Ten of the 100 persons selected by the World Economic Forum (WEForum) to join the 2018 Young Global Leaders five-year training are from Africa.
According to a statement published on the website of the WEForum, Wednesday, they were nominated because of their ground-breaking work, creative approaches to problems and ability to build bridges across cultures and between business, government, and civil society.
Nigerian Chief Executive Officer of Flutterwave, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji; Akim Daouda from Gabon and Ethiopian Samuel Alemayehu were selected as part of the 10.
The class of 100, which consists of technologists, teachers, entrepreneurs, artists and innovators, would go through a five-year programme on principles of generosity, respect, authenticity and impact.
The statement described the five-year programme as a journey which would influence a process of discovery in the participants; to achieve more collectively than they could on their own.
According to WEForum, “this select group is exposed to opportunities that build their expertise and extend their influence. The journey focuses on cultivating public leadership skills and scaling impact.
“This year’s cohort of 100 comprises an equal number of business and not-for-profit leaders, more than half of whom are from emerging economies. Not for the first time, the majority are women. They include the world’s most accomplished under-40-year-olds, including a head of state, a Formula One champion and a decorated human rights lawyer.”
According to the CNBC, the Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders at the World Economic Forum, John Dutton, also said “we’re challenging these women and men to do more and be more. They’ll join a community of enterprising, socially minded leaders working as a force for good, and highlight the potential for innovation to correct the shortcomings in our economies and societies.”
Read the profile of the selected Africans below:
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji – Chief Executive Officer, Flutterwave, Nigeria.
He is the cofounder of a digital payments platform designed to make it easier to do business across the continent. Previously, he was one of the founders of Andela – a company training African developers and hiring them out to global tech companies – which received investment from Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan.
Akim Daouda – Chief Investment Officer, Gabonese Sovereign Wealth Fund, Gabon.
He oversees a $1.6 billion portfolio with over 100 investments across 12 sectors including energy, infrastructure, mining, financial services, and real estate. He is also an activist supporting a youth education NGO.
Anushka Ratnayake – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, myAgro, Mali.
She supports small-scale farmers to pay for fertilizer and seeds through a mobile platform. She aims to reach 1 million farmers by 2025, increasing their individual income by $1.50 per day. Prior to starting myAgro, she created management-training programmes for One Acre Fund and travelled across Africa and South Asia in search of innovations in the microfinance and agricultural sectors.
Fatoumata Ba – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Janngo, Senegal.
She co-founded Africa’s first tech unicorn and fastest growing e-commerce site, and was an active member of the company’s Entrepreneurship Challenge supporting tech entrepreneurs across Africa. Her new company is Africa’s leading tech for good platform.
Karabo Morule – Managing Director, Personal Finance, at Old Mutual Emerging Markets, South Africa.
She has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry and currently serves as the first woman to sit on Old Mutual Emerging Market’s executive committee. She is also a fellow with the Actuarial Society of South Africa and serves on the Roedean Trust.
Khaled Igué – Founder and President, Club 2030 Africa, Benin.
His global think-tank focuses on the sustainable, economic, and social development in African countries, generating innovative ideas through actionable research for deploying solutions throughout Africa. He has been designated as an Emerging Leader of the German Marshall Fund of United States and Young Leader of AfricaFrance Foundation.
Natalie Payida Jabangwe – Chief Executive Officer, EcoCash Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.
She runs the second largest mobile financial service in Africa, managing the operation and financial transactions for six million customers.
Samuel Alemayehu – Managing Director, Cambridge Industries Ltd., Ethiopia.
A Stanford engineer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur who is developing Africa’s first waste-to-energy plant and the continent’s largest wind farm.
Sébastien Kadio-Morokro – Chief Executive Officer, Petro Ivoire S.A., Côte d’Ivoire.
He is one of the youngest CEOs in the African oil and gas industry, operating the largest indigenous petroleum product distribution company in Côte d’Ivoire. He is also Chairman of the Board of the Procrea’s Clinic, which specializes in maternal health, child health and fertility.
Unathi Kamlana – Head of Policy, Statistics & Industry Support, South African Reserve Bank, South Africa.
A career banker with a distinguished record in financial sector stability in South Africa. He served as Chief Director of Financial Markets and Stability as well as was a member of the Standing Committee on the Revision of the Banks Act. He participates in various international forums such as Experts Group of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and at Standing Committee on Standards Implementation (SCSI). (Premium Times )
