Two Kenyan women have been featured in Forbes first of a kind Pan-African compilation titled, Africa's 50 Most Powerful Women.
The feature, published by Forbes on March 6, 2020, compiled a list of the continent's leading women drawn from business, politics, media, science, sports, and public life.
The women were selected based on their notability in challenging the status quo and blazing a new trail where previously there was none.
From Kenya, Jennifer Riria, as well as actress Lupita Nyongo', were recognized for the roles they had played in their respective spheres of influence.
For Jennifer Riria, this was her work in finance. Riria is the Group CEO for Echo Network Africa (ENA) and a founding member of the Kenya Women Finance Trust.
She has been recognised in the past for being a model of women's empowerment in both Kenya and the region.
Riria is also the chairwoman of Women's World Banking - a global network of over 53 microfinance institutions from 30 countries.
Riria's contributions to the entrepreneurship sector have been recognised in the past when she was awarded Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013 and again in 2014.
Lupita's accomplishments precede her. The actress has made a name for herself in Hollywood starring in several films including US, Black Panther, Queen of Katwe and 12 Years of a Slave to name a few.
She became the first Kenyan to win an Oscar for her starring role in the film 12 Years of a Slave.
The celebrated actress has also branched out, cementing her name as an author with her best-selling children's book titled Sulwe published in 2019.
Other notable figures in the list include Graca Machel, founder of the Graca Machel Trust and widow to Nelson Mandela.
Also on the list is Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, the first woman in the history of the country to be elected president.
Africa's most powerful woman as per the list is Nigerian entrepreneur, Olajumoke Adenewo. She is the founder of an architectural design firm called Ad Consulting.
