Who are the most successful and influential women in Africa under 40?
In December, I will publish the annual ranking of the 20 Young Power Women in Africa. Now in its fifth year, the list is a tribute to Africa’s most extraordinary young women – high-flying achievers in business, politics, policy, academia, media and entertainment.
Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, Moroccan, Mayor of Marrakech, the third largest city in Morocco. She was among last year’s list.
This is the age of the millennial, and young Africans in their 20s and 30s are more ambitious than ever before. They are building companies, taking crucial roles in government, championing social causes, and shaping the future of the continent.
And the women have been taking center stage in all of this. With so many young women accomplishing remarkable things, it’s difficult handpicking the brightest of them all. So, I need your help in identifying the 20 young women who currently wield the most influence in African business, technology, policy and media – the leaders, activists, groundbreakers and ceiling crashers who cannot be ignored.
To have an idea of the sort of amazons I am searching for, have a look at previous listshere, here and here. Ladies who have been listed in the past include the former Mayor of Marrakesh, Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, Kenya’s Senator Naisula Lesuuda, South African Member of Parliament, Phumzile Van Damme, Rwanda’s State minister for energy Kamayirese Germaine and Tabetha Kanengoni Malinga, Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture.
We need to identify more women like these.
Email me at mnsehe (at) forbes (dot) com or tweet at me with your nominations (@MfonobongNsehe) on or before the 1st of December, 2015. Nominees must be citizens of one of the 54 African countries and should preferably be based on the continent. Ultimately, the top 20 women will be ranked by 3 metrics – impact, media momentum, and spheres of influence.