Page 39 - Forbes - Africa (March 2020)
P. 39
FORBES AFRICA
COVER STORY • POWER WOMEN
LYDIA NSEKERA, kera advocates for the growth of women's football in Africa; an issue that
has been marginalized throughout history. Through grassroots develop-
BURUNDI ment programs and initiating dialogue centered around the formation of
more female professional leagues, she has championed her dream to see
PRESIDENT, NATIONAL OLYMPIC women and girls enjoying the benefits of sport and physical education
COMMITTEE (NOC) OF BURUNDI the same way as men, without discrimination. A testament to her impact,
AND MEMBER OF FIFA COUNCIL
DAILY MANTRA: "You only industry expert, Nick Said, agrees that women's football has seen a mas-
live once." sive spike in participation across the African continent and is expected to
almost double in the coming years. She tells FORBES AFRICA more:
anked number two in
Forbes’ Most Powerful What has been the biggest challenge you have faced, and
Women In Internation- how did you overcome it?
R al Sports list in 2018, Embarking on an extremely difficult election to lead the Burundi Foot-
Lydia Nsekera is a shy woman ball Federation in 2004 with an all-male electorate is the biggest chal-
who has never shied away from a lenge I have faced. It was a real fight. [Yet] with my team, we put together
challenge. She is responsible for an electoral strategy that surprised my competitors and led us to victory.
transforming the good governance
of Burundi's sports movement in What is your proudest achievement? What do you enjoy most about
line with the National Olympic I am most proud of the education of my son Stéphane [who was] born being a woman?
Committee's (NOC) regulations. with Down Syndrome and in sport, the qualification of the national [Bu- I am proud to be a woman! How-
Given her international posi- rundi] football team for the African Nations Championship in 2014. ever, with the exception that I
tions, Nsekera has been relent- gave birth and raised my two chil-
less in promoting inclusiveness What does it mean to be a powerful woman in 2020? dren, I do not see the difference
in the world of sports. As chair A powerful person has a clear vision for his/her society and his/her between myself and a man since
of the Women in Sport Commis- family. Nevertheless, a ‘powerful’ woman has some specific character- I can accomplish what even men
sion at the NOC, gender equality istics – for example, a powerful woman can reconcile her family and are not able to do. This differen-
and the protection of women has professional life. A powerful woman is respected by other women and tiation is purely biological; men
topped her agenda. Moreover, as a girls; she protects them and gives them the courage and the willing- and women are equal and com-
member of the FIFA Council, Nse- ness to fight for their rights. plementary.
WINNIE BYANYIMA, ing the virus. The challenge is global but the
UGANDA key regions of focus include Africa, Asia, East-
ern Europe and partly Latin America.
“Here in Africa, we know that young women
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNAIDS and adolescent girls are four or five times more
DAILY MANTRA: “Never give up. infected than boys or men of the same age
Just keep going.” group,” Byanyima says. She shockingly remarks
Winnie Byanyima has seven names and one that in South Africa alone, 1,500 young girls
of them is ‘Kyegiragire’ which means: “I can and women are infected every week.
make myself whatever I want to be.” Hav- Byanyima admits the journey is a long
ing just landed from Geneva, she arrives at the one. Poverty reduction, access to education
FORBES AFRICA photoshoot and immediate- and sexual violence of young girls are the
ly makes one thing clear: “I want to be myself. key drivers. “We know if a girl would stay in
I do not want to look like someone else.” And school until the middle of high school, half of
that she did. Dressed in a long dark-red dress the vulnerability is removed by just staying in
that complemented her tall African stature, By- a classroom,” she says.
anyima encapsulated African femininity. “So I work every day, I dream every night
Byanyima began her impactful career 30 about what are we going to do to protect our
years ago, as a social justice advocate serving in young girls in Africa from getting infected.”
parliament as a member of the National Assem- With a team of more than 700 people
bly of Uganda. spread around the world, she has set an am-
Since then, she has held several global lead- bitious target to end HIV/Aids as a global
ership positions including leading Oxfam In- health threat by 2030.
ternational, from 2013 to 2019. “Being a global leader is a privilege [that] I
Today, she serves in her new role as Exec- do not take lightly. I also never forget that in the
utive Director of UNAIDS, appointed by the hierarchy of people in this world, I come from
Secretary-General of the UN in August. In this the bottom. I am a woman, I am black, I am
position, she works with governments from from Africa, the poorest continent, and Ugan-
around world who have the big challenge of da, one of the poorest countries in the world.
HIV/Aids; as well as civil society organizations That reminds me that where I am, I must al-
to reach and treat everyone living with disease, ways be a voice for the poorest, the most mar-
and to reach those who are at risk of contract- ginalized, the weakest and for women.”
FORBESAFRICA.COM MARCH 2020 FORBES AFRICA | 35
