From Sidelines To Frontlines: African Women Rewrite The Global Story Of Sports Leadership

Africa is rewriting the global story on gender equity in sports. Too often viewed through a narrow, stereotypical lens, the continent is proving that real, transformative progress is not only possible it is already happening.

Nowhere is this more evident than in sports leadership, where African women are moving from the sidelines to the frontlines. In 2023, the inaugural 50 Most Influential African Women in Sports Awards (50MIA) honored 30 women. In 2024, the platform expanded to celebrate 50 women virtually, and in 2025, it returns as a hybrid event. During this period, the number of Women’s Sports Ministers in Africa has doubled to eleven, signaling a bold continental commitment to inclusion at the highest levels of decision-making in a sector long dominated by men.

Current Women’s Sports Ministers in Africa include: Janet Museveni (Uganda), Lidi Bessi Kama (Togo), Wala’a Essam ElBoushi (Sudan), Khady Diène Gaye (Senegal), Indira Cabral Embaló (Guinea Bissau), Armande Longo Moulengui (Gabon), Shewit Shanka Shashigo (Ethiopia), Sanet Steenkamp (Namibia), Marie-Celine Zialor (Seychelles), Augusta James-Teima (Sierra Leone), and Nelly Mukazayire (Rwanda).

These leaders bring expertise spanning education, diplomacy, medicine, and grassroots activism. They are championing inclusive sports policies, advancing gender parity, and creating safer environments for young girls and women athletes. Their work embodies the Ubuntu principle: “I am because we are.”

“What we are witnessing is a generational shift rooted in Ubuntu. African women are not only breaking barriers in sports leadership, they are creating pathways so others can walk through,” said Wairimu Nyathira, Project Lead for the 50 Most Influential African Women in Sports Awards.

The 2025 edition of the 50MIA Awards will take place from November 6–8, 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya. This landmark event will celebrate women leaders shaping the future of African sport, including Madam Fatma Samoura, former FIFA Secretary General, who will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The three-day program will feature:

• A Summit on African Women in Global Sports Leadership
• Workshops on gender-based violence prevention, financial literacy, branding, and mentorship
• A Women in Sports Expo
• A Ministerial Roundtable with policymakers and thought leaders
• The Award Ceremony

“The impact of bringing like-minded leaders, visionaries, and change-makers into one room is beyond measure—it sparks collaborations, ignites new ideas, and accelerates progress that transforms not just sports, but society as a whole,” Nyathira added. “The 50MIA platform is about celebrating these trailblazers while inspiring the next generation of girls in sport.”

The Flagship Day: November 6th

November 6th will be a historic day for African sports. Alongside the opening of the 50MIA program, Africa Sports Ventures Group (ASVG) and Parallel South will activate their newly signed Green Sports Initiative, a pioneering program designed to integrate environmental sustainability into the African sports ecosystem.

The initiative will debut with the official launch of the Legends Track & Field Series in Nairobi. This groundbreaking continental competition is dedicated to celebrating Africa’s greatest track and field champions while nurturing the next generation of athletes. Anchored by icons such as Mary Onyali (Nigeria), Samuel Matete (Zambia), Eunice Barber (Sierra Leone/France), Fabrice Zango (Burkina Faso), and Innocent Egbunike (Nigeria/USA), the Series will stage competitions across Nigeria, Zambia, Burkina Faso, and Sierra Leone showcasing Africa’s vibrancy, talent, and culture while setting a new global benchmark for sustainable sports events.

This is a call to action: to invest in girls’ sports, sustain momentum, and dismantle systemic barriers. Africa is not trailing in the fight for equality; it has carved its own leadership path.

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