African Business profiles the women leaders that have been making waves in business and governance over the last year.
This African Business Women in Leadership 2026 special profiles 20 women leaders - among them founders, CEOs, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers - who have risen to senior roles in business and governance.
In doing so, they have reshaped the narrative around women's leadership across the continent and the wider African diaspora. Make sure to read our series introductio , and Parts One, Two, and Four.
Soraya HakuziyaremyeGovernor, National Bank of Rwanda
It's been just over a year since Hakuziyaremye was named the first woman to lead the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR), succeeding long-standing central bank governor John Rwangombwa and assuming his mandate to ensure monetary stability and inclusive economic growth.
Hakuziyaremye previously served as BNR's deputy governor, and has held senior roles in politics and financial services. Since taking the helm as governor, Hakuziyaremye has emphasised strengthening Rwanda's monetary framework, promoting stability and championing broader access to financial services.
In 2025 she also announced Rwanda's pilot Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) project, expected to start in 2026, which aims to position the nation at the forefront of digital financial innovation in Africa.
Further extending her influence beyond Rwanda, Hakuziyaremye was appointed Chair of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) in September 2025. Here she made history once more, as the first woman to have taken on the role, where she advocates for innovation-friendly policies and sustainable finance across emerging economies.
Anu Adedodin AdasolumCo-founder and CEO, Sabi
As co-founder and CEO of business technology platform Sabi, Adasolum is at the forefront of simplifying trade and empowering business through the use of market intelligence. Since its inception in 2021, the Nigerian has driven the company's rapid expansion and impact across multiple sectors of the economy.
The past year marked a defining moment in Sabi's evolution. In 2025, Adasolum led the company through one of the most consequential strategic pivots in African trade infrastructure, shifting from its original focus on informal fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) markets toward critical mineral commodities.
The move signalled a bold recalibration of the company's long-term vision. By October, Sabi had facilitated the shipment of more than 100,000 tons of lithium from Nigeria, positioning the company among the leading enablers of lithium exports in the region and underscoring the growing importance of traceability in global supply chains.
Adasolum also spoke at TechCabal's Moonshot Conference alongside Nigeria's minister of trade, industry and investment, Jumoke Oduwole, discussing overcoming regulatory hurdles in Africa's commodity trade sector.
Under Adasolum's leadership, Sabi continues to operate at the intersection of technology, commerce and global trade.
Nasim DevjiCEO, Diamond Trust Bank
Nasim Devji, group CEO of Diamond Trust Bank (DTB), is one of the longest-serving chief executives in Kenya's financial sector, having been appointed in 2001, when she became the first woman to head a Kenyan bank. Under her leadership, DTB has evolved from a mid‑tier lender into a regional player, with operations in Uganda and Tanzania.
In recent years the bank has witnessed robust growth. DTB's total assets rose from approximately 450bn shillings ($3.5bn) in 2021 to about 640bn shillings ($5bn) on 30 September 2025, placing it among the country's top five lenders by assets in a market of 38 licensed commercial banks. Profitability has followed a similar trajectory, with net profit before tax reaching 11.2bn shillings ($7m) in the nine months to 30 September 2025, compared to 6.6bn shillings for the full year in 2021.
Not one to court the spotlight, Devji's leadership style has been notably reserved. She has consistently kept a low public profile, even as DTB's financial performance has strengthened. Shareholders, however, have felt the impact. Dividend payments, which were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, resumed in 2022 at 3 shillings ($0.02) a share and have risen every year since, reaching 7 shillings ($0.05) in 2025.
The bank's stock, listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), has more than doubled in value over the past five years.
Wandia GichuruCEO, Vivo Fashion Group
Wandia Gichuru, co-founder and chief executive of Vivo Fashion Group, has overseen the company's evolution from a small startup into a global brand sustaining hundreds of jobs. The company, which was founded in 2011, focuses on ladies' fashion and operates 24 retail outlets across Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. It produces all its clothing locally with a workforce of more than 360 employees, over 70% of whom are women. In 2024 the company ventured into the US market, opening a store in Atlanta during president William Ruto's state visit. The store closed in April 2025 with the firm transitioning to an online model for its US business.
"Our mission is to see Africa dress herself and Africa dress the world," she says. "Shifting away from Western-centric fashion industry norms, we put African clothing needs and tastes first with versatile fabrics and fits - while still remaining globally accommodating."
This philosophy also underpins Shop Zetu, the e‑commerce marketplace that Gichuru launched in 2022 to give smaller local brands a platform and broaden access to African fashion.
Gichuru's path into entrepreneurship was unconventional. Before launching Vivo, she had a career in governance and policy with institutions such as the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UK's Department for International Development, and the Kenya Wildlife Service.
She left all that behind in her forties to pursue her dream of building an African fashion powerhouse - a decision she often cites when encouraging women in business to embrace risk‑taking.
Neema MoriChairperson, CRDB Bank
Appointed to the CRDB board and named chairperson in mid-2025, in only a matter of months Neema Mori has helped solidify the role of Tanzania's biggest bank in East Africa. In recent months, Mori played a visible role in the launch of CRDB's new Dubai representative office - a first for a Tanzanian bank - positioning CRDB as a strategic conduit between the East and Central African region and the global capital ecosystem.
Yet her influence extends far beyond financial performance. In her short tenure to date, she has championed initiatives to support youth and women entrepreneurs through the work of the CRDB Bank Foundation and the ongoing iMBEJU programme, which continues to provide capital, training and business support for emerging innovators. She also serves on the board of directors for Air Tanzania, the country's state-owned airline.
Her expertise and commitment to inclusive economic growth continues to shape CRDB's long-term strategy and puts Mori among the women leaders making waves in African banking.
Profiles by Emily Allen, Lennox Yieke, Dianna Games and David Thomas.