Page 34 - Forbes - Africa (March 2020)

JENNIFER RIRIA, KENYA Hereffortstoenhancethefinancialinclusionfor
womenarehailedimmensely.In2017,Ririawas
GROUP CEO, ECHO NETWORK AFRICA (ENA); awardedtheWomenoftheDecadeinInnovation
FOUNDING MEMBER, andLeadershipbytheWorldEconomicForumand
KENYA WOMEN FINANCE TRUST subsequently,in2018,receivedtheLifetimeAchieve-
mentAwardfromtheAfricaWomenInnovation&
DAILY MANTRA: “The older I get, the truer it EntrepreneurshipForum.
is, it’s the people you love, not the money and AsfounderofEchoNetworkAfrica,formerlyKenya
stuff that makes you rich.” (Quote by Alan WomenHolding,Ririahasmadeithercareertoem-
Jackson) powerandenablewomentoadvancetheirsecurity
andprosperitythroughactivepartnershipswithgov-
Bankersaregenerallynotconsideredstewardsfor ernmentsandcommunity-basedorganizations.This
thedisenfranchised,exceptJenniferRiria.Shebe- includesprovidingaccesstoeducation,maternal
longstoasmallbutwidelyesteemedgroupofmi- supportandrescueactivitiesforgirlsandwomen.
crofinancepractitionersintheworld.Foroverthree Inaddition,shehaslaboredcloselywiththeNige-
decades,RiriahasbeenatthehelmoftheKenya rianMinistryofPublicService,YouthandGender
WomenFinanceTrust(KWFT),transformingit tochangepoliciesongendermainstreaminginboth
fromanunprofitablenon-governmentalorganiza- publicandprivatespaces.
tiontoamedium-sizedbank.Sinceitsinceptionin InappreciationofRiria'sendeavors,theJennifer
1991,KWFThassupportedover3.5millioncustom- RiriraHubisanultra-modernshoppingmallinNa-
ers,specificallylow-incomewomenandtheirfami- kura,Kenya,erectedinherhonorandwillserveto
lies.Moreover,it'sdisbursedover$5billioninloans. enhance the sustainability of ENA as it persists
"Women are bankable," Riria says with authority. with its quest.

LOUISE MUSHIKIWABO, RWANDA

SECRETARY GENERAL, ORGANISATION INTERNATIONALE DE LA
FRANCOPHONIE (OIF)
AcitizenoftheworldbutwithdeeprootsinAfricaandherhomecoun-
try,Rwanda,LouiseMushikiwaboistheheadofOIF,aninternational
organizationwithover80countrymembersandpresentonfiveconti-
nents.Beforethat,shelivedintheUnitedStatesfor20yearsbeforetak-
ingupapositionwiththeAfricanDevelopmentBank(AfDB)inTunisia.
In2008,sheacceptedthecallbytheRwandanpresidenttojoinhisteam
asministerofforeignaffairsandcooperation.
Her10-yearexperienceattheheadofRwandandiplomacymadehera
winningcandidatetoleadOIFasitsfourthsecretary-general.Shewas
electedintotherole,withthebackingoftheAfricanUniononOcto-
ber122018.Herprioritieswillrevolvearoundfourkeytopics:driving
therelevanceoftheorganizationandtheco-existenceofFrenchwith AYA CHEBBI,TUNISIA
otherlanguages;eradicatingyouthemploymentandtheexchangeof
goodpracticesamongstmemberstatesineconomicanddevelopmen- BLOGGER AND AFRICA UNION YOUTH ENVOY
talcooperation,goodgovernance,peaceandsecurity.Mushikiwabois DAILY MANTRA: “Let’s shake things up!”
alsooutspoken on issues of gender equality and the economic inclusion ya Chebbi is a proponent of inter-generational leadership,
of women. priding herself in bringing leaders closer to the youth. Cheb-
Abi rose to prominence through her relentless non-violent pro-
tests during the 2010 Tunisian revolution using a tool of the millenni-
al age: blogging.
Her voice became world-renowned when numerous media out-
lets, including Al Jazeera, published her documentative blog. Since
then, her pursuit of mobilizing African youth through non-violent
social movements, like through the use of social media, led her to be
the first-ever African Union (AU) Youth Envoy. As the youngest dip-
lomat there, Chebbi's focus is to advocate for the interests of youth
within its decision-making bodies.
She has since brought over 300 youth to the “big boys” table in
18 African countries, including hosting Intergenerational dialogues
centered around why youth should politically and economically
co-lead Africa. Chebbi has contributed to the drafting of the AU
Peace and Security Council Framework on youth, peace and secu-
rity as well as mobilized for an official African ‘Youth Month’.
"My father has been a huge source of inspiration and support,”
she attests.

30 | FORBES AFRICA MARCH 2020 FORBESAFRICA.COM