The Women Turning Africa’s Potential Into Power – THISDAYLIVE

The Leaders Driving Africa’s Shift from Promise to Performance
As March comes to an end, this feature highlights ten women driving Africa’s shift from promise to performance—turning long-discussed potential into tangible economic power across industries, institutions, and global markets.
The timing of this shift is critical. With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) entering its next phase and the global push toward net-zero accelerating, Africa stands at a defining intersection. Across sectors, a new class of leaders is emerging—not just building systems, but activating them—bridging the gap between raw potential and measurable economic influence.
These are the women turning that potential into power.

1. Amina J. Mohammed (Nigeria)
   Amina J. Mohammed stands as one of the most influential figures shaping global development policy, with a career defined by translating vision into large-scale, measurable impact. As Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and former Minister of Environment in Nigeria, she has played a central role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, embedding sustainability into economic systems, and driving global consensus around climate action and inclusive growth.
   Her work operates at the highest level of international governance, where policy is not only designed but activated across nations. She has been instrumental in aligning governments, multilateral institutions, and private sector actors toward shared development priorities, ensuring that sustainability is integrated into economic decision-making rather than treated as a parallel agenda.
   With a career spanning public service, global advisory roles, and institutional leadership, she brings a rare combination of policy depth and executional influence. Her impact lies not just in shaping frameworks, but in ensuring their adoption and implementation at scale—positioning her as a key figure in translating Africa’s development potential into structured, global relevance.
2. Lady Ayobami Animashaun (Nigeria)
   Lady Ayobami Animashaun is widely recognised as a defining force in reimagining how innovation drives economic transformation, with a career dedicated to building platforms that expand participation, strengthen transparency, and enable intelligent, data-driven decision-making at scale. She is fast emerging as a pivotal voice in the next phase of Africa’s economic evolution—one where innovation, not extraction, defines growth. A British-Nigerian software engineer and leading advocate for technology adoption, her work centres on building high-impact platforms that position innovation not as an add-on, but as the foundation of modern economic power. Through flagship initiatives such as Africa Beyond Extractives and Nigeria Beyond Oil, she is advancing a bold model that moves the continent from resource dependency to an innovation-led, trade-driven future.
   As the force behind the Africa Beyond Extractives and Nigeria Beyond Oil initiatives, and President and Founder of Vanity Hub Africa, she is executing a commercially grounded, results-driven model that positions the continent for scale. Her work is reshaping the narrative from resource dependence to innovation-led, trade-enabled competitiveness—where African economies are designed not just to participate in global markets, but to compete and lead within them. By embedding technology at the core of economic strategy, she is helping to build the infrastructure for a more connected, efficient, and resilient future.
   Her career spans senior roles within major FTSE 100 institutions, including Intel Corporation, Cisco Systems, and American Express, alongside leadership experience in the downstream energy sector and the accelerating net-zero transition. Educated at King’s College London and the University of Leicester, she combines technical depth with strategic insight into how modern economies are built, financed, and scaled. Her philosophy is unequivocal: TRADE NOT AID—a principle that underpins her mission to reposition Africa as a competitive force in global trade, capital flows, and value creation.
3. Arunma Oteh (Nigeria)
   Arunma Oteh is widely regarded as one of Africa’s foremost authorities in global finance and capital markets, with a career that has consistently strengthened financial systems and restored investor confidence. As former Director-General of Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission and later Treasurer of the World Bank, she has played a pivotal role in positioning African markets within the global financial ecosystem.
   Her work has focused on regulatory reform, market transparency, and investor protection—critical pillars required to unlock capital flows and support economic growth. By driving structural improvements within financial institutions, she has helped create environments where both local and international investors can operate with confidence.
   Beyond her institutional roles, her influence extends into shaping how African economies engage with global capital. She represents a generation of leaders ensuring that Africa is not only participating in global finance, but doing so from a position of strength, credibility, and long-term sustainability.
4. Nabila Aguele (Nigeria)
   Nabila Aguele is emerging as a key force in building the human infrastructure required to translate Africa’s economic potential into inclusive participation and long-term growth. As Head of the Maka Foundation, she leads initiatives focused on equipping young Africans with access, skills, and opportunity—ensuring that the continent’s growth trajectory is both scalable and inclusive.
   Her work sits at the intersection of social impact and economic development, where access is treated as a strategic lever rather than a charitable outcome. Through structured programs and ecosystem partnerships, she is bridging the gap between talent and opportunity, creating pathways that enable broader participation in Africa’s evolving economy.
   By focusing on capacity building, access, and ecosystem connectivity, she is contributing to a model of development that recognises people as the foundation of economic power. Her work reflects a growing shift toward inclusive growth—where the ability to participate becomes as critical as the systems being built.
5. Funke Opeke (Nigeria)
   Funke Opeke has been central to transforming Africa’s digital infrastructure landscape, leading one of the most significant connectivity projects on the continent. As founder of MainOne, she spearheaded the development of West Africa’s first privately owned submarine cable system, dramatically improving internet access and enabling the growth of the digital economy.
   Her work has had far-reaching impact, supporting everything from fintech expansion to enterprise growth and digital innovation ecosystems. By addressing one of the continent’s most critical infrastructure gaps, she has helped unlock new layers of economic activity and global competitiveness.
   With a background spanning global telecommunications and executive leadership, she has demonstrated how infrastructure investment translates directly into economic opportunity. Her contribution lies not just in building systems, but in enabling entire industries to emerge and scale.
6. Omobola Johnson (Nigeria)
   Omobola Johnson has played a foundational role in shaping Nigeria’s digital economy, with a career defined by policy innovation and strategic investment. As the country’s first Minister of Communications Technology, she led initiatives that accelerated broadband penetration, expanded digital access, and positioned technology as a core driver of economic growth.
   Her leadership helped lay the groundwork for Nigeria’s emergence as a leading technology hub in Africa, supporting the rise of startups, digital services, and innovation-led enterprises. Through her work, technology transitioned from a supporting sector to a central pillar of economic development.
   Beyond public service, she continues to influence the ecosystem through investment and advisory roles, supporting high-growth companies and initiatives that are redefining Africa’s economic landscape.
7. Kanayo Awani (Nigeria)
   Kanayo Awani operates at the centre of Africa’s trade and financial architecture, playing a critical role in enabling cross-border commerce and industrial expansion. As Executive Vice President at Afreximbank, she leads initiatives that finance trade corridors, support export development, and strengthen intra-African trade.
   Her work is instrumental in operationalising the African Continental Free Trade Area, translating policy into real economic activity by providing the financial tools and structures businesses need to scale.
   With extensive experience in international banking and trade finance, she brings both technical expertise and strategic vision to the continent’s economic integration efforts.
8. Aisha Abdullahi (Nigeria)
   Aisha Abdullahi has been a key figure in shaping Africa’s infrastructure and energy strategy, with a focus on building the systems required for long-term economic growth. As former African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, she led initiatives aimed at expanding power access, strengthening transport networks, and supporting industrial development.
   Her work addressed some of the continent’s most critical structural challenges, recognising that sustainable economic progress depends on reliable infrastructure.
   Her leadership reflects a commitment to execution—ensuring that large-scale strategies translate into tangible economic outcomes.
9. Fatoumata Ba (Senegal)
   Fatoumata Ba is a leading force in Africa’s venture capital ecosystem, investing in technology-driven businesses and supporting entrepreneurs building scalable solutions. As a founding partner of Janngo Capital, she focuses on backing companies that combine strong commercial potential with social impact.
   Her work is central to shaping the next generation of African enterprises, providing not just capital but strategic guidance to founders navigating growth and expansion.
   She represents a critical layer of Africa’s economic transformation—ensuring that innovation is funded, structured, and scaled into sustainable businesses.
10. Rebecca Enonchong (Cameroon)
    Rebecca Enonchong is a globally recognised entrepreneur and one of Africa’s leading voices in technology and digital business. As founder and CEO of AppsTech, she has built enterprise solutions that serve clients across multiple continents, positioning African technology expertise on the global stage.
    Her work extends beyond business into ecosystem advocacy, where she supports policy reforms and regulatory environments that enable innovation and protect entrepreneurs.
    She represents the bridge between Africa’s emerging tech ecosystem and the global digital economy—ensuring that African innovation is not only visible, but competitive.
    CLOSING
    What becomes clear is that Africa’s future will not be defined by potential alone, but by execution. The work of these women reflects a decisive shift—from ideas to outcomes, from ambition to measurable power. Across finance, technology, policy, and enterprise, they are not just shaping conversations—they are driving results.
    For investors and policymakers, they offer more than inspiration—they provide proof. The question is no longer whether Africa can rise, but how quickly we can scale what is already working.