THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajan, Gambia’s Minister of Women Affairs and Overseer – Vice President’s Office, has won the top award of the New African Woman of Year.
The fearless Gambian human rights and democracy activist took New African Woman magazine’s ‘Woman of the Year’ Award at a glitzy ceremony, which held in Dakar on Wednesday.
Mrs Jallow-Tambajan was instrumental in unifying the opposition that eventually beat long-term ruler Yahya Jammeh at last December’s election.
She was nominated by President Adama Barrow as his Vice-President but constitutional age limit made it impossible for her to hold that post. Her award was received by a representative.
Jallow-Tambajan was awarded along other African women who excelled in their chosen fields.
Nigeria’s Amina J. Mohammed – the new United Nations Deputy Secretary –took home the New African Woman in Politics and Public Office. Prior to her new post, she served as Minister of Environment in her homecountry.
The Award for Women in Health, Science and Technology went to Namibia’s Dr. Helena Ndume – a pioneering ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon, who has to date, performed over 35,000 sight-restoring surgeries on Namibians, completely free of charge.
Morocco saw serial entrepreneur Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch, take home the New African woman Award in Business.*
Zimbabwean philanthropists and educationist Tsitsi Masiyiwa, received the New African Woman Award in Education for her work with Higherlife Foundation – a not for profit organisation she runs and offers scholarships to orphaned and vulnerable children to give them a better chance in education.
The much-talked about New African Woman on the Rise (The Next Generation) – a category which received the most nominations – went to the Kenyan girls rights activist and UN Women youth advisor Vivian Onano.
The New African Woman in Civil Society was given to Chief Theresa Kachindamoto, who annulled over 300 child marriages in her village in Malawi, a feat that played an important role in forcing the government to ban child marriages in the country all together.
Other winners were Nigeria’s Joan Okorodudu (New African Woman In The Arts & Culture) for her services to raising the profile of African models and fashion.
Mali’s Binta Touré Ndoye (New African Woman – in Finance); Amira Yahyaoui of Tunisia (New African Woman in Media) and the former African Union Commissioner Agriculture and Rural Development.
Tumusiime Rhoda Peace from Uganda was named the New African Woman in Agriculture for pushing the importance of food security and adding value chain to African goods while she was at the AU.
The New African Woman in Sport went to the Senegal’s Fatma Samoura – the world football body’s Secretary General – a position she was appointed to in 2016, becoming the first African woman to hold the post.
The award ceremony, in its second year, was held at a Gala Dinner at the Terrou-Bi hotel in the Senegalese capital on 12 April. Winners were selected by a special panel of judges from 68 shortlisted candidates across a dozen categories.
The awards were instituted to celebrate and honour African women who have made exceptional impact and change in their countries or communities in a particular year – in this case for the year 2016.
The New African Woman Award is organized by the bimonthly New African Woman magazine, published by the IC publications Group, which also publishes the monthly New African and African Business magazines.
Established in 2009, New African Woman is a colourful lifestyle magazine dedicated to providing in-depth coverage of fashion and beauty, health and wellbeing, parenting and family, and much more.
Vivian Asamoah
