Johannesburg - When you look at the lists of the most powerful business leaders in Africa, you rarely see women and definitely not young women.
When you Google images of an African woman, you are more likely to find a woman with a baby on her back or carrying something on her head rather than in the boardroom or professional setting.
These were the words of the women behind She Leads Africa (SLA), when asked about raising the profile of black women in Africa.
SLA is a digital media company focused on creating content and experiences for African women.
It started because the co-founders, Yasmin Belo-Osagie and Afua Osei, wanted to create a community that would help women achieve their professional dreams.
“As a company, we aim to find solutions for getting more women into leadership positions. How do we push and motivate young women to aspire to be the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, or to take African countries global?
“While our structure has evolved, our goals have remained the same, and it has been exciting finding new ways to deliver value to our community,” said Osei.
They will be in the country from Thursday to Sunday for the SheHive event – their flagship travelling training programme, where they will share skills, resources and networks.
“There is great energy among young women in South Africa and we’ve seen that young women aren’t waiting for others to do things for them, they want to create for themselves.”
So far, SLA has been able to connect with more than 200 000 young women across more than 30 countries just by using technology.
They hope to reach 250 women in South Africa, where women are breaking out of the stereotypes and striving for a better life for themselves.
The event will be hosted in Maboneng, central Johannesburg, with tickets starting at R415.
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