As we’ve mentioned in our previous news editions, through the African School of Governance, Kigali is now the host of the first class of the new African Academy for Women in Political Leadership. About 40 women with diverse backgrounds, but who share a common goal: to use their experience to foster stronger female leadership on the continent. Today, we invite you to learn more about some of these women.
Out of 1,344 applicants, only 40 women were selected to join the first class of the African Academy for Women in Political Leadership. Among them is Gciniwe Fakudze, chief executive officer of the Mbabane Municipality in the Kingdom of Eswatini. She views this selection as a recognition of many years of hard work, sacrifice, and resilience.
“This selection truly highlighted the remarkable work of women around the world. Coming from a beautiful small kingdom of about 1.2 million people, I was deeply moved by it. In life, there’s really no room for excuses: no matter where we come from—whether it’s a small village—the impact of influencing two women or inspiring a million is just as real. It’s even possible that one of those two women I might have mentored, for example, could one day become president. It was, therefore, an experience that was both humbling and extremely rewarding, one that gave deep meaning to all those hours of hard work, dedication, sacrifice, pushing beyond my limits, and resilience. The entire journey was truly worth it. It encouraged me to keep moving forward, like a gentle pat on the back reminding me: “Keep fighting—other women are by your side.”
Gciniwe FAKUDZE, CEO of Mbabane Municipality – Eswatini
Like her, the women in this first cohort come from diverse backgrounds but share a common desire to turn their experiences into meaningful change. Another young woman in this group is Sephora Kodjo, who has been dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire for several years.
“Every year, we help accelerate nearly 1,000 women-led small and medium-sized enterprises by providing them with solutions to access financing. And this program reinforces my commitment to making an impact and reminds me that every woman, regardless of her sector, must get involved in leadership and political participation because, at the end of the day, politics is about managing institutions, managing people, and creating value—and that’s exactly what we’re already doing.”
Sephora KODJO, President of AWLN Côte d’Ivoire – Côte d’Ivoire
Only forty women in this first cohort, but their ambition extends far beyond their own personal journeys: to build a network of female leaders capable of further amplifying women’s voices and participation in African public life.
