EMPOWA
HER™
LEADERSHIP
SUMMIT 2026

Africa has no shortage of talented, ambitious and capable young women. The greater challenge is ensuring that this talent is systematically identified, developed and connected to opportunity.

EmpowaHer™ has been purposefully structured to move beyond inspiration. It provides a practical leadership pipeline connecting emerging women leaders with senior executives, employers, investors, development-finance institutions, business schools, entrepreneurs, policymakers, mentors and professional organisations capable of advancing their careers, enterprises and leadership journeys.

The Summit will equip delegates with the commercial insight, leadership capability, institutional exposure and high-value relationships required to advance their careers, grow sustainable enterprises, strengthen their financial agency and contribute meaningfully to Africa's competitiveness.

Aligned with the strategic priorities of the EmpowaHer™ Leadership Summit 2026 | THE FUTURE IS FEMALE™, the programme will advance:

• Women's leadership, representation and participation in decision-making;
• Education, employability, future skills and career mobility;
• Entrepreneurship, enterprise funding and market access;
• Digital leadership, artificial intelligence, innovation and responsible influence;
• Financial literacy, investing, ownership and wealth creation;
• Health, wellness, safety and sustainable leadership;
• Citizenship, patriotism and measurable social impact;
• Executive development, mentorship and global exposure; and
• Governance, board readiness and institutional leadership.

Through executive dialogues, practical masterclasses, leadership laboratories, curated networking exchanges and opportunity platforms, delegates will engage directly with leaders and institutions capable of supporting their professional, entrepreneurial and leadership advancement.

The Summit will culminate in a graduation finale and measurable leadership commitments designed to translate knowledge into career mobility, enterprise growth, financial independence, community impact and increased participation in executive and board leadership.

The Summit is intended for high-potential women aged 18–35 across a broad range of professional, entrepreneurial and leadership pathways, including, but not limited to:

• Graduates and Young Achievers;
• Emerging Professionals;
• Technical Specialists;
• High-Potential Managers;
• Managing Executives;
• Young C-Suite Executives;
• Venture Entrepreneurs;
• Social Impact Leaders;
• Aspiring Board Members; and
• Youth Civic Leaders.

Nominees should demonstrate leadership potential, professional ambition, entrepreneurial or technical capability, integrity, community commitment and a clear desire to contribute meaningfully to Africa's economic, institutional and social development.

Every candidate must be formally nominated or endorsed by an authorised senior leader, executive or recognised mentor within the nominating organisation, institution, industry or professional network.

Eligible nominators may include:

• Ministers and Deputy Ministers;
• Directors-General and Deputy Directors-General;
• Ambassadors, High Commissioners and senior diplomatic representatives;
• Chairpersons and members of boards;
• Chief Executive Officers and other C-Suite executives across industries;
• Managing Directors and Executive Directors;
• Media executives and editors;
• Established entrepreneurs and business leaders;
• Vice-Chancellors and Deputy Vice-Chancellors;
• Deans and Heads of Faculty;
• Leaders of professional, industry and civil-society organisations;
• Recognised mentors and leadership-development practitioners; and
• Other appropriately mandated senior institutional leaders.

To promote diversity, extend the opportunity across the continent and secure broad institutional representation, only one delegate will be selected from each participating organisation or institution.

Organisations are therefore encouraged to undertake a considered internal selection process and nominate the candidate who most strongly demonstrates leadership potential, readiness for advancement and the capacity to multiply the value of the opportunity within her institution, industry, profession or community.

All nominations will be independently assessed against the programme's eligibility requirements, leadership criteria, institutional representation objectives and available capacity. Submission of a nomination does not guarantee selection.

EmpowaHer™ offers media organisations a timely, commercially relevant and content-rich platform from which to examine one of Africa's most consequential economic and development priorities: how the continent identifies, develops and advances its next generation of women leaders.

The Summit will provide access to senior decision-makers, established women leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, emerging executives and young professionals whose experiences illuminate both the structural barriers women continue to face and the practical interventions capable of accelerating meaningful progress.

For media houses and their audiences, EmpowaHer™ presents compelling opportunities for:

• Exclusive interviews with senior leaders, speakers and delegates;
• Profiles of emerging women leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs;
• Expert commentary on leadership, employment and the future of work;
• Conversations about entrepreneurship, access to capital and participation in markets;
• Reporting on artificial intelligence, digital influence and innovation;
• Features on personal finance, investing, ownership and generational wealth;
• Discussions about women's health, safety and sustainable performance;
• Analysis of executive leadership, governance and board representation;
• Human-interest stories demonstrating measurable career, enterprise and community impact; and
• Live broadcasts, panel conversations, thought-leadership features and digital-content partnerships.

The platform enables media audiences to move beyond familiar narratives about inequality and engage with the people, ideas, investments and institutional solutions shaping a more inclusive, innovative and competitive African economy.

Companies, government departments, diplomatic missions, educational institutions, professional bodies, entrepreneurial organisations, media organisations, civil-society organisations and community-based organisations are invited to nominate one exceptional, high-potential woman from their respective institutions or networks.

Self-nominations will not be considered.

EmpowaHer™ | THE FUTURE IS FEMALE™ is an executive leadership and advancement platform established to identify, develop, connect and accelerate Africa's next generation of exceptional women leaders aged 18–35.

The platform bridges the gap between potential and opportunity by connecting emerging women leaders with education, employment, entrepreneurship, capital, markets, mentorship, executive development, global exposure and board-readiness pathways.

EmpowaHer™ brings together leaders from business, government, academia, civil society, media, diplomacy and the development community to build a coordinated and sustainable pipeline of women equipped to lead institutions, grow enterprises, shape public policy and contribute meaningfully to Africa’s economic and social advancement.

Through immersive leadership experiences, practical learning, high-value networks and measurable opportunity commitments, EmpowaHer™ seeks to move women from participation to influence, from ambition to achievement, and from leadership to enduring legacy.

EmpowaHer™ is an initiative of EmpowaWorx™, an integrated strategy, communications, stakeholder-engagement, leadership-development and experiential-events company committed to developing people, enterprises, institutions and communities across Africa.