The launch followed the success of the Africa CEO forum “Women in Business” initiative. In a statement by Abdoul Maïga of the African CEO Forum and made available to Business Insider Sub-Saharan Africa on Monday, July 9, 2018, the first Women in Business Annual Leadership Meeting gathered about 200 influential women business leaders from 32 countries gathered in Paris between July 2 to July 3, 2018 with the theme: “Tangible action, real results.”
According to the statement, the meeting was organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group, in partnership with the International Organisation of La Francophonie and ESSEC Business School.
The highlight of the two days devoted to strengthening African women's leadership was the launch of the Women in Business Network, the first regional influential network entirely dedicated to promoting meetings and interaction between women managers with business interests in Africa.
Yves Biyah, Deputy Managing Director in charge of Development at Jeune Afrique Media Group said: “We are complementary to the national networks to which most of the women CEOs already belong and we intend working closely with them.”
“The Women In Business Network also brings two new value propositions to the continent: on the one hand, a new, regionally based organisation that allows, for example, a Nigerian manager to be permanently connected to her Ivorian or Senegalese colleagues, in order to be able to carry out joint projects; and, on the other hand, the support of Jeune Afrique Media Group, through its publications and events, that lend power and exposure to the network's projects and its action in favour of women's leadership.”
Women in Business Network
The Women in Business Network is made up of 6 regions, each led by a team of women leaders: Lamia Merzouki, Deputy Managing Director, Casablanca Finance Authority (Morocco) and Emna Kharouf, Associate Director, Deloitte (Tunisia) for the North Africa region.
Caroline Kamaitha, Vice-President, SES Networks (Kenya) for the East Africa region; Françoise Le Guennou-Remarck, Chairman of the Board, Canal + Côte d'Ivoire and Patricia Obozuwa, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, General Electric Africa (Nigeria) for the West Africa region.
Lizeka Matshekga, Division Manager, Industrial Development Corporation (South Africa) and Nothando Napata, Managing Director, DBS (Zimbabwe) for the Southern Africa region; Valerie Neim, Managing Director, CCPC Finance (Cameroon) and Nicole Sulu, Managing Director, Sultani Hotel (Democratic Republic of Congo) for the Central Africa region; Alvine Trémoulet, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Pfizer (France) and Jennifer Mbaluto, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance (United Kingdom) for International.
The mission of each regional cluster is to promote contact between members of the same region by organising quarterly events and initiating a flagship action to support women's leadership.
The Africa CEO Forum in returns in 2019, holding in Kigali, Rwanda. Learn more about the event here.
