With her extensive expertise and passion for ensuring a stable energy supply, Makole is playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of the country’s energy landscape. Makole has established herself as a respected figure in the energy sector, focusing on managing funds and investments to support the growth and sustainability of the industry.

Her contributions are instrumental in addressing the critical challenges facing South Africa’s energy sector, including the need for reliable and efficient power generation.

She is the Founder & Executive Director of Mahlako A Phahla Investments (Pty) Ltd, a 100% black-women-owned investment and advisory firm within the energy, developmental and social infrastructure, telecommunications, and financial services sectors.

Makole is also a prominent speaker, and industry thought leader who has participated in insightful discussions on vital topics such as infrastructure development and energy transition. Her involvement in various platforms allows her to share her wealth of knowledge, helping to shape informed discussions and drive positive change within the sector.

The AWIEF aims to foster women’s economic inclusion in Africa to drive employment and economic growth. Before founding AWIEF in 2014, she worked in various leadership positions in the private sector.

Through AWIEF, Irene has actively promoted women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in Africa. The organization also provides training, mentorship, and other resources to help women entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Irene has received several awards and recognition for her work in promoting women’s entrepreneurship.

He is the Co-Founder of iSchool, an EdTech kids’ coding platform that offers personalized coding online classes for kids from 6 to 18 years. iSchool aims to provide a trending technology education system to create careers in programming, robotics, electronics, artificial intelligence and more.

Muhammad, together with his team at iSchool, has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to revolutionize education. Their innovative solutions have empowered countless students and educators, broke barriers and providing access to quality education.

With digital learning platforms and tools developed by iSchool, students are equipped with the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world. Muhammad’s relentless dedication and ground-breaking work have not gone unnoticed, having previously been honoured with the prestigious Founder of the Year Award by the Global Startup Awards Africa.

She currently serves as the President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), spearheading efforts to enhance healthcare accessibility and quality in the country. In 2004, Dr. Ajayi established Pathcare Laboratories Nigeria, the pioneering clinical and medical laboratory in West Africa.

Under her astute leadership as Managing Director until 2021, Pathcare has revolutionized diagnostic services, setting the benchmark for quality and reliability in the region. Beyond her contribution to the healthcare space, Dr. Ajayi is also passionate about the environment.

She is the Dawn Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development in Nigeria. Her vision for a greener future showcases her profound commitment to creating a harmonious balance between human progress and environmental preservation.

Dr. Ajayi’s exceptional contributions have garnered well-deserved accolades throughout her illustrious career. She has been honoured with prestigious awards such as the Nigerian Women of Achievement Award in 2014 and the African Businesswoman of the Year Award in 2016.

She is doing this through GirlCode ZA, a non-profit organization she founded to empower young girls and women through technology. At GirlCode, Zandile is providing historically disadvantaged women with computer literacy, coding, and design skills. Her organization has created a network of women who can use these skills to develop innovative and sustainable solutions where they reside – making an impactful and visible difference in the communities they live.

Since its foundation, GirlCode has grown to be the most prominent women in tech lead educational organization in South Africa, impacting over 60 000 girls and women. Zandile’s contribution to bridging the gender gap within the tech industry has won her multiple awards and honours.

In 2018 she received a social entrepreneur award from the premier of Gauteng. The same year, the Netherlands embassy acknowledged her as one of South Africa’s top 50 inspiring women.

In 2010, he co-founded Nailab, East Africa’s first technology accelerator. Passionate about mentoring and advising African startups, Sam played a role in launching the African Business Heroes Program, which aims to support and empower African entrepreneurs.

Sam is currently working as the CEO of Kidato Inc, an ed-tech startup he founded in 2020. Kidato is an all-in-one learning platform for the entire family and an open learning platform that enables anyone to create and sell online courses.

The startup provides live online academic and after-school classes for kids aged 4 to 18, including subjects in coding, chess, fun maths, science, debate club, and art and crafts.

She is the Founder and CEO of Mukuru Clean Stoves, a social enterprise that recycles waste metal to produce improved, reliable and affordable cook stoves for low-income households in Africa.

At Mukuru Clean Stoves, Charlot is helping African mothers keep their children safe, save on fuel consumption, and reduce household air pollution. Her contribution to reducing household air pollution has earned her global recognition and awards.

In 2019, she won the Waistlitz Global Citizen Award, the World Bank’s inaugural SDGs and Her award in 2018 and the AWIEF Empowerment Award in 2019.

In a country where the average food loss for producers is 45%, Farah is helping not only lower food loss but also grow farmers’ income. She is doing this through FreshSource Global, a startup streamlining Egypt’s fresh food value chain through the use of data and technology.

Founded in 2018, FreshSource Global is changing how fresh goods are sourced, moved and sold. The startup works directly with small farmers who lack access to the market and helps them grow and sell high-quality products, eliminating the need for intermediaries.

The farmers’ produce is then sent to the FreshSource warehouse, where it’s stored, packaged and shipped to restaurants, hotels, factories and hospitals according to demand, vastly reducing food loss and waste. Farah’s innovative work has made her a leading player in Egypt’s food distribution ecosystem while creating a more sustainable ecosystem and transforming the lives of producers, businesses and consumers.

He is the Founder of WEYE clean energy CO. Ltd, a social enterprise that uses waste-to-energy business to empower youth and women to break the endless cycle of poverty.

Kakebo’s waste-to-energy initiative has trained nearly 1,000 youth and women, empowering them with skills and equipment to start and run briquette production units and plastic waste recycling businesses.

The project also provides waste-to-energy cooking and heating solutions to 10 schools, large-scale poultry farms and medium-scale industries. His innovative social business models have received both domestic and international recognition. In 2020, Kakebo was named the Commonwealth Person of the Year.