Launched in October 2020, Angaza Awards Recognizes Female Senior Executives and Emerging Leaders in the banking and finance sector in Africa. This year’s event is all set for April. The 2022 Awards received entries from nine (9) countries, namely Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, representing professionals from Investment Banking, Cross-border Payments, InsureTech, Banking, Capital Markets, Microfinance and Multilateral Development Finance.
“The Angaza Awards recipients are selected following an extensive review of their applications by a distinguished panel of judges from several disciplines. They, therefore, have proven their mettle during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has been one of the most challenging operating environments in recent history. We congratulate them and look forward to following their achievements this year,” Eric Asuma, Co-Founder of Kenyan Wallstreet.
The 2022 Top 10 Women to Watch are as follows:
- Marjorie Mayida, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Old Mutual Investment Group Zimbabwe
- Rina Hicks, Operations Director, Faida Investment Bank Ltd.
- Rahel Musyoki, Business Development Manager, CarePay (M-TIBA) Kenya
- Gakii Mwongera, Group Head of Internet Banking, Equity Group Holdings, Ltd
- Sharon Kinyanjui, Regional Director – EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa), WorldRemit Ltd.
- Christine Baingana, Chief Executive Officer, Urwego Bank Rwanda
- Venus Hampinda, Finance Director & Regional Head, Strategic Tax Solutions, Absa Zambia
- Dr. Millicent Omukaga, Office of the President Advisor – Women Empowerment and Affirmative Finance, African Development Bank Group
- Njeri Jomo, General Manager – Retail Business Development, Britam Group
- Jacqueline Karasha, Head of Corporate Business, Sanlam Life Insurance Ltd. Kenya
The Angaza Awards Judges Panel was constituted by Mutumboi Mundia, Director of Market Supervision & Development, Zambia Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Catherine Musakali, Co-Founder of Women on Boards Network Kenya; Hedwige Nuyens, Managing Director, International Banking Federation; Yawa Hansen-Quao, Executive Director, Emerging Public Leaders Ghana; Joanita Lunkuse-Jaggwe, Expert on Financing, Office of the Prime Minister, Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, Uganda and 2021 Angaza Awards Recipient; Luke Ombara, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Capital Markets Authority, Kenya; Esohe Denise Odaro, Head of Investor Relations, International Finance Corporation; and Maxwell Pirikisi, Director, South African Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SACCI) and President, South Africa-Nigeria Business Chamber (SA-NBC).
“Globally, we need to reframe what leadership in finance looks like. These African women have demonstrated commendable impact across various industries that make up the highly-competitive, male-dominated financial services sector,” concluded Ms. Nuru Mugambi, Angaza Awards Chairperson.
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.