Women Changemakers from across Africa are increasingly being recognised for their efforts towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
One of the organisations that is doing this recognition is Donors for Africa Foundation. This recognition is dubbed African Women in Development (AWID) feature.
The AWID features campaign program is held annually in honor of International Women’s Day.
The campaign recognizes women activists and change-makers from diverse backgrounds for their significant contributions towards advancing the SDGs.
“We firmly believe that countless women are producing remarkable innovations on a daily basis, yet their accomplishments often go unnoticed and unrecorded.
These awards aim to ensure that impactful stories and exemplary practices in social entrepreneurship are shared and replicated, thus fostering the attainment of the SDGs,”remarked Chidi Koldsweat founder and CEO of Donors for Africa Foundation, in an interview with The Independent newspaper Nigeria.
This year, AWID received over 1700 nomination entries from more than 34 countries across Africa, a significant rise in their prominence. Consequently, 50 Women changemakers were recognized with certification awards.
Successful candidates honored gain entry to AWID’s network of social entrepreneurs, donors, and impact investors, who can offer assistance in advancing their projects.
Donors for Africa Foundation founded in Nigeria, aims to combat poverty and promote economic development in Africa through various programs.
The programs are desighned to equip social innovators with the necessary skills and exposure to lead and expand their solutions effectively.
Another program is the GE’DA’ Digital initiative, a rigorous 6-month professional leadership development program.
The Program empowers “Social Impact Leaders”to further develop, advocate for, and promote the SDGs and the Africa Union(AU) Agenda 2063 through across the African continent.
To date, the Foundation has educated over 5,000 social impact organizations and has reached more than 51,000 individuals with knowledge of sustainable organizational practices for their programs.
Koldsweat has also garnered multiple accolades and fellowships for establishing the Foundation, including the Vital Voices 50 Women Global Visionary Leader award presented by Estee-Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund (2023), and the 100 French-African Laureates 2021. She was also a Finalist for Africa’s most influential women in management, business &public service (civil society category) by CEO Global in 2014.
“My goal is to ensure equitable distribution of wealth and opportunities for individuals. I am dedicated to creating enduring solutions for African grassroots communities through policy, strategy, and implementation,” Koldsweat told the independent newspaper.
