LISTEN TO THE Keynote Speakers
Ms. Karabo Mokgonyana
African Youth Ambassador for Peace
Ms. Karabo Mokgonyana
African Youth Ambassador for Peace
Karabo Mokgonyana is a young South African woman who has committed her career to advancing social justice and socio-economic freedom through groundwork, research, advisory and high-level project coordination. She has worked with organizations like UNESCO, the British Council, Mandela Institute of Development Studies and Transparency International in social development work all in youth development. More so, she a Youth Advisory Panelist for UNFPA South Africa and is an African Youth Ambassador for Peace with the African Union. Karabo continues to steer, gender equity with Sesi Fellowship and Skill Hub.
Adv. Bience Gawanas
Former UN USG and Special Adviser on Africa and Social Justice Activist.
Adv. Bience Gawanas
Former UN USG and Special Adviser on Africa and Social Justice Activist.
Ms.Bience Gawanas was appointed by the UNSG in 208 as Special Adviser on Africa. She has served as Special Adviser to Namibia’s Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare. Prior to this, she was Special Adviser to the Minister of Health and Social Services. A champion of women’s health and rights in Africa, she has been commended for her role in initiating far‑reaching campaigns, such as the continental Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).
Bience Gawanas was elected for two terms as Commissioner for Social Affairs by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in 2003 and 2008, during which time she was responsible for advocacy, as well as the harmonization and coordination of regional and continental policies and programmes promoting social development. Her portfolio included health, HIV/AIDS and nutrition, migration and population, arts and culture, the welfare of vulnerable groups, labour and migration, and sports. From 1996 to 2003, she was Ombudswoman of Namibia, having previously worked as a lecturer on gender law at the University of Namibia, from 1995 to 1997, and as a lawyer at the Legal Assistance Centre, a human rights non‑governmental organization, from 1990 to 1991.
Ms. Aya Chebbi
African Union Youth Envoy
Ms. Aya Chebbi
African Union Youth Envoy
Ms. Aya Chebbi, an award-winning Pan-African feminist. She is the first ever African Union Special Envoy on Youth and the youngest diplomat at the African Union Commission Chairperson’s Cabinet. She rose to prominence as a voice for democracy and shot to global fame as a political blogger during 2010/2011 Tunisia’s Revolution. She recently received 2019 Gates Foundation Campaign Award and was named in Forbes’ 50 Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women.
She was recognized in 2018 Apolitical World’s 100 Most Influential Young People in Government and 2016 among 100 Most Influential Young Africans in the World. She received multiple awards including 2018 Young Talent of the year by UNLEASH Festival, 2017 Pan-African Humanitarian Award by Pahawards and 2016 Inspirational Woman of the Year by Women4Africa Awards.
LISTEN TO THE Event Speakers
Ms. Aya Chebbi
African Union Youth Envoy
Ms. Aya Chebbi
African Union Youth Envoy
Ms. Aya Chebbi, an award-winning Pan-African feminist. She is the first ever African Union Special Envoy on Youth and the youngest diplomat at the African Union Commission Chairperson’s Cabinet. She rose to prominence as a voice for democracy and shot to global fame as a political blogger during 2010/2011 Tunisia’s Revolution. She recently received 2019 Gates Foundation Campaign Award and was named in Forbes’ 50 Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women.
She was recognized in 2018 Apolitical World’s 100 Most Influential Young People in Government and 2016 among 100 Most Influential Young Africans in the World. She received multiple awards including 2018 Young Talent of the year by UNLEASH Festival, 2017 Pan-African Humanitarian Award by Pahawards and 2016 Inspirational Woman of the Year by Women4Africa Awards.
Ms. Karabo Mokgonyana
African Youth Ambassador for Peace
Ms. Karabo Mokgonyana
African Youth Ambassador for Peace
Karabo Mokgonyana is a young South African woman who has committed her career to advancing social justice and socio-economic freedom through groundwork, research, advisory and high-level project coordination. She has worked with organizations like UNESCO, the British Council, Mandela Institute of Development Studies and Transparency International in social development work all in youth development. More so, she a Youth Advisory Panelist for UNFPA South Africa and is an African Youth Ambassador for Peace with the African Union. Karabo continues to steer, gender equity with Sesi Fellowship and Skill Hub.
Ms. Daisry Mathias
Presidential Advisor: Youth Matters & Entreprise Development. Office of the President, Namibia
Ms. Daisry Mathias
Presidential Advisor: Youth Matters & Entreprise Development. Office of the President, Namibia
Daisry Mathias was appointed Advisor to the President of the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency Dr. Hage G. Geingob, in June 2015. In this role, Daisry advises the Head of State on policy and programme priorities to harness a Demographic Dividend and create an enabling environment for sustainable entrepreneurship in Namibia, under the overarching goals of poverty eradication, economic inclusion and shared prosperity.
In her preceding role as an under 30 Chief Executive Officer of Team Namibia;
Daisry led a business support organisation, promoting local industry by advocating the preferential consumption of Namibian goods and services. Daisry is Commissioner of the National Planning Commission since April 2017 and in July 2019 was selected to become an Obama Leader, joining 200 young Africans in a Leadership Development Programme by former U.S. President Barack Obama.
Daisry’s professional experience ranges from public policy formulation, national development planning, programme monitoring and multi-stakeholder coordination. Daisry is dedicated to contributing to Namibia’s broad-based empowerment, deepening of democracy and accelerated socio-economic transformation. She is positive about Africa’s future and passionate about capacitating the individual to maximize potential and has been quoted saying “a winning nation is made up of individuals who are champions in their own right. Ultimately, it is about the individual”.
Adv. Bience Gawanas
Former UN USG and Special Adviser on Africa and Social Justice Activist.
Adv. Bience Gawanas
Former UN USG and Special Adviser on Africa and Social Justice Activist.
Ms.Bience Gawanas was appointed by the UNSG in 208 as Special Adviser on Africa. She has served as Special Adviser to Namibia’s Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare. Prior to this, she was Special Adviser to the Minister of Health and Social Services. A champion of women’s health and rights in Africa, she has been commended for her role in initiating far‑reaching campaigns, such as the continental Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).
Bience Gawanas was elected for two terms as Commissioner for Social Affairs by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in 2003 and 2008, during which time she was responsible for advocacy, as well as the harmonization and coordination of regional and continental policies and programmes promoting social development. Her portfolio included health, HIV/AIDS and nutrition, migration and population, arts and culture, the welfare of vulnerable groups, labour and migration, and sports. From 1996 to 2003, she was Ombudswoman of Namibia, having previously worked as a lecturer on gender law at the University of Namibia, from 1995 to 1997, and as a lawyer at the Legal Assistance Centre, a human rights non‑governmental organization, from 1990 to 1991.
Ms. Oulimata Sarr
Regional Director UN Women, West and Central Africa
Ms. Oulimata Sarr
Regional Director UN Women, West and Central Africa
Ms Oulimata SARR currently serves as UN Women’s
Regional Director for West and Central Africa, covering
24 countries. Ms. Sarr with her team support
Governments in adopting international standards to
achieve gender equality and women empowerment in
partnership with civil society organizations and partners.
UN Women works to make the ambition of the
Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and
girls by implementing programs on several thematic
areas such as women economic empowerment, women
peace and security, ending violence against women,
leadership and political participation, data and gender
responsive budgeting.
Before joining UN Women, Ms Oulimata spent 10 years
with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a
member institution of the Group of the World Bank and
the largest development institution in the world that
focuses exclusively on the private sector. She served in
various positions ranging from Finance to Donor
relations and partnerships and focused several years on
conflict affected states in Africa.
Ms Sarr is a graduate of HEC Montreal (Canada) and
holds a MBA from the University of Bedfordshire (UK)
Adv. Bience Gawanas
Former UN USG and Special Adviser on Africa and Social Justice Activist.
Adv. Bience Gawanas
Former UN USG and Special Adviser on Africa and Social Justice Activist.
Ms.Bience Gawanas was appointed by the UNSG in 208 as Special Adviser on Africa. She has served as Special Adviser to Namibia’s Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare. Prior to this, she was Special Adviser to the Minister of Health and Social Services. A champion of women’s health and rights in Africa, she has been commended for her role in initiating far‑reaching campaigns, such as the continental Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).
Bience Gawanas was elected for two terms as Commissioner for Social Affairs by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in 2003 and 2008, during which time she was responsible for advocacy, as well as the harmonization and coordination of regional and continental policies and programmes promoting social development. Her portfolio included health, HIV/AIDS and nutrition, migration and population, arts and culture, the welfare of vulnerable groups, labour and migration, and sports. From 1996 to 2003, she was Ombudswoman of Namibia, having previously worked as a lecturer on gender law at the University of Namibia, from 1995 to 1997, and as a lawyer at the Legal Assistance Centre, a human rights non‑governmental organization, from 1990 to 1991.
Ms. Aya Chebbi
African Union Youth Envoy
Ms. Aya Chebbi
African Union Youth Envoy
Ms. Aya Chebbi, an award-winning Pan-African feminist. She is the first ever African Union Special Envoy on Youth and the youngest diplomat at the African Union Commission Chairperson’s Cabinet. She rose to prominence as a voice for democracy and shot to global fame as a political blogger during 2010/2011 Tunisia’s Revolution. She recently received 2019 Gates Foundation Campaign Award and was named in Forbes’ 50 Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women.
She was recognized in 2018 Apolitical World’s 100 Most Influential Young People in Government and 2016 among 100 Most Influential Young Africans in the World. She received multiple awards including 2018 Young Talent of the year by UNLEASH Festival, 2017 Pan-African Humanitarian Award by Pahawards and 2016 Inspirational Woman of the Year by Women4Africa Awards.
Ms. Karabo Mokgonyana
African Youth Ambassador for Peace
Ms. Karabo Mokgonyana
African Youth Ambassador for Peace
Karabo Mokgonyana is a young South African woman who has committed her career to advancing social justice and socio-economic freedom through groundwork, research, advisory and high-level project coordination. She has worked with organizations like UNESCO, the British Council, Mandela Institute of Development Studies and Transparency International in social development work all in youth development. More so, she a Youth Advisory Panelist for UNFPA South Africa and is an African Youth Ambassador for Peace with the African Union. Karabo continues to steer, gender equity with Sesi Fellowship and Skill Hub.