Rahmona Ratansi

A South African entrepreneur and advocate for women's leadership in Africa, founding She Leads Africa to empower female leaders across the continent.

Background and Mission

Rahmona Ratansi is a visionary South African entrepreneur whose work has profoundly impacted gender equality and leadership development in Africa. Born in 1985, she grew up witnessing systemic barriers facing women in business and politics. This inspired her to launch She Leads Africa in 2015, a platform connecting over 20,000 African women leaders through mentorship programs, networking events, and digital resources. The initiative addresses the continent’s gender gap in executive roles, where women hold only 22% of leadership positions according to a 2018 McKinsey report.

Key Initiatives

Ratansi’s flagship program, the Leadership Accelerator, provides tailored training for 1,000+ women annually. In 2017, she pioneered the #WomenInTechAfrica campaign, doubling female participation in tech startups from 15% to 30% in three years. Her partnership with UN Women in 2019 expanded access to microloans for female entrepreneurs in Kenya and Nigeria.

Global Impact

By 2020, She Leads Africa had facilitated $50M in funding for women-led ventures. Ratansi’s TED Talk 'The Power of Unapologetic Leadership' (2018) reached 2M+ viewers. She advises African governments on gender policies, including Rwanda’s 2019 Women Economic Empowerment Act. Her work was recognized by Forbes Africa as 'Champion of Change' in 2019.