The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, launched by a UN Summit in New York in September 2015, calls for us to “leave no one behind.” As gallantas this may sound, this vision cannot be realised without the full participationand empowerment of women, who make up half the world’s population.

In Africa, Women’s Day is commemorated annually on 31 July, although some countries on the continent celebrate at different times of the year. It is a day to remember and celebrate the contributions that African women have made, and to recognise the critical role that women have and continue to play in the development of the continent.

According to a new global report released by UN Women and UNDP (United Nations organisations) at the Women Deliver Conference held in Kigali, Rwanda in July 2023, no country has achieved full gender parity, and fewer than one percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap.

Empowering women not only improves the lives of individual women, but it also
accelerates developmental progress for society as a whole, as evidence shows that women tend to invest a higher share of their income in their families and communities. Empowering women economically helps to reduce poverty and hunger, improve child education and health, and builds resilience to disaster and climate change.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – Liberian politician, recipient of the Noble Peace Prize, and first woman to be elected head of state of an African country – once said, “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”

The pages of this year’s feature profile women who have inspiring stories to tell, who have dreamed big, and whose hard work, resolve and sheer determination have paid off. These leaders in the M&A and financial markets space share their experiences and offer invaluable insights to give courage to those seeking to follow their dreams.