KFC honours 55 women who give Africa more

(MENAFN- News.Africa-Wire) JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 3, 2026/ - When Lesego Chombo was crowned as Miss Botswana in 2022, she immediately set up a foundation to support disadvantaged youngsters and their parents in rural areas.
After ending her term as Miss World Africa in November 2024, the 26-year-old became the youngest cabinet minister in Botsw’na’s history when she was appointed as Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs and she is now leading the charge on a Gender-Based Violence Bill focusing on protection, care and support of victims, as well as prevention.
ïp>Raïssa Banhoro realised that lack of literacy, limited numeracy and a lack of accessible digital tools were standing in the way of women’s digital literacy inôCôt’ d’Ivoire, so she developed Lucie, the co’ntry’s first mobile literacy app with local-language vocal assistance that addressed all three challenges.
Then she pioneered a model of free, intensive digital training for youth not in employment, education or training, achieving a 100% employment rate for graduates.
Chombo and Banhoro are two of the 55 women KFC Africa is celebrating to mark Internationa’ Women’s Day on Sunday 8 March and honour the’occasion’s global theme of Give to Gain.“/p>
“These are not just stories of individual”achievement,” says Akhona Qengqe, General Manager “f 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 wh”re there was none.”
Power of giving
For 55 years, KFC Africa has been giving to communities and empowering women, who make up 60% of its workforce.
To mar’ International Women’s Day in 2024 it celebrated 53 female firsts across its 22 markets, and last year it honoured 54 women who were accelerating action towards gender equality.
This year the focus shifts to the power of giving, often by women who embody this spirit daily without recognition, resources or fanfare.
The 55 women honoured, one for each year the brand has been in Africa, also include:
’
•Nice Leng’ete from Kenya, who in 2014 persuaded Maasai elders to formally abandon female genital mutilation. Working with Amref Health Africa and her own foundation, she has helped over 21,000 girls escape the practice.
•Dr. Germaine Retofa from Madagascar, who has transformed maternal c’re in one of the country’s most impoverished regions into a life-saving ’ystem that ensures a woman’s location or income does not affect her chances of survival.
•Alexandra Machado from Mozambique, who is pioneering a circular mentorship model that has impacted 25,000 Mozambican women, tripling school transition rates and proving that investing in female leadership is a high-return strategy for national development.
From visibility“to voice
…#8217;For this year’s list of Africa’s female firsts we deliberately sought out women whose influence may not fill stad”ums but whose impact fil“s 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.
“–hese are women from diverse backgrounds – lawyers, politicians, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, authors, technologists and community organisers. Some are w“ll-known figures. Many are not.
“What unites them is what they give: mentorship, protection, access, knowledge,”visibility, opportunity, resources and time.”

MENAFN04032026007071015200ID1110815684