The BBC has published a list of prominent and inspiring women for 2023. The women were chosen from all across the world and represent a variety of fields and professions/trades.
Among them are attorney and former US First Lady Michelle Obama, Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmat, and AI expert Timnit Gebru. Among the others are feminist icon Gloria Steinem, Hollywood actress America Ferrera, and beauty magnate Huda Kattan.
Thirteen of the 100 women on the list are African. The women from Africa who made the list are listed below.
1. Jennifer Uchendu, Nigeria
Jennifer Unchendu is a mental health advocate from Nigeria. Her most recent research has focused on the effects of the climate crisis on the mental health of young Africans. She founded The Eco-Anxiety Africa Project (TEAP), which aims to validate and protect Africans’ climate emotions through study, activism, and climate-aware psychotherapy.
3. Zandile Ndhlovu, South Africa
Ndhlovu is the first black female freediving teacher in South Africa. Her objective is to broaden access to the ocean. This inspired her to establish The Black Mermaid Foundation, which introduces young people and communities to the water. According to the BBC, she believes that the foundation will assist new groups in using these areas recreationally, professionally, and in sports.
4. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is a veterinarian and conservationist from Uganda. According to the BBC, she works to conserve the country’s endangered mountain gorillas, whose habitat is being degraded by climate change. She also owns Conservation Through Public Health, a non-governmental organization that supports biodiversity conservation. Her NGO assists people, gorillas, and other wildlife in coexisting while improving their health and habitat.
5. Esi Buobasa, Ghana
Esi is a fishmonger by trade. She is from Fuveme, a sea-washed Ghanaian settlement. After witnessing firsthand the effects of climate change, she founded an organization to assist fisherwomen in the region, whose source of income is endangered by coastal erosion. There are approximately 100 ladies in the organization.
6. Neema Namadamu, Democratic Republic of Congo
Neema Namadamu is an activist for disability rights. Her non-governmental organization, The Network Hero Women Rising, uses education and technology to magnify women’s voices and teach them to advocate for their rights. She became crippled at the age of two and went on to become her family’s first university graduate. She later became a member of parliament.
7. Ulanda Mtamba, Malawi
Ulanda is an outspoken opponent of child marriage. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), she “grew up in a community in Lilongwe, Malawi, which gave very little support towards women’s education, with many girls pressured into dropping out of school to marry before the age of 18.”
She defied the community’s expectations by earning not only a degree but also a post-graduate degree.
8. Vee Kativhu, Zimbabwe/UK
Vee Kativhu is a Zimbabwean content creator and YouTuber. She is the founder of Empowered by Vee, a platform that aims to make higher education more accessible to unsupported or under-represented students around the world. She holds degrees from Oxford and Harvard.
9. Shamsa Araweelo, Somalia/UK
Shamsa is a crusader against female genital mutilation (FGM). She is dedicated to putting an end to FGM through education and increasing awareness through her direct and compelling web videos. According to the BBC, with over 70 million views on TikTok, she wants to ensure that no one is left in the dark.
10. Paulina Chiziane, Mozambique
Paulina Chiziane was the first woman in Mozambique to publish a novel. Her writing has been translated into a number of languages, including English, German, and Spanish.
11. Susan Chomba, Kenya
Chomba is a scientist who is concerned with the preservation of forests, the restoration of landscapes, and the transformation of Africa’s food systems. She presently works as a director for the World Resources Institute (WRI).
12. Wanjira Mathai, Kenya
Wanjira Mathai is an environmental consultant. She was named after her mother, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. She is recognized for founding the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, an indigenous grassroots group that empowered women through tree planting.
She is now the World Resources Institute’s managing director for Africa and Global Partnerships, as well as the head of the Wangari Maathai Foundation. She also advises the Bezos Earth Fund, the Clean Cooking Alliance, and the European Climate Foundation on Africa.
13. Najla Mohamed-Lamin, Western Sahara
Mohamed-Lamin’s parents are from Western Sahara and were born and reared in Saharawi refugee camps in south-west Algeria. She studied overseas after crowdfunding her tuition and graduated in sustainable development and women’s studies before returning to the camps to assist more than 200,000 Saharawi refugees with water and food insecurity, according to the BBC.