Barnard College hosts Women Changing Africa

7 Feb 2011

JOHANNESBURG: The Barnard College of Columbia University will host its third annual Global Symposium in Johannesburg, South Africa on 15 March 2011. This half-day event, Women Changing Africa, aims to host exceptional women from across the continent, including leaders in government, commerce, academia, media, and the arts for two panels; Conversations on Leadership and Voices of the Next Generation.

Conversations on Leadership plans to highlight some of the most established and influential women leaders from South Africa and the continent, including Governor Gill Marcus of the South African Reserve Bank; Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, a South African academic, activist, and former senior director of the World Bank; Ferial Haffajee, editor-in-chief of City Press; Senator Aloisea Inyumba from Rwanda; and Justice Yvonne Mokgoro, chairperson of the South African Law Reform Commission.

Inspiring a generation

Voices of the Next Generation plans to showcase women whose important work is inspiring a generation of young women to continue the progress achieved in Africa by leaders such as Marcus, Haffajee, Inyumba, Ramphele and Mokgoro. Panelists include Ndidi Nwuneli, founder of LEAP Africa; Susan Mboya, founder and president of the Zawadi Africa Education Fund and general manager for Coca-Cola; Fiona Budd, MD of the South African Ballet Theatre; and Nomfanelo Magwentshu, formerly chief operations officer of the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The day will begin with a luncheon and introductory remarks from Maria Ramos, group chief executive of Absa Group.

"It's becoming abundantly clear that women are playing critical roles in steering African nations through rapidly evolving political, economic and cultural times. Their willingness to challenge institutional and social norms, and their commitment to generating and sustaining progress, are reinventing the world's perceptions of women, leadership and Africa," said Debora L. Spar, president of Barnard College.

Women changing a continent

"Each year, Barnard focuses on a region of the world where women are paving new roads for their daughters, their communities and their countries. South Africa, still shining in the spotlight of last year's World Cup, is a perfect place to gather and discuss how women are truly changing a continent."

The annual symposia, held previously in Beijing in 2009 and Dubai in 2010, will be supplemented by regional gatherings throughout the year, providing an opportunity for members to meet, network, share ideas, and create opportunities. The series continues in the spring of 2012 with the fourth annual Barnard College Global Symposium to be held in India.