent.

South Africa's Public Protector Thuli Madonsela. Photo: Martin Rhodes/bdlive.co.za
South Africa’s Public Protector Thuli Madonsela. Photo: Martin Rhodes/bdlive.co.za

Thuli Madonsela, South Africa

How do you make this list? For starters, have the ANC, specifically Minister of Defense and Military Veterans Kebby Maphatsoe, publicly call you “counter-revolutionary” and a CIA agent.

Thuli Madonsela is surely the South African version of a constitutionalist with ever-growing clout and reputation in challenging times. She is the public protector of South Africa in title and in the hearts of many South Africans.

Madonsela has attacked Zuma on spending for the presidential palace, overseen the Democratic Alliance’s court challenges on the appointment of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng, and inserted her voice in the Parliament’s budget discussion.

Critics argue that she is expanding the power of her position. They may be correct. She is making a name for herself in a country that’s debating leadership alternatives as President Zuma’s time comes to an end in 2019.

 Isabel dos Santos. Photo: José Ventura/thisisafrica.me
Isabel dos Santos. Photo: José Ventura/thisisafrica.me

Isabel dos Santos, Angola

Africa’s richest woman…that is a start. Isabel is the daughter of Angola’s President José Eduardo dos Santos, president since 1979. There are growing rumors that she could be on the path to becoming his successor despite all the discussion about his son, José Filomeno dos Santos, chairman of Fundo Soberano de Angola.

Why Isabel? She holds majority ownership in Condis, a retail trading company in Angola. She also holds a minority stake in oil and gas company Galp Energia (with Portuguese billionaire Americo Amorim) and majority stakes in Portuguese media and telecom firm Nos SGPS as well as holdings in other investment vehicles with interests in diamonds and telecoms across Africa and Europe.

Isabel has built a reputation for business savvy and determination. Critics will question how she went from starting Miami Beach Club, one of the first night clubs and beach restaurants on the Luanda Island, to becoming a billionaire. Those critics have some ground to stand on. Her family ties have definitely benefited her. But that cannot be the sole criticism of a woman who studied electrical engineering at King’s College in London.

If family ties are the strongest criticism, we would all be skeptical of names such as the Clintons, Rockefellers, Kennedys and Trumps.

Nialé Kaba, Côte d'Ivoire Minister of Economy and Finance. Photo: thelondoneveningpost.com
Nialé Kaba, Côte d’Ivoire Minister of Economy and Finance. Photo: thelondoneveningpost.com

Nialé Kaba, Cote d’Ivoire

Nialé Kaba is the minister of economy and finance. She is the first woman in Cote d’Ivoire to have this job as well as the job of former minister for the promotion of housing. Kaba possesses strong business experience as former managing director of Cote d’ivoire Tourisme (a state owned company), former office director for the minister of craft industry and informal sector, and former deputy office director for the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

She will oversee US$25 billion worth of infrastructure investments over the next five years (with about US$7-10 billion coming in the next year and half). She piloted a nearly US$500-million Islamic bond deal and US$1 billion bond which attracted US$4 billion in orders in 2015 for the emerging Cote d’Ivoire.

The country has weathered coups and economic tailwinds from a commodity downturns. Cote d’Ivoire will be in good hands under Kaba on its path to becoming a major business player in the West Africa region and overall African continent.

Wided Bouchamaoui, Facebook
Wided Bouchamaoui, Facebook

Wided Bouchamaoui, Tunisia

How does this woman surpass her 2015 performance? As president of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, Wided Bouchamaoui partook in the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, an organization that received the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. The quartet was created to aid in the transition to democracy and was disbanded in December 2014, as planned, following the Tunisian Parliamentary elections in October 2014.

This successful businesswoman put a female face on Tunisia’s economic re-emergence and democratic maturation. Wided worked to build international partners, calling for international engagement with Tunisia in its economic transition and its fight against terrorism. The Arab Spring was a call for democracy, economic opportunity and political diversity with females across the region looking to have a voice in all three areas of discussion. Wided could be one of the strong voices in these continuing conversations in 2016.

Saida Lamrani. Photo: mawajiz.com
Saida Karim Lamrani. Photo: mawajiz.com

Saida Karim Lamrani, Morocco

As vice president of Holdings Group Safari-Sofipar Cofimar (Safari Group), Saida Karim Lamrani manages the empire built by her father, Mohammed Karim Lamrani. Mohammed was prime minister in the sixth government of Morocco since independence under the King Hassan II.

The Safari Group has substantial or majority stakes in numerous Moroccan companies including commercial bank Credit Morocco (where she is chairwoman of the supervisory board), SMEIA (a distributor of BMWs and Land Rovers in Morocco), chemical company Scim Chemical, metallurgy giant Socodam-Davum, and textile manufacturer Mafaco.

Saida’s holdings place her at the leadership table of a country aiming to become the financial district that bridges Europe and North Africa.

She was appointed a member of the Confederation of Moroccan Businesses and member of the board at the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, an organization established by King Mohammed VI in 1999 aimed at battling poverty. These appointments give her a voice in the political and economic discussions that will transform the country.

With the knowledge of a well-versed businesswoman and the savvy of a daughter of a former politician, she is Morocco’s best-known female face not called Princess Lalla Salma (wife of King Mohammed VI).

MMe-Mabunda-_Felicity-Amos_July-13-2015-1024x683
Jeanine Mabunda Lioko. Photo: one.org

Jeannine Mabunda Lioko, DRC

Jeannine Mabunda Lioko is the advisor on sexual violence and child recruitment to Joseph Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The DRC is struggling with sexual violence and child fighters across various war-torn and impoverished areas in the country.

Mabunda Lioko is an ideal choice for this position. She has held various positions in the DRC’s finance industry and previously served as minister of portfolio/state assets for five years. She has tied to numerous nonprofits operating in the DRC including the Collectif des Femmes Unies Contre le Silence. She also has connections to concerned political leaders including U.S. Representative Karen Bass, whose resolution H.Res 131 demands an end to militia recruitment and exploitation of children.

Bass joined hundreds of others in a social media movement showing her support for Congolese with the hashtag #ACTonDRC).

Linah Mohohlo. Photo: likesuccess.com
Linah Kelebogile Mohohlo. Photo: likesuccess.com

Linah Kelebogile Mohohlo, Botswana

Linah Kelebogile Mohohlo has been governor of the Bank of Botswana since 1999 and a member of the Blair Commission for Africa, an initiative established under the Tony Blair administration to examine and provide ideas for development in Africa.

She is a member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Committee on Financial Services for the Poor. She sits on the Investment Committee of the U.N. Joint Staff Pension Fund and co-chaired the meeting of the World Economic Forum for Africa in Cape Town in May 2011. She is also a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of 10 distinguished individuals who advocate for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.

All in all, she has done a lot and may even do more for Botswana, a country that wants to corner some of the financial market share from its weakened neighbor, South Africa.

Building a financial market (in addition to diversifying the overall economy) for long-term sustainability in the midst of the diamond windfall is an opportunity to leave the greatest lasting mark for development in Botswana. It would also make Botswana a model for other emerging economies looking towards sustainability.

Kurt Davis Jr. is an investment banker focusing on the natural resources and energy sectors, with private equity experience in emerging economies. He earned a law degree in tax and commercial law at the University of Virginia’s School of Law and a master’s of business administration in finance, entrepreneurship and operations from the University of Chicago. He can be reached at kurt.davis.jr@gmail.com.