Africa Women CEOs Network

Recognition matters, but the more consequential work is creating the conditions in which women can thrive. At the Women Business Luncheon, Mrs Bola Adesola (@bolaadesola2002 ) Chairman of the Board of Directors at Ecobank, made this point clearly, noting that real progress depends on inclusion, sustained investment, and continued empowerment rather than recognition alone. The conversation pushed us to look past visibility and toward the structures that allow women to lead, build, and succeed over time. #AfricaWomenCEOsNetwork #CCIFranceNigeria #AfricanWomenLead

Applications for the 2027 edition of the @cartierawards are now open. The programme supports early-stage women impact entrepreneurs with grant funding of up to USD $100,000, executive leadership coaching, INSEAD training, and lifelong access to a global community of fellows. We will be in Bangkok on 10 June to celebrate the 2026 fellows, a cohort that includes six African women across the Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa and Anglophone and Lusophone Africa categories.The programme has previously recognised AWCN members as fellows, and this year’s cohort includes Céleste Tchetgen Vogel, founder of @ewakatech and a member of our wider community. Applications for the 2027 edition close on 16 June 2026. Link in bio to apply. #CWI #WomenEntrepreneurs​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ #africawomenceosnetwork

Motherhood is leadership in its most foundational form. It demands vision, resilience, sacrifice, and the ability to build something lasting, often without recognition or applause. To every mother in our network and beyond who carries the weight of the home while driving impact in the world, we see you, we honour you, and we are proud to stand alongside you. Happy Mother’s Day!

We’re excited to welcome the Africa Women CEOs Network @africawomenceos as a partner for the 5th Nalafem Summit With a strong network of women CEOs, founders, and senior business leaders from across the continent and the diaspora, this partnership strengthens our mission to connect capital, influence, and emerging leadership. This is about ensuring Africa’s most powerful women are not just present, but co-creating and supporting the agenda. Register Now! #nalafemsummit

Progress isn't built by systems. Progress happens when good people show up, day after day, with skill, vision, and determination to do great work. Today, we celebrate you for all you do. Happy International Workers' Day!

This Earth Day, the global call is clear. “Our Power, Our Planet” For Africa, that framing carries particular weight. The continent contributes least to the conditions driving the climate crisis, yet faces some of its most immediate consequences. That reality shapes how African business leaders think about energy, about investment, and about the economies they are building for the next generation. The decisions being made now about how businesses are powered, how supply chains are structured, how capital flows, will define what Africa’s growth looks like in the decades ahead. African women in business are at the centre of those decisions. On Earth Day 2026, we are thinking about the long view. #EarthDay2026 #OurPowerOurPlanet #AWCN #AfricaWomenCEOs #ClimateLeadership AfricanBusiness

The annual Women Lead Breakfast hosted by The World Bank Group Managing Directors @bjerde_anna and Anshula Kant alongside the Spring Meetings, convened global women leaders, including Ministers of Finance, Central Bank Governors, and leaders across international financial institutions, intergovernmental organizations, and the private sector. The discussion focused on the role of sound policy, strong institutions, and private investment in driving job creation and expanding economic opportunity. Highlights included honouring the legacy of H.E @aminajmohammed , Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations, whose leadership has advanced women’s economic empowerment, inclusive growth, and multilateral cooperation. AWCN was proud to be part of this elite gathering of global women of impact and to contribute to the discussions on women’s economic inclusion. We continue to build on our work progressing women’s leadership in business, and contributing to shaping policy through our engagement with the UN Women’s Leaders Network. We were present alongside leading African women leaders on the global stage such as @zshamsuna , Alternate Executive Director, The World Bank, and former Minister of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning Nigeria; @sandaojiambo , Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact; @ndidinwuneli , President & CEO, The ONE Campaign; Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and UN SRSG, Sustainable Energy for All, Co-Chair, UN-Energy; Yaye Seynabou Sakho , World Bank Director of Strategy and Operations, Office of the Managing Director; @ujaderemi , Director, Partnerships for Impact, Save the Children UK.

The African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) hosted a high-level roundtable at the 2026 IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington D.C. to address the leadership–implementation gap and translate women’s economic power into policy influence and equitable financial architectures. Opening the dialogue, H.E. Mme Bineta Diop, Co-Convener, AWLN, underscored that the challenge is no longer the absence of policies, but ensuring their effective implementation to drive real impact across the continent. The discussion centered on aligning investment, leadership, and systems to drive sustainable growth across the continent, with key takeaways including: Africa faces a $42 billion financing gap for women-led SMEs, closing it could unlock a $350 billion opportunity for the continent. Financing models must be redesigned to create systems where women thrive, moving beyond financial inclusion toward structural reform. This means addressing access to capital, rethinking investment criteria, and exploring alternatives to traditional guarantees and collateral requirements. The private sector perspective underscored women’s leadership as a driver of business performance and economic growth. The Nigerian banking sector illustrated how board representation has translated into increased women CEOs and chairs. Some influential leaders voices included Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization; Dr. Vera Songwe, Chair & Founder, Liquidity and Sustainability Facility; Mariama Ciré Sylla, Guinea Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget; and H.E. Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Secretary-General, UN; alongside AWLN and AWCN members, Tokunbo Ige, CEO, Livingstones Ventures Studio; Aishah N. Ahmad, Chair, Expert Leaders' Group; Graça Machel Trust and Dr. Anino Emuwa, Managing Director, Avandis Consulting, Founder, Africa Women CEOs Network (AWCN). A shared priority emerged: Africa’s transformation must be designed, financed, and led with women at the center. It's time to move beyond inclusion to redesign.

Congratulations to three of our own. Rewa Udoji, Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, and Charlot Magayi have been named to the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Class of 2026. @rewa_u , Director of Investment Management at Chapel Hill Denham and founder of Cranstoun Corporation, is also a globally celebrated visual artist whose Igbo Vernacular Art has been exhibited across four continents. @adesuwa_okunborhodes , founder and CEO of Aruwa Capital Management, leads one of Africa’s few women-led gender-lens investment funds. @charlotmagayi , founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves and 2022 Earthshot Prize winner, has brought safe, clean cooking technology to over two million Kenyans. Three women in our network. Three distinct fields. One shared commitment to building something that lasts. We at the Africa Women CEOs Network celebrate three leaders whose impact speaks for itself. #YoungGlobalLeaders #RewaUdoji #AdesuwaOkunboRhodes CharlotMagayi AfricaWomenCEOs​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

We celebrate H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who has been recognised by TIME as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2026. Dr. Nandi-Ndaitwah is a powerful voice, not just in the liberation of Namibia, but in the advancement of equity and justice around the world. She is living proof of the courage, conviction, passion and transformative authority of true African leader. #NetumboNandiNdaitwah #Time100

Not just access to finance, but access to affordable finance. That distinction matters. Mrs. Folashade Ambrose (@folaambrose ), Hon. Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade & Investment, Lagos State, made sure that message landed. From trade to tech, manufacturing to the creative industry, women-owned businesses are thriving. But structural gaps remain, and intentional policy is the answer. Women are not just participants in the economy. They are drivers. And policies must reflect that. Thank you to our partners, CCI France Nigeria and Zenith Bank, for making conversations like this possible. #AfricaWomenCEOsNetwork #CCIFranceNigeria #AfricanWomenLead #ZenithBank

One of our highlights from this Women’s Month was partnering with the ELOY Foundation on the @exquisitemagazinenig Power List 2026, celebrating 30 individuals across Africa who embody resilience, leadership and a deep commitment to women’s empowerment and inclusion. Seeing this calibre of people recognised and placed firmly in the spotlight is exactly the kind of work we are glad to stand behind. Congratulations to every honouree on the list. Read the full 2026 Power List in Exquisite Magazine - link in bio.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ @eloyawards #WomensMonth #PowerList2026 #ExquisiteMagazine #ELOYFoundation #AfricaWomenCEOsNetwork AfricanLeadership WomensEmpowerment InclusionAfrica AfricaLeads​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​