In this week’s session of Africa’s Potential series, we are delighted to welcome Prudence Nonkululeko Ngwenya and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who will join us online to discuss and provide insights on gender leadership in Africa.
Prudence Ngwenya Nonkululeko is the current Acting Director of the Women, Gender, and Youth Division and the substantive Head of the Division of the Youth Development and Engagement Division at the African Union Commission (AUC). Her main responsibilities include leading and providing strategic guidance on the AUC’s mandate on Youth Development while providing strategic oversight on the implementation of programs within her Directorate. The task involves maintaining a robust, innovative, and results-oriented AUC Youth Programme aligned to the key AU frameworks such as Agenda 2063. She works directly with ministers in charge of Youth Development in all AU Member States.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka served as the Deputy President of South Africa from 2005 to 2008, making her the first woman to hold this position in the country's history. She played a key role in advocating for social and economic policies aimed at improving the lives of South Africans, particularly women and girls. From 2013 to 2021, Mlambo-Ngcuka was the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. In this role, Phumzile worked to address issues such as gender-based violence, economic empowerment, and women's participation in leadership and decision-making positions. Throughout her career, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has received numerous awards and honours for her commitment to gender equality and social justice.
The event is part of the Africa's Potential series, carried out at the School of Transnational Governance, as part of the Young African Leaders Programme (YALP) funded by the European Commission, and is open to the EUI community, YALP alumni and the YALP network.
Please register to join the event. If you are located in Florence, we welcome you to join the session in-person at Palazzo Buontalenti (Elinor Ostrom Room - BTC104). If you are tuning in from abroad, please use the Zoom link you will receive after registration.