Grace Ibingira

A Ugandan social entrepreneur who founded Afripads to address menstrual hygiene and empower women.

Grace Ibingira is a visionary entrepreneur from Uganda who revolutionized menstrual health access in Africa through her company Afripads. After witnessing girls dropping out of school due to lack of menstrual products, she pioneered reusable sanitary pads made from locally sourced materials in 2014. By 2022, her business had distributed over 5 million pads across 15 African countries, creating 200+ jobs for women artisans.

In 2020, she launched the 'Menstrual Equity Initiative', partnering with UNICEF to train 10,000+ girls in menstrual health education. Her 2021 TEDx talk 'Periods Shouldn't Silence Girls' sparked global conversations about menstrual dignity. During the pandemic, she pivoted production to make PPE for healthcare workers while maintaining menstrual product distribution.

Her innovations include the 'Mobile Menstrual Health Units' (2023) – solar-powered vans providing hygiene products and education in remote areas. Collaborations with Kenya's Equity Bank created financial literacy programs for female entrepreneurs. Forbes Africa named her 'Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2024' for scaling impact without compromising ethical standards. Her work directly contributed to Uganda's 2025 policy requiring schools to provide free menstrual products.