KFC Africa has honoured 55 women from across the continent to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, spotlighting leaders whose work reflects this year’s global theme, Give to Gain.
The annual initiative recognises women who are creating meaningful impact in their communities. In 2024, the company celebrated 53 female firsts across its 22 markets, and last year it honoured 54 women accelerating action towards gender equality. This year, the focus shifts to the transformative power of giving.
Among those recognised is Lesego Chombo of Botswana. Crowned Miss Botswana in 2022, she established a foundation supporting disadvantaged young people and their parents in rural communities. After completing her term as Miss World Africa in November 2024, the 26-year-old became the youngest cabinet minister in Botswana’s history when she was appointed Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs. She is currently spearheading a Gender-Based Violence Bill focused on protection, care and support for victims, alongside prevention measures.
Also honoured is Raïssa Banhoro of Côte d’Ivoire, who identified literacy gaps, limited numeracy skills and the absence of accessible digital tools as barriers to women’s digital inclusion. She developed Lucie, the country’s first mobile literacy app featuring local-language voice assistance. She later pioneered a model of free, intensive digital training for young people not in employment, education or training, achieving a 100 per cent employment rate for graduates.
“These are not just stories of individual achievement,” says Akhona Qengqe, General Manager of KFC Africa. “These are stories of women who give Africa more.
“They give access where there was exclusion. They give opportunity where prospects were limited. They give hope where there was none.”
Recognising impact across Africa
The 55 women — one for each year KFC has operated in Africa — represent diverse sectors including politics, healthcare, technology, education and community development.
They include Nice Leng’ete of Kenya, who in 2014 persuaded Maasai elders to formally abandon female genital mutilation. Through her work with Amref Health Africa and her own foundation, she has helped more than 21,000 girls avoid the practice.
Dr Germaine Retofa of Madagascar has transformed maternal healthcare in one of the country’s poorest regions, creating a life-saving system that ensures a woman’s survival is not determined by her income or location.
In Mozambique, Alexandra Machado is pioneering a circular mentorship model that has impacted 25,000 women, tripling school transition rates and demonstrating the national development benefits of investing in female leadership.
“For this year’s list of Africa’s female firsts we deliberately sought out women whose influence may not fill stadiums but whose impact fills hearts,” says Qengqe.
“They include women who have built tech networks for their female peers, expanded access to healthcare, made menstrual care a national priority, targeted girls for improved education access and tackled the gender pay gap.
“These are women from diverse backgrounds – lawyers, politicians, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, authors, technologists and community organisers. Some are well-known figures. Many are not.
“What unites them is what they give: mentorship, protection, access, knowledge, visibility, opportunity, resources and time.”
The ripple effect of empowerment
Nolo Thobejane, Chief People, Culture and Purpose Officer at KFC Africa, says the Give to Gain theme reflects the organisation’s long-standing approach to empowerment, with women making up 60 per cent of its workforce.
“For years, we’ve seen how giving creates exponential returns,” she says. “When KFC Add Hope gives meals to vulnerable children through women-led feeding centres, communities gain nutrition and dignity.
“When Women on the Move provides leadership development for women in our business, the entire organisation gains stronger, more diverse leadership. When our Streetwise Academy gives young women accredited qualifications, families gain economic mobility.”
Thobejane adds that many women within KFC Africa are actively supporting their communities. “We have restaurant managers who mentor young women entering the workforce. We have team members who run after-school programmes in their communities. We have franchisees who create pathways for other women to access business ownership. Their giving happens quietly, consistently, and with deep purpose.”
Gender equality progress remains slow
While celebrating these achievements, Qengqe acknowledges that progress towards gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa remains slow. The World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2025 projects that gender parity is still more than a century away.
“These 55 women are not prepared to wait more than a century,” she says. “They are giving now so their communities can gain now. And when communities gain, Africa rises.”
Through its annual International Women’s Day recognition, KFC Africa continues to highlight the role of women leaders, innovators and community builders in shaping a more inclusive and equitable future across the continent.
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