Top 10 Most Influential Women Leaders In Africa 2025
As Africa gets ready for big changes in 2025, its women leaders are not only tearing down barriers, they are also changing the continent’s destiny. These pioneers are promoting fairness, new ideas, and strength across a wide range of fields, from fintech innovators who want to make sure everyone has access to financial services to campaigners who want to improve mental health and the environment. This list of 10 amazing women leaders is based on recent awards like CIO Views Magazine’s “Africa’s 10 Most Influential Women Leaders to Watch in 2025.” These women are leading Africa toward long-term success. These leaders are ranked based on how much of an influence they have had. They are the embodiment of the African Renaissance: daring, open-minded, and unashamedly forward-thinking.
List Of Top 10 Most Influential Women Leaders In Africa 2025
1. Caroline Kwamboka
Caroline Kwamboka N. is a strong advocate for policy and governance. She is the Trustee and Founding Director of African Renaissance. She has worked in international development for more than 22 years and is now pushing for African-led solutions to issues of dignity, fairness, and justice, especially for women and girls. She works in 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Caroline is a member of the Global Advisory Board of WomenLift Health and a significant voice in EU-Africa relations. Her smart actions have given power to grassroots groups and changed policies in the region. Her cover story in CIO Views in 2025 talks about how she is helping to shape Africa’s future by saying, “It is African citizens, policies, and responsive leadership that hold the key to Africa’s future.”
2. Nicole Hart
Nicole Hart is the CEO of Afrikelp, and she is changing the way South Africa grows food by using sustainable kelp harvesting. She is from KwaZulu-Natal and has experience managing worldwide portfolios. She runs Afrikelp, which grows ocean-based biostimulants that conserve marine habitats while increasing agriculture yields. Her love of caring for the environment has made Afrikelp a leader in eco-friendly farming, helping smallholder farmers and making sure there is enough food even when the weather is bad. Nicole made CIO Views’ list of empowering leaders for 2025 because of her dynamic leadership, which included breaking down barriers for women in business. “Success lies in delivering value, staying prepared, and remaining fully engaged,” she says, stressing the importance of value-driven success.
3. Karen Eicker
Karen Eicker is the Managing Director of Apex Information Systems. She uses architectural and digital innovation to change the way things are built in South Africa. She graduated from the Wits School of Architecture and has written for top infrastructure journals for 20 years. She was also the Commissary General for the 2014 UIA World Congress in Durban. She works at Apex on digital communications and developing a good reputation. She has won awards like the South African Institute of Architects’ President’s Certificate. CIO Views calls her a digital trailblazer in 2025 and tells future leaders, “Seek help and guidance when you need it—knowledge and solutions are out there.” Karen’s all-around approach makes sure that places are strong, tech-savvy, and good for business.
Navlika Ratangee is the Managing Director of Lyra Southern Africa (previously ICAS SA). She is a clinical psychologist who is changing the way companies deal with mental health issues across the continent. With an MBA from GIBS (where she was the best student) and executive education from Harvard, she has grown Lyra’s customer base from 942 in 2021 to 1,129 in 2023. Through programs like Corporate Athlete Support for CEOs, she has helped nearly 2 million people. Navlika is Haley & Fletcher’s Top Women Business Leader of 2024. She teaches women how to be leaders and fights for workplaces that are open to everyone. “Stay true to who you are—leadership is a journey of empowering others,” is what she wants to do in 2025. As burnout rises, her work is making well-being a part of Africa’s changing work culture.
5. Unwana Utuk
Unwana Utuk is a significant player in Africa’s supply chain ecosystem since he has worked in contracts and procurement for 18 years. She lives in Nigeria and is great at negotiating big deals that help international companies run their businesses more efficiently and follow the rules. She has worked on oil and gas, infrastructure, and public sector projects, where she has improved vendor relationships and reduced risks in unstable markets. Unwana has been featured in CIO Views’ 2025 issue on significant executives. She has led multimillion-dollar tenders that help people get jobs and make money. She tells new professionals, “Being precise in buying things builds trust and leads to long-term growth.” Her work is very important for Africa’s Agenda 2063 in a year of regional integration.
6. Dr. Markie Idowu
Dr. Markie Idowu is the Group Managing Director and CEO of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited. He is the leader in Nigeria’s fintech industry, focusing on making financial services available to everyone. She has worked in banking and IT for more than 35 years, including at GTBank and Polaris Bank. She now leads Xpress in helping people who don’t have bank accounts, and agency banking helps women-owned businesses. Dr. Idowu is a Chevening Scholar and the Chair of the WITIN Advisory Board. She has earned honors including Best Female Fintech CEO (2022) and Africa’s Most Inspirational Woman in Leadership (2023). In 2025, CIO Views commended her for her efforts to promote gender equality, saying, “Women’s empowerment is very important in Africa’s most isolated areas.” She wants to make Xpress Africa’s top e-payment company by expanding.
7. Susan Emmanuel
Susan Emmanuel, the founder and CEO of SE & Co., is changing the way people are hired and trained in East Africa. Her company, which specializes in finding talent for international companies, has placed hundreds of experts in more than ten countries in less than two years, starting from scratch in Tanzania. She was Miss Tanzania from 2009 to 2010 and planned important events including the Tanzania Leadership Awards and the East Africa ICT Summit. CIO Views 2025 spotlights her as a passionate entrepreneur: “It gets hard before it becomes bearable—dream big enough to scare you.” Susan’s network-driven approach helps close the skills gap in Africa, which leads to inclusive growth in fast-changing fields like tech and energy.
8. Leticia N’cho-Traoré
Leticia N’cho-Traoré is the president of LN Consulting SAS and Groupe Addict. She is a marketing expert who runs communications, luxury services, and agribusiness in Francophone Africa. She studied accounting and political science and then worked for a French company that managed 26 Sub-Saharan countries before starting her own businesses. Leticia is great at putting the needs of her clients first. She was named MEDEF’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018 and has been on Forbes’ Choiseul 100 Africa list for seven years. CIO Views honors her strength in 2025: “My greatest achievement is being seen as a leader who pays attention to details.” Her group’s deep understanding of African marketplaces helps them make personalized suggestions for long-term company success.
9. Regine le Roux
Regine le Roux is the top reputation strategist in Africa. She is the founder and managing director of Reputation Matters. She has an MCom in Communication Management from the University of Pretoria and has won SABRE Africa Awards (2018–2020) for PR that is based on research. Her company works with the African Public Relations Association to measure ethics and reputation on a personal, corporate, and national level. Regine wrote the book Reputation Matters and wrote a column for Leadership Magazine. She gave revolutionary ethics talks at APRA conferences, saying, “Ethics is the invisible driving force in African societies.” CIO Views praises her for developing strong brands in 2025: “Change the narrative—celebrate Africa’s value.”
10. Wendy Gondi
Wendy Gondi has been working in the insurance industry in Africa for 25 years. She is the Director of Operations at Kenbright Holdings Limited and the Chairperson of Kenbright Reinsurance Brokers. She went to Alliance Girls High School and got a degree in International Business Administration from USIU. She is in charge of risk solutions across the continent. The African Insurance Organization named Wendy one of Africa’s Top 50 Women in Insurance in 2022. She is pushing for new ideas in reinsurance as the climate and economy change. CIO Views 2025 talks of her dynamic leadership: “Succeed with enthusiasm, dedication, and competence.” Her love of governance makes sure that businesses in Kenya and the rest of Africa may stay strong financially.
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