Amina J. Mohammed

thumb| Amina Mohammed in 2017 Amina Jane Mohammed (born 27 June 1961) is a Nigerian diplomat and politician who is serving as the fifth Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, she was Nigerian Minister of Environment from 2015 to 2016 and was a key player in the Post-2015 Development Agenda process. Quotes It's very important that we don't withhold aid from people that it matters most to. Mohammed Amina on not withholding help especially funds. "Sustainable development is not an option; it is an imperative." Source: United Nations Sustainable Development Summit, 2015. "We cannot afford to exclude half of humanity from the solutions that will shape our future." Source: UN Women’s Conference on Gender Equality, 2017. "Leaving no one behind means reaching the furthest behind first." Source: United Nations Development Agenda, 2018. "Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow. They are the partners of today." Source: Speech at the UN Youth Forum, 2019. Until everyone gets the vaccine, we will all be at risk, and we will not be able to take the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to where they ought to be by 2030. Aminah Mohammed speaking on COVID19 vaccination For many, the health pandemic has been a tragedy, particularly in developed countries, but for developing countries it has a socio-economic impact that will take so much longer to recover from. Aminah Mohammed speaking on COVID 19 Innovative instruments including blended finance can all play an important role, but we need to massively scale-up that delivery. Amina Mohammed speaking on vaccination in low income countries We must design a future that is shaped by women and girls that realizes their right and aspirations to a world where equality is reality. We are better investing now because we just won’t be able to afford it later. For the first time we’re not putting a band-aid on the problem, we’re looking at the root causes. I think early childcare is not in a classroom, but very much in Africa today, it needs to start with adult literacy and mothers because as African women, and in our cultures To begin to build the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy, by putting the digital in front so that we’re not waiting until oh, Africa is ready, or Africa has the resources right at the beginning. You’re not just looking at capacities and skills to connect to the outside world without understanding anything about who you are, and the part that you play in your own ecosystem. We learn to have pride and independence of one’s being, how that contributes from the inside out. And there has to be a huge amount of courage that what you’re doing is shaping the future. I mean, concretely, shaping that future for your people with what you know is the right thing. As human beings, what we look to is what they stood for. And I think that we have to think and listen to what the leader is saying and doing, rather than judge what’s in the closet. First of all, I think Africa is trying to make those strides that are necessary to achieving SDG 5 (Gender Equality). But the approach to development in Africa has always been ad hoc, and I think we have been pitting some of our greatest challenges against each other in terms of making choices. For example, we will say, Well we have to make a choice between a woman and health. Or a woman and an education budget. And I think this is where we have got it wrong. The fact is that women are an integral part of any investment, be it in health, in education, in agriculture, etc. Africa needs to recognise that our human resources are the biggest asset base that we have, and to ignore investing in 50% of it, is just foolhardy and affects results, as well as the rights that women have in their lives. We definitely need more women in decision-making and particularly in parliaments. For example in the DRC, they have a constitution that acknowledges parity, but they need the law to effect that. And in addition to the law, they also need to make investments in women, their education, their ability to actually participate in diplomacy and therefore, in the decision-making that goes along. In addition, there are a number of investments that need to be made in line with the laws aimed at empowering women. In Nigeria, it is quite shocking to see the low levels of women in parliament – both in the Senate and the House. And that we actually have men actively opposing efforts to reduce their capacity. I think here, Nigeria needs to change its strategy and it needs to start on the local level of the parties. Again, I see the great capacity of women in Nigeria to participate, so I don’t think that’s our challenge. Our challenge is the construct and what the male community puts into it. I think we must stop stereotyping some of these issues. The truth of the matter is that there is an evolution of society. At one point, you have one breadwinner, at another point you have more than one breadwinner and a different kind of context and environment. How do we empower everyone to have a role and a place in the home, in the workplace and in society? I think if we do that, we will balance the decisions that we take and we will not be shut out of it. I think men have to recognise that in every home, the woman has a right to participate in the economy and has the abilities to contribute to that. But that should not be done to the detriment of the home, and it should be a shared responsibility. When we are talking about women in politics, what we need to see is opening up those opportunities at all levels and institutions and that, I don’t think is happening. Men aren’t just going to step aside. However, gender parity is at the top of the agenda in the United Nations and everybody buys into gender parity in terms of aspiration. But the realities of how you move men out of positions in order to make room for women to get gender parity is a tough discourse and it has to start at the entry point – into parliament, into jobs, into institutions. And what the SDGs tell us is: Let’s take a step back and let’s ask people to set the foundations on which we are building sustainable development. Let’s get them right; let’s take the time to do that and not be in a hurry to fail. Most certainly, these are challenging times. But I think the ownership and the process that we started to get in this incredibly ambitious framework took into account context and recognised the different complexities of our world today. And also, the context of political upheavals, of conflict, of migration, and of terrorism. It really did take everything into account. I think it’s a real struggle and the response that we are seeing right now is how countries are grappling with what they are going to do about the current order. Let me just underscore here that we are in transition time with the SDGs. As we have always said, it would take a couple of years to transition from the MDGs to the SDGs. Yes. In the context of many of our countries that are experiencing different types of conflict and humanitarian challenges, it’s difficult to address some of these goals. The UN’s approach to that, as the secretary general firmly puts it in his vision, is: We have got to look at how we prevent conflicts and once we come out of them, how do we sustain the peace and development. And in the middle of this, we are saying that the SDGs are the frameworks that we need to invest in. There are therefore no quick wins in this discussion. If we are to have sustainable development, we cannot put a band-aid on things. And if you don’t address the root causes, we are never going to have sustainable development. Therefore, we have to go back to the drawing board and we have to be courageous about it; and the UN has to come together and be much more responsive in the way in which it supports countries, in order to move them forward. I think in the short term, as you will have seen in the last six months, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations have defined their frameworks for peace and security. Again, this is to bring more coordination and coherence, a more efficient way of looking at the results, and get them around the continent. What is important here is to align the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the UN’s Agenda 2030. So, in the short term, we are getting the partnership frameworks right especially on roles and responsibilities. But while you are right that we don’t see as many conflicts as before, we do, however, in those pockets, see much more larger scale conflicts, which have larger regional implications. I therefore think it’s much more challenging because they are bringing cross-border issues. Here again, the mechanisms are around putting mediation into place, ensuring that there is a plan straddling the peace process with development. And clearly addressing the fact that when we talk about the humanitarian development nexus, in theory, we have so many red lines. But in practice and on the ground, people are dealing with this in the same context and trying to move the humanitarian crisis to reintegration on a development trajectory that achieves the SDGs. So, it is difficult. We don’t often look at the fact that root causes can require to be addressed over the long-term. We have to have a balance on what we do in the short term; what can we do in the long-term, and there are some of those low-hanging fruit that give a sense of the possibilities of achieving the longterm objective. But people often want to have things done yesterday. The UNGA theme, tried first of all, put the emphasis on the need to bring the resources and the political commitment. We are going to discuss the problems we have and addressing their root causes, but at the same time, we have to find the resources and financing to put into development and unless we ratchet that up, then we will be losing the gains of peace as quickly as we are putting our resources at the problem. First of all, I think that any population should be seen from the perspective of being an asset to a country and we need to make the investment to make sure there is quality and that everyone has equal opportunity. Today we have populations growing without the ability to service them and therefore, women and children take the brunt of this and are suffering. We have to go back to those policies and see why that is happening. In many cases, it’s because we don’t have the choices around population issues to make those decisions and I think that’s what we should be given, the free choice to make the decisions we need to, to have a healthy family. Depending on the context of my means, this may be two children or six children. I think that the bigger, inestimable problem, is the ability to make sure that we can provide for those that come into the world. So, on the population issue, I think there are many dimensions to it and health and life is a very big one. I think both in the global community and in Africa, we have the right rhetoric, we have the correct framework. But it’s when that rubber hits the road that action comes into play. I think in the case of the AU, what we have seen the African leadership do in the last few months is to, first of all, get behind the reforms that are needed and make them happen, and ask and take the tough questions on how to reform an institution to take responsibility for the decisions that happen to get the results, both in terms of the AU’s Agenda 2063 and Silencing the Guns. We have also seen that they made progress in taking responsibility towards financing the AU itself. These are all works in progress at different stages but I believe the leadership right now is incredibly serious about it and we are redefining our relationship with Africa on the basis of respect and solidarity, as the [UN] secretary general says. I do think that we have an opportunity now. What we have to do is to make sure we get behind the leadership. Let me just say that on both Agenda 2063 and the SDGs, Africa is the only region that has a common position – a 10-year plan. We also have a lady who is heading up the Economic Commission for Africa, Vera Songwe, and I think that this is amazing because she’s going to bring a different kind of vision to supporting Africa’s agenda; making sure that we integrate the economy; women’s issues, youth issues, technology, across some of the promises that have been made by African leaders. So, in short, I would say the rubber is about to hit the road and what we need to see is that rhetoric and those frameworks are turned into action. The response to that is so complicated; it’s not a neat number, it’s not a neat set of targets. I think that, first, we should acknowledge that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a really good effort. It was the first time the world came together to set a number of integrated issues together. We might not have achieved all of them everywhere but we knew that it did work and therefore, what we did was take it a step further. The MDGs are still unfinished business but what this new framework has done is provide, first of all, the recognition of building on the MDGs with a little bit more ambition. But to do so, we do have to look at strong governments and institutions. We need strong partnerships and the funding that comes with that. What we have is a response that is still valid, even more today because of the kind of political turmoil we see ourselves in. First of all, I think Africa is trying to make those strides that are necessary to achieving SDG 5 (Gender Equality). But the approach to development in Africa has always been ad hoc, and I think we have been pitting some of our greatest challenges against each other in terms of making choices. For example, we will say, Well we have to make a choice between a woman and health. Or a woman and an education budget. And I think this is where we have got it wrong. The fact is that women are an integral part of any investment, be it in health, in education, in agriculture, etc. Africa needs to recognize that our human resources are the biggest asset base that we have, and to ignore investing in 50% of it, is just foolhardy and affects results, as well as the rights that women have in their lives. Regarding gender-based violence, I believe as a human family, the first thing we have to do is draw up our sphere of tolerance. And then to look at what we need to put in place to ensure that tolerance becomes a sustainable part of our community. In Nigeria, for instance, gender-based violence takes many different forms depending on cultural practices. And there’s been a lot of work that the United Nations has done to overcome some of them. But new incidences are being seen, as we face the complexities of some of the conflicts we have in the northeast, for instance, with Boko Haram kidnappings, the rapes and the sex for food. These are unacceptable but again, you have some gains in other parts of the country where we have greatly reduced some of [the harmful] cultural practices. And in the DRC, where Goma was once known as the rape capital of the world, they have made strides and put in place people who are responsible for trying to reverse the tide. Working with UN Women and our special representative on sexual violence in conflict, we have seen a huge reduction, although not enough, because we said zero tolerance. However, we need to scale this up and share the best practice. Wow. We have so many young women and people around the world and around Africa that I come across and I also look up to them. A New African Woman is strong and is at the top of her game in informing and shaping the future of Africa on every level: economically, politically, environmentally, because we are there in all these fields. It is also about African women’s rights and aspirations. African women are closing the gap between the realities of today and our aspirations for tomorrow. I think it starts first of all for from where we create access to education, and the curriculum that we put in place for it. And we talk about the scientific basis that we find we must have in early childcare. I think early childcare is not in a classroom, but very much in Africa today, it needs to start with adult literacy and mothers because as African women, and in our cultures – our children are with us until they’re three, attached at the hip, if you would. So I think that we need to find creative ways of bringing education into the home, and not taking kids to institutions at that early age. So early childhood education, for me, is one transformation that happens together with a mother [for] that bonding in the community, where we say that Africa is brought up by a village and not by a couple of people. So, really bringing that community learning into early child care. Then, building on that, the primary and secondary education that we need. One that really looks at that intrinsic value of education to a person, a person’s identity from their cultures, their religion, the good practices – so we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – we’re always referring to harmful cultural practices, and we never look at it from the positive side. And that we move on from things that we did not know were so harmful because they were so cultural, or so male-vested. And we need to move on. But there are some good things there. And then really, to begin to build the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy, by putting the digital in front so that we’re not waiting until ‘oh, Africa is ready, or Africa has the resources right at the beginning. Our ambition is for each child, as a global citizen, and not just an African citizen, but to bring that whole technology and learning into an environment. What I’m trying to say is that as we learn to have pride and independence of one’s being, how that contributes from the inside out. So you’re not just looking at capacities and skills to connect to the outside world without understanding anything about who you are, and the part that you play in your own ecosystem. I do this because I was part of an education system that did this, although I have to say that we had a broader education. But as years have gone on, that curriculum has become loaded. It has lost its core. And I think people are struggling with who they are, and who they are is such a contradiction to people who want us to join this global family. And I think that we are richer for it if we identify with what we really are. The question of diversity for me is far deeper than the narrow, silo approach that we are seeing on diversity now. The diversity piece has lost its meaning, because we’ve sort of pigeonholed different parts of our society that are different, and will choose to live differently. And what we need to see is healthy respect, and that these are the threads of our human fabric. And as such, each thread matters, each thread makes the fabric stronger, not weaker. So the less threads we have, that we leave behind, the weaker that fabric. And I think if you say that to people, then they see themselves in the fabric. It’s not you against us. And that’s what really draws me to the Arch [Desmond Tutu]. Because I think he really taught us how to respect what’s behind our skin. It’s us, it’s human beings. And as you’re born, you’re incredibly free of everything, and depending where you land, is what shapes you. I think essentially, we’ve got to have a few conversations with ourselves. And there has to be a huge amount of courage that what you’re doing is shaping the future. I mean, concretely, shaping that future for your people with what you know is the right thing. And this is our leaders, and I’m saying leaders at different levels, because the leaders that we point to and look to as inspirations and heroes, they’re all gone now. And I don’t know who we point to, to replace them. Because today, we’re so critical of the person, we’re so judgmental of the person, and we miss the message that that person carries. I think people like the Arch and Madiba [Nelson Mandela] always recognized their failings. And so people didn’t have a chance to throw any stones at them. What came out was ‘okay, I’m not perfect, I’m not God, but these are the things that I believe in, these are the things that I will fight for’. So as human beings, what we look to is what they stood for. And I’m not sure today that we give so much grace to leaders. And I think that we have to think and listen to what the leader is saying and doing, rather than judge what’s in the closet. Everybody’s got a closet, and some worse than others. But if that person takes a good message that does no harm, that brings people together, that forwards Africa, we need to find that community. We have a responsibility as followers to get behind them to do the right thing. So conversation, really serious conversation. Whether it happens in the African Union [AU], and I have to tell you that in the AU, when leaders try to get together to have a closed-door meeting, the international community wants to be in on it. Even I, as an African, say to people, ‘oo, I’m the United Nations’. That’s their conversation they need to have. I can have a private one as well, as a brother or sister conversation to them. But in this piece here, give them space, because every one of them has baggage, and that baggage is colonial. And many of them are tied to it inextricably, and it’s hard. So what common ground can they come together on to move us forward? And I think that the fact that we’re seeing no solidarity with Africa right now has actually empowered a conversation. I think the United Nations has been helpful for a sanguine Economic Commission for Africa that did a lot of work with the Minister of Finance. So they were able to take the issues in an international arena and argue them, and it’s quite difficult for our people to do that because essentially, they’re in their own bubble, fighting the day-to-day challenges of broken democracies and an incredibly different set of difficult situations, conflict, etc. I think we’ve been told what to do and what’s good for us. And we have to come back and determine what is good for us. That’s why I said for education, it’s really important we think about that. And we think about what skills are going to put a kid, from when they get into school for 15 years, to the workplace? Is it the skills of tomorrow?" Then you hear what’s going on in South Africa with AI, and you’re thinking, ‘okay, what is the transition going to look like? How do we build that capacity? How do we look at the financial architecture, which was really built for another era, and not for our development – [what about] access courses or even profiting from the natural resources that we have, so that we can build?’ And so it’s going to be complex, because we are many, and our issues are very complex. We need to think, ‘what is the low hanging fruit for a politician that is bound by a four or five-year cycle of democracy and elective office, to one that is longer?’ Longer term means you need institutional memory; that means that the services the institutions need to be able to carry us through these different cycles of elections. The policy somersaults that we are feeling right now, I guess they feel them in the United Kingdom, they feel them in countries in Europe now that are going so far right from being so far left. So, it’s important, and then I think that, the more we educate people, the better constituencies we have for engaging. You can’t engage with one person, one vote, when there is quite frankly, a lack of education as to understanding why the vote, and what’s my vote worth? Is it $5? Or is it educational reform, and health services, and things that are my rights, that’s what my vote is. So it’s a little bit of a journey, as you know, the long road to freedom – the road is still being tracked. There are so many. Climate for me is the biggest challenge that we have, and opportunity. So when a farmer says to me that this is not about a flood, or temperatures, it’s about I wake up in the morning and my crop is gone because of a dust storm, and that dust storm has come because of drought, and my farm is gone, my livelihood is gone. And then the livelihoods of all these Maasai women and men that I met, their livelihoods, their cattle have died. You see the carcasses on the road. And we don’t want to talk about that much. But that’s assets that have just been taken away. And so when Kenya is dealing with that, they’re saying, ‘okay, right now, the private sector is coming in, and we’re asking them to put a fund together, so they buy the cattle before they die’. So there are resources for that community, for the hard times, and they can replenish stock. Then we have put things together that will help us to build back with a level of resilience. Those are real stories. They are real situations that have to sometimes find their way into the media, into the headlines. Not so much the misery of it, but the way that we can prevent it and then link that to the 1.5 degrees. I think there’s a disconnect between science, the 1.5 degrees and the reality on the ground. We need to link it, we need to say a third of Pakistan is underwater, because we’ve just had floods that are melting glaciers, and we can tie that to China, and it’s industrial pollution. We can do all this. So how do you tell the story? I listened to an elder just three days ago, and his eyesight had gone. And all he said was ‘we’re very grateful for what you’ve been able to give us here, but there’s a lot of people you can’t see that haven’t been able to get to this’. And the first thing he said was women and people with disabilities. And it just made me think, ‘wow, this person right now is not talking about can we have more for me and my tribe’, which is what generally gets into a story, he’s been very specific about the people that are being left behind, that we don’t see. I think he’s given me fodder for my advocacy. Because when I go back into those sterile rooms, that somehow craft language that I don’t understand, and many people don’t understand, we can break it down. And this is where I think the partnership with the media is so important. This is a new partnership that we need to have. “To be a leader, you need courage.” 15 Life Quotes By Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa ofentseolunloyo.com(18 May 2020) “Leadership is about self-empowerment and self-envisioning.” 15 Life Quotes By Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa ofentseolunloyo.com(18 May 2020) “Leadership is a process of learning.” 15 Life Quotes By Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa ofentseolunloyo.com(18 May 2020) “An untrusting leader creates difficulties.” 15 Life Quotes By Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa ofentseolunloyo.com(18 May 2020) “Intellectual capability is not synonymous with leadership capability.” 15 Life Quotes By Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa ofentseolunloyo.com(18 May 2020) “I like to work with smart people. I am not afraid to be amongst people who are more intelligent than me.” 15 Life Quotes By Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa ofentseolunloyo.com(18 May 2020)“ “Your mindset drives everything.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “Failure should not be the norm, especially today.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “You need to take advantage of the opportunities in your environment.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “The opportunities in South Africa are immense. You just have to be “willing to take advantage of them.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “To be successful, you need to do the detailed work that no one else is willing to do.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “Be the best person you can be in whatever you choose to do.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “A good work ethic, consistency and focus always pay off.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “To be successful, you need a consistent work ethic and focus.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “Your focus determines your decisions.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “If you’re not focused, you will be moving from one thing to the next without gaining any depth.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “To build a career, learn as much as you can, put in the time and put in as much work as you can.” 25 Legendary Phuti Mahanyele Quotes on Work Ethic ofentseolunloyo.com (6 May 2020) “It’s not about the number of hours you spend in the office. 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We need leaders to close these gaps." Get involved in society, to help build SA theherald.co.za (5 JUN 2014) "If you don't like something, you need to act to end it. You need to envision an alternative. Building a democracy is not just about the destruction of apartheid, but also about the building up of alternatives. We have to build a different future, we are all adults who know Father Christmas does not exist." Get involved in society, to help build SA theherald.co.za (5 JUN 2014) "A strong civil society has power beyond formal politics. We need to re-empower ourselves and make institutions work for us. Speak out about things that impact your life. Plough back and lift as you rise," Get involved in society, to help build SA theherald.co.za (5 JUN 2014) "We are not using all of our country's talent, which is not a gender issue but an economic issue. Women are under-represented across the economy. The informal sector is the only place where women outnumber men." Get involved in society, to help build SA theherald.co.za (5 JUN 2014) "Their concerns and interests are often not reflected in company practices and informal interactions. We need to challenge the social expectations around women's domestic role." Get involved in society, to help build SA theherald.co.za (5 JUN 2014) "We need to stop this nonsense about deployment – putting the wrong people in the right positions. We need to choose our leadership very seriously, because leadership is a serious business. Get involved in society, to help build SA theherald.co.za (5 JUN 2014) "We are not in trouble as a country. Our country is on autopilot. Our president is sitting in the cockpit and thank goodness he is not touching anything," Get involved in society, to help build SA theherald.co.za (5 JUN 2014) "If you want to be a leader, certain parts of your life are going to suffer. Decide which ones and then accept it," Mouton said. Get involved in society, to help build SA theherald.co.za (5 JUN 2014) “We need to have these conversations with men. If we are to have change, we need men, and to understand the psyche of the men who believe in us.” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “Dignity and belief in myself was ingrained at young age by my parents. I believed I could be more, and I channeled my anger to invest in myself, as I knew I had it in me to be whatever I wanted to.” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “Equal is the core of the message. You can’t start with the basis that we are different as then you have already lost.” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “Women can be as effective as male leaders. We must just get over that stereotype.” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “The book gives young women a message of possibility that women can in fact be leaders.” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “The more women that excel and perform, the more the stereotype of women not supporting others in a similar situation is destroyed. If you get a seat at the table, part of your job is to make more seats available. We must reach down as we climb up.” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “It is important for us to be the enablers. We have access to education, and women in positions of leadership must make the time to speak in schools and act as role models and mentors.” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “This will only change when mindsets change and we have an inclusive culture,” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “The same rules have been there for decades. Try to break some of them,” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “In any organisation you go into, there are certain rules. You have to be politically savvy and learn to navigate around the conventions. Be sure to deliver what is expected of you, but also to earn respect. Understand the dynamic, but never compromise or sell your soul.” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “Our mindset every day is a battle. If we have an inclusive culture everyone will be able to perform at their best,” Equal but different – Dr Judy Dlamini leader.co.za “Investing in women is not just a social good; it's an economic imperative." For right and returns -how empowering women transforms markets idh.org (28 March 2025) "Gender diversity is not just about ticking boxes; it's about unlocking the full potential of our workforce. Companies that prioritize gender equality are not only more ethical but also more innovative and competitive." For right and returns -how empowering women transforms markets idh.org (28 March 2025) "gender equality is not only a social imperative but also a key driver of business growth,” For right and returns -how empowering women transforms markets idh.org (28 March 2025) Investing in women's economic empowerment is one of the most effective ways to drive inclusive growth and reduce poverty." For right and returns -how empowering women transforms markets idh.org (28 March 2025) “We committed R1.4 billion to Naspers Foundry over a 3-year period, with the aim of funding and backing promising entrepreneurs with early-stage tech companies. Foundry is all about helping South African entrepreneurs build great tech businesses. We provide a unique blend of venture capital and deep operational experience, and have discovered that the entrepreneurs and founders we back find it hugely beneficial that they are able to tap into our global experience and expertise as they grow their businesses,” Corporate powerhouse Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers SA, is on a mission to uncover South African tech start-ups and scale them to become significant global players that positively impact lives, create much-needed jobs and contribute to the country’s ailing economy. acumenmagazine.co.za (Aug 17, 2020) “The first investment Foundry made was into SweepSouth, a tech business led by a black woman. I am proud of the fact that we are a significant investor in Aisha Pandor’s business which has created employment for more than 15,000 people. I have come across a number of start-up business owners who credit her with their growth. This speaks to the saying that ‘when you help a woman, you help a nation’,” Corporate powerhouse Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers SA, is on a mission to uncover South African tech start-ups and scale them to become significant global players that positively impact lives, create much-needed jobs and contribute to the country’s ailing economy. acumenmagazine.co.za (Aug 17, 2020) “we need more of a partnership approach in which men and women play complementary roles, and one in which they learn from each other. I do believe that this ultimately leads to greater gender equality in the workplace where we work beside each other, rather than in the traditional hierarchical manner,” Corporate powerhouse Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers SA, is on a mission to uncover South African tech start-ups and scale them to become significant global players that positively impact lives, create much-needed jobs and contribute to the country’s ailing economy. acumenmagazine.co.za (Aug 17, 2020) “I am part of the global group management committee, and as CEO South Africa, my role includes supporting the group’s day-to-day activities in South Africa, helping to shape the strategy for the group here, and engaging stakeholders at the highest levels to help realise our goals as a JSE-listed company. Corporate powerhouse Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers SA, is on a mission to uncover South African tech start-ups and scale them to become significant global players that positively impact lives, create much-needed jobs and contribute to the country’s ailing economy. acumenmagazine.co.za (Aug 17, 2020) “I find it hugely gratifying to lead a team that helps entrepreneurs scale and grow their businesses. This is, after all, what I have been doing for most of my career – investing in companies that show potential,” Corporate powerhouse Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers SA, is on a mission to uncover South African tech start-ups and scale them to become significant global players that positively impact lives, create much-needed jobs and contribute to the country’s ailing economy. acumenmagazine.co.za (Aug 17, 2020) “We have a lot of experience in technology-enabled learning and have partnered with local experts in the youth development sector with this initiative. Our management team understands the importance of transformation given our country’s history and the pervasive inequality in our country and we are fully committed to advancing our transformation efforts in South Africa. Mentoring and supporting young South Africans has always been a personal crusade of mine, so I am glad that I am able to do this work in a professional capacity too,” Corporate powerhouse Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers SA, is on a mission to uncover South African tech start-ups and scale them to become significant global players that positively impact lives, create much-needed jobs and contribute to the country’s ailing economy. acumenmagazine.co.za (Aug 17, 2020) “All our businesses have continuity plans and we are continuously assessing potential impacts and supporting our businesses as they take appropriate, market-specific action as needed. Given that we are running a global business, the challenges of Covid-19 will vary by sector and geography, but we have teams, resources and the experience required to navigate these challenges. Our priority has been the well-being of our employees and the communities in which we operate,” Corporate powerhouse Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers SA, is on a mission to uncover South African tech start-ups and scale them to become significant global players that positively impact lives, create much-needed jobs and contribute to the country’s ailing economy. acumenmagazine.co.za (Aug 17, 2020) “Women leadership is key; not only in what we say, but in what we do. If you look at our board, the last six directors that have been brought on to the board are all women. ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “From the chairman, our group CEO and all of us as executive leaders, we are focused on ensuring women are able to play a role in tech and play leadership roles in tech. ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “It’s wonderful to be in an organisation that is pushing for that, but it’s also good to see how other organisations within the tech industry have been focused on that area.” ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “To be actively involved in this industry is something that I have found to be empowering and hugely enlightening, particularly when I have conversations with people who are concerned about issues of how AI [artificial intelligence] could potentially impact jobs, etc,” ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “The reality is that with the presence of AI and with us being able to learn more and grow more, it actually creates the ability for us to focus on different types of jobs that are a lot more in line with the way that we should be thinking, as opposed to rudimentary day-to-day type of tasks that can be done by machines.” ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “It’s been good to see how, from a delivery perspective, we’ve been able to have efficiencies with the use of AI as well – so route optimisation – looking at a number of different aspects of our business.” ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “Ethical AI is something that’s of importance to us, so with everything that we do, we’re ensuring ethics is a big part of it as well…that is what we are really focused on.” ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “In SA and the African continent, we don’t have enough early-stage and start-up capital, and that is a big stumbling block, not only for the continent, but also just for us as the future. ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “I think what we need are a lot more venture capital funders, a lot more risk-taking type of funders within our realms, to really look at South Africa ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “There was a period where we lost several key international funders in the private equity / venture capital area, so we need to attract a lot more of them. As financiers, they are looking to have access to different markets – they don’t want to have markets only in one geography. ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “If we are in a market that is growing and have environments that will create value for them, we can then become more attractive to sources of capital…there’s no reason why any entrepreneur should not have access to capital. The reality is that South Africa has not been able to attract a lot of those venture-type of financiers, but we need to do that.” ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “When we put out the ad in India, we thought it would garner just a little bit of attention, and we were astounded by the numbers of applicants. We have continued with that, and we’ll be bringing that here to South Africa,” ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “We’ll be making an announcement soon as well with respect to that…really focusing on women entrepreneurs. This will be a competitive process where we want to select three or four organisations that will then receive some capital, which hopefully they'll be able to use in their businesses.” ITWeb TV: Naspers SA CEO advocates for women leadership roles in tech itweb.co.za (7 Oct 2026) “Connectivity is an area that telecoms companies are investing heavily into every single year.” Bridging the digital divide with ambitious plan to connect a billion people by 2030 dailymaverick.co.za (2 Oct 2025) “We are ensuring that we can get as many young people to have access to digital education as well.” Bridging the digital divide with ambitious plan to connect a billion people by 2030 dailymaverick.co.za (2 Oct 2025) “In a world where old certainties are fracturing, global supply chains that once seemed permanent are being redrawn, technology is not neutral. It is the new terrain on which power is being claimed. The nations and regions that master it will shape the coming century.” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za (2 june 2026 ) “Africa cannot afford to be a consumer in this new order. We must be creators: not just of products, but of the frameworks, the ethics, the governance structures that will determine how these technologies serve our people.” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za ( 2june 2026 ) “Rather than adopting standards set elsewhere, Africa should be setting standards – particularly around data sovereignty, algorithmic accountability, and AI labour transitions,” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za (2 june 2026 ) “the next chapter of global technology will not be written without Africa”. Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za (2 june 2026 ) “Our markets are too large, our talent too abundant, our potential too significant to ignore. However, Africa’s digital future will not be fulfilled in isolation. It will require intentional global partnerships – on capital, on standards, on talent, on trade. Not partnerships of dependency, but partnerships of mutual ambition and value.” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za ( 2june 2026 ) “We need to reframe digitalisation as a strategy for economic inclusion. Inclusion isn’t a byproduct of digitalisation, it must be the design principle. Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za (2 june 2026 ) “When I look at programmes like the Takealot Township Economy Initiative, which is targeting 20 000 new jobs by 2028, I see digital platforms acting as economic shock absorbers, turning local businesses into national competitors,” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za (2 june 2026 ) “Following the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU), we are seeing the green shoots of stability – inflation moderating, a stabilised energy grid, and an improved credit outlook. Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za ( 2june 2026 ) “But stability is merely the platform. The engine of growth is the digital economy.” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za (2 june 2026 ) “While many African economies, including South Africa, were built on extraction of minerals and raw materials exported for processing abroad, our future prosperity will be defined by what the continent builds on a platform of digital infrastructure,” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za(2 june 2026 ) “M-Pesa wasn’t invented in a research lab in Silicon Valley. Safaricom developed it in Kenya from watching how Kenyans actually moved money, actually lived their economic lives. Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za ( 2june 2026 ) “This is innovation and digitalisation designed for Africa, by Africa. We didn’t just adopt technology, we adapted it. We took tools designed for different contexts and bent them to our realities.” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za 2( june 2026 ) “The window for Africa to claim its place in the technological future is open, but it will not stay open forever. The decisions made in the next decade, by governments and businesses, will determine whether we lead or follow, whether we write the rules or live by rules written elsewhere.” Africa must be the architect of its digital future stellenboschbusiness.ac.za(2 june 2026 ) External Link Category:Women academics from Nigeria Category:Women diplomats Category:Company founders Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Women politicians in Nigeria Category:Muslims from Nigeria Category:People from Liverpool Category:Government ministers of Nigeria Category:United Nations officials