KFC Honors Inspirational African Women Driving Progress Towards Equality

Johannesburg – The momentum in reducing the gender gap in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa has nearly come to a standstill, leaving countless women at a disadvantage compared to men.

Nevertheless, female trailblazers throughout the continent are unwilling to surrender, dedicating themselves to fostering progress toward gender equality.

To commemorate International Women’s Day on 8 March and reflect its theme of “Accelerate Action,” KFC Africa has gathered stories from numerous women who are courageously working to enhance equality by educating, empowering, and supporting others to achieve more, together, and rapidly.

KFC Africa’s compilation features the names of 54 women – one for every year the company has been operating in Africa – and follows a successful International Women’s Day campaign in 2024 that introduced an inaugural list (https://apo-opa.co/4h5xiID) of 53 “female firsts.”

Each of these remarkable women has triumphed over educational, social, and financial barriers to accomplish milestones no woman in their country had previously reached.

The 2025 list (https://apo-opa.co/4h5xiID), representing each of the 22 Sub-Saharan African nations where KFC has outlets, also showcases its share of female firsts – such as Dior Fall Sow, Senegal’s first female prosecutor; Nelly Mutti, the first female speaker of the Zambian parliament; and Adelaide Retselisitsoe Matlanyane, who became the first woman to lead Lesotho’s central bank.

However, the list is predominantly comprised of younger women who are defying stereotypes, particularly in the tech sector, demonstrating that they can achieve anything they aspire to, regardless of age or gender.

Among them are Christine Ogo, a physicist from Côte d’Ivoire inspiring thousands of schoolgirls to delve into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; Rachel Sibande, who founded Malawi’s first technology incubator for emerging entrepreneurs and has taught coding to 92,000 women and children; and Regina Honu, whose Tech Needs Girls initiative in Ghana has trained over 20,000 women and girls in coding.

Gender gap

“This is a powerful list that brings hope following the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (https://apo-opa.co/4i2QKXB) in 2024, which indicated that progress seems to have stagnated,” states Akhona Qengqe, General Manager of KFC Africa.

The report highlighted that 68.4% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s gender gap has been bridged, slightly up from 68.2% in 2023 (https://apo-opa.co/3QEYGm5).

South Africa, while ranking first on the continent and 18th globally out of 146 nations, experienced a regression from 78.7% in 2023 to 78.5% the following year.

“The report suggests that if the current pace of progress continues, it will take until 2158 to achieve full gender parity,” adds Qengqe.

“This is why we must accelerate action, especially in Africa, and why the initiatives of the women featured in the KFC list merit recognition and support.”

In her seven years at KFC – spanning roles as director of Africa franchise development, director of transformation and diversity, and chief people officer before assuming the general manager position in April 2023 – Qengqe has prioritized female empowerment.

Her efforts include leading KFC Add Hope, a women-directed initiative providing free meals to tens of thousands of children at over 3,000 feeding centers in South Africa.

In 2021, she initiated the Women on the Move leadership development program, aimed at preparing 22 women at KFC for future leadership roles each year, thus nurturing a robust pipeline of talent. As a result, the number of female leaders in the company increased by 14% within two years.

Transforming franchising

Last November, she shifted her focus to the broader quick service restaurant industry by launching Women in Franchising Africa (Wifa), the first network for current and aspiring female franchisees and franchisors across the continent.

“To say I am dedicated to promoting women’s inclusion in our economies would be an understatement; it is indeed one of my life’s goals,” she explains.

“My partners in Wifa aim to revolutionize women’s participation in the franchising sector throughout African economies.

“We aspire to educate women on running successful franchise businesses, create networking opportunities among like-minded women, transform the sector by facilitating access to funding for women, and establish mentorship chances for everyone in the network.”

KFC Africa’s Chief People Officer, Nolo Thobejane, emphasizes that “Accelerate Action” is a call to identify practices that positively benefit women’s advancement and replicate them.

“This is a journey we must undertake together through learning from one another.

“I cannot stress enough the significance of forming alliances and partnerships to amplify impact.

“By collaborating, organizations and individuals can share resources, knowledge, and support to cultivate a more inclusive and equitable environment for women.”

Thobejane adds: “At KFC, we have implemented several successful programs – like the Women on the Move Leadership initiative – to ensure a steady pipeline of leaders equipped with quality education and training, through endeavors like our Streetwise Academy, while also providing career assistance into leadership roles.”

“Other successful initiatives organizations can adopt include designing infrastructure tailored to the needs of women and girls, involving them in sustainable agriculture, and enhancing their engagement in sports, similar to our KFC Mini Cricket program.”

“Individuals also have a significant role to play – we can challenge stereotypes, confront discrimination, question biases, and celebrate women’s achievements. Everyone everywhere can embrace the call to Accelerate Action.”

Qengqe mentions that the new list of 54 women now totals 107 inspirational African women that KFC has celebrated and acknowledged in the last two years.

“We realize this is merely the beginning of a wonderful journey, and we invite nominations for other women who are making strides in Accelerating Action in Africa.”

Discover the complete list of 54 women Accelerating Action across Africa: https://apo-opa.co/4heEjqM

To nominate a woman making strides in Accelerating Action, please email: za-kfcafricamedia@yum.com