Page 19 - Blue Valley_Issue 2_2022

LIFESTYLE

THE FORBES THE FORBES WOMAN THE FORBES WOMAN THE FORBES
WOMAN AFRICA AFRICA ACADEMIC AFRICA SPORTS AWARD WOMAN AFRICA
TECHNOLOGY AND EXCELLENCE AWARD ENTERTAINER AWARD
INNOVATION AWARD • Tatjana Schoenmaker, world
• Dr Claire Karekezi, Chair of the record holder and Olympic gold • Angélique Kidjo, singer-
• Odunayo Eweniyi, co-founder African Women in Neurosurgery medallist songwriter, UNICEF International
and COO, PiggyVest (AWIN) Goodwill Ambassador, co-founder
At the age of 20, the breaststroke of the Batonga Foundation
Odunayo is the co-founder and Dr Karekezi is a consultant specialist became the first South
COO of PiggyVest, the largest neurosurgeon at the Rwanda African woman in eight years to A four-time Grammy Award winner,
digital savings and micro- Military Hospital in Kigali – earn a medal in the pool at the Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest
investment platform in Nigeria. and the country’s first female Commonwealth Games. After international musicians today, a
She has received numerous neurosurgeon. She is the recipient winning several more awards, she creative force with 16 albums to
accolades and awards, including of numerous awards, including shattered her African long-course her name. Dubbed “Africa’s premier
being named one of 100 Most the AIMS-Next Einstein Initiative records over all three breaststroke diva” by Time magazine, Angélique
Inspiring Women in Nigeria 2019 TTP Women in Science First Award distances at the 2021 South African was also named one of the 100
by Leading Ladies Africa and one 2019. She currently serves as Championships in Gqeberha. Three Most Influential People in the World
of 50 Most Visible Women in Tech Chairperson of the African Women months later, at the Tokyo Olympic for 2021. Forbes magazine ranked
by Tech Cabal in 2019. In 2020, she in Neurosurgery (AWIN) section Games in July 2021, she went on Angélique on its list of the Most
was one of the Lord’s Achievers of the Continental Association to secure two of the South African Powerful Celebrities in Africa. She
Awards Honourees, one of the 100 of African Neurosurgical team’s three medals and the squad’s is also a recipient of the prestigious
Most Influential Young Africans Societies (CAANS), and is a only two medals in the pool. After 2015 Crystal Award from the
and she received the ELOY Award member of multiple national breaking her own African record World Economic Forum, the 2016
for Technology 2020. Odunayo and international neurosurgical in the heats, she clinched the Amnesty International Ambassador
is also the co-founder of the organisations. silver medal in the 100m final. She of Conscience Award, and the 2018
women’s community, Wine and followed this up a few days later by German Sustainability Award.
Whine Nigeria. breaking the world record in the
200m breaststroke event to win
gold.

THE FORBES WOMAN THE FORBES WOMAN AFRICA
AFRICA BUSINESSWOMAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD AWARD
• Joana Gyan Cudjoe, CEO, Golden • Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka,
Empire Legacy founder of the Umlambo Foundation,
former Deputy President of South Africa
Nana Adjoa Awo I (known in business and former Executive Director of UN
circles as Joana Gyan Cudjoe) Women
an accomplished and successful
entrepreneur. She is the founder and Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka was recently
CEO of Golden Empire Legacy Ltd with appointed by the UN General Assembly as
ancestral descendants from three royal chair of the World Tourism Organisation
families. Joana started as a small-scale (UNWTO) Ethics Committee. She sits on
miner, working her way up in a male- the boards of the advocacy organisations
dominated business. She strongly Global Citizen and Women Deliver. She
believes in linking mining to the shared has been on the Gender Commission of
global commitment of the United the International Olympic Committee
Nations Sustainable Development Goals and was asked by Pope Francis and
focusing on gender equality, decent work former mayor of New York City Mike
and economic growth. Bloomberg to participate in initiatives
that recognise good work in the service of
humanity. She is affiliated with the Fund
to End Violence Against Children and is a
founder of the Umlambo Foundation, a
school improvement organisation.

BLUE VALLEY NEWS • Issue 2 2022• 17