Rabat – Moroccan businesswoman Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch won the New African woman Award in business, given by pan-African magazine “New African Woman magazine,” at a ceremony that took place in Dakar.
Gambian vice-president Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajan won New Woman of the Year Award.
The Awards, now in their second edition, recognise, celebrate and honour African women who have made exceptional impact and change in their countries or communities in the past 12 months.
Nigeria’s Amina J. Mohammed – the new United Nations Deputy Secretary – took home the New African Woman in Politics and Public Office.
Winners have been selected by a special panel of judges from 68 shortlisted candidates across 12 categories.
The Award for Women in Health, Science and Technology went to Namibia’s Dr. Helena Ndume – a pioneering ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon, who has to date, performed over 35,000 sight-restoring surgeries on Namibians, completely free of charge.
Zimbabwean philathropists and educationist Tsitsi Masiyiwa, received the New African Woman Award in Education for her work with Higherlife Foundation. Over 250,000 children have benefited from the work of Higherlife Foundation.
The much-talked about New African Woman on the Rise (The Next Generation) – a category which received the most nominations – went to the Kenyan girls rights activist and UN Women youth advisor Vivian Onano.
The New African Woman in Civil Society Award was given to Chief Theresa Kachindamoto, who annulled over 300 child marriages in her village in Malawi, a feat that played an important role in forcing the government to ban child marriages in the country all together.
