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Some African female trailblazers and how they made it
As more women lace their boots to hit the ground running in 2022 and beyond, we take a trot across the continent and put together short stories of some African women who continue to blaze the trail in their respective sectors.
Salima Mukansanga
First is Salima Mukansanga, Africa’s first woman to officiate as centre referee at the Africa Cup of Nations. The 33-year-old Rwandan is one of the four female match officials selected for the tournament which kicked off on January 9, 2022, in Cameroon.
She became the first-female centre referee since the inception of the tournament, making history in the match between Zimbabwe and Guinea.
She had previously officiated at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan; 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, 2018 female under 17 World Cup, Under 23 Olympic qualifiers, Africa Women’s Nations Cup, CAF Women’s Champions League, Rwandan League matches, among others.
Salima Mukansanga was listed among the 63 officials at a tournament hosted in Cameroon. Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) were the other three females worked as assistant referees.
Precious Sibalo
From working as a waitress, she rose through the ranks to become a Commercial Pilot.
She is a former Cabin Crew at Qatar Airways and holds an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) from 43 Air School, South Africa. Her late mother had her at age 17 and she was raised by her grandparents.
At age 17, she also had a child and immediately relocated to South Africa because she could no longer proceed to the University. Upon arriving in South Africa she worked as a waitress, but all this could not stop her from achieving her dream.
“I used the job of a waitress as a stepping stone. Some people will always say I will never take this job; take it and use it as a stepping stone.
“Work with excellence and cultivate your knowledge because knowledge is power. The waitress job took me to Dubai and paved a way for my job at Qatar Airways,” she said.
Precious is currently working on her Flight Instructors Rating and flying to build hours in South Africa, in an effort to achieve her next goal – flying big planes at Qatar Airways.
Sinethemba Masinga
She is a second-generation farmer and has been involved in farming from a young age, working closely with her parents. Her farm produce include – nuts, yams, sweet potatoes, dry beans, green beans, eggplant, green peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, among others.
As Director of the farm, she is involved in the day to day manual labour on the farm.
“If I’m not monitoring basic tasks like fencing, fetching water and supervising harvesting, I keep also the records of the farms accurate and up-to-date.
“I handle our business account to manage all our monthly expenses and payrolls and make sure the profits we make are used for emergencies or saving towards resources for labour on the farms,” she said.
She believes “the only way for more young women to be involved in farming is to change their minds.”
“Farming is for everyone and should not be associated with any gender. There are no limits to the positions women can fill in the agricultural sector. The sky is the limit; young women should go grab those opportunities, break the chains to motivate and create jobs for the generations to come,” she said.
Maud Chifamba
Born in abject poverty, she is now a Chartered Accountant, Education Content Creator and Advocate. At age 14, she became one of the youngest University students in Africa.
She obtained a Bachelor of Accountancy (Honours degree) at age 18 and a Master of Science (MSc) in Accountancy at age 20 from the University of Zimbabwe.
Chifamba lost her father when she was just five years old. Her mother was suffering from cancer and she could not take care of her younger brother.
When she was in grade ‘3’ in 2005, she was mistakenly given a grade ‘4’ exam paper but managed and scored 100 per cent. The same year, she requested for a grade ‘5’ test paper and passed with distinction. She went on to finish grade 7 at the age of nine.
In 2009, Chifamba did not have money for high school, she studied on her own and completed her Ordinary Level in just two years. She was later identified by the Ministry of Education and awarded financial assistance for her A levels.
She lost her mother in 2011 but against all odds, at age 23, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe and certified as a Public Accountant by the Public Accountants and Auditors Board, Zimbabwe.
— WomenPowerAfrica
By Spectator Reporter
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ASWIM lauds Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang
The Association of Women in the Media, (ASWIM) has congratulated Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang on her historic achievement as Ghana’s first female Vice President.
The association said her trailblazing journey with sterling accomplishments from academia to politics, is undoubtedly, a vivid inspiration to countless women and girls across Ghana and Africa.
This was contained in a statement signed by its president, Mrs Mavis Kitcher, and copied to The Spectator on Tuesday in Accra.
“ASWIM celebrates your remarkable career, marked by numerous firsts, including the first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, (UCC), and the first female to hold a professional chair in Ghana, (UCC),” the statement said.
It said the accomplishments of Prof Opoku- Agyemang were clear testament to the brilliance, resilience and resourceful nature of the complete beautiful African woman.
“As she takes on this new role, ASWIM proudly lauds her commitment to education, women’s empowerment, distinguished public service and patriotism and is very confident that her pursuit of excellence, love for humanity, humility, decency, modesty and commitment to the welfare of the vulnerable will characterise Ghana’s political leadership and public service,” the statement added.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
Entertainment
Demolition of Fantasy Dome unfair — Mark Okraku-Mantey
Months after the Fantasy Dome was dismantled to make way for construction at the Ghana International Trade Fair site, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Mark Okraku-Mantey, has expressed concern over the manner the facility was destroyed.
In an interview on Daybreak Hitz with Andy Dosty, Mr Okraku-Mantey criticised the handling of the dome’s dismantling, suggesting that it could have been done without causing damage.
“I don’t think that leadership gave instructions that they should do what happened. The structure was a prefab but I hear the people destroyed it. That one, we cannot defend it. It is unfair to him (owner). Sometimes, you give instructions and people will go and do things that will make you look bad,” he stated.
When asked about any punitive measure against the workers responsible for the destruction, Mr Okraku-Mantey clarified that the Trade Fair does not fall under his ministry.
He said he had previously contacted the owner, Leslie Quaynor, to discuss relocating the dome, and even suggested the National Museum as a potential site, though it was too small.
The demolition of the 20,000-seater Fantasy Dome occurred on March 16, 2024.
According to Dr Agnes Adu, CEO of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, the action was taken after multiple notices were given to Quaynor to vacate the premises for redevelopment, as per their tenancy agreement.
Dr Adu noted that all previous tenants had complied except for the Fantasy Dome.
Quaynor, in an interview with JoyNews, confirmed that his lease had ended, and was in the process of relocating the dome.
He had requested an extension, which was denied, leading him to seek a writ and an injunction from an Accra High Court to halt the demolition.
Despite this, the demolition proceeded, causing significant damage to the structure.
Quaynor described the incident as a major setback, not only for his business but also for the entertainment industry, which relies on venues like the Fantasy Dome.
