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Some African female trailblazers and how they made it
As more women lace their boots to hit the ground running in 2022 and beyond, we take a trot across the continent and put together short stories of some African women who continue to blaze the trail in their respective sectors.
Salima Mukansanga
First is Salima Mukansanga, Africa’s first woman to officiate as centre referee at the Africa Cup of Nations. The 33-year-old Rwandan is one of the four female match officials selected for the tournament which kicked off on January 9, 2022, in Cameroon.
She became the first-female centre referee since the inception of the tournament, making history in the match between Zimbabwe and Guinea.
She had previously officiated at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan; 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, 2018 female under 17 World Cup, Under 23 Olympic qualifiers, Africa Women’s Nations Cup, CAF Women’s Champions League, Rwandan League matches, among others.
Salima Mukansanga was listed among the 63 officials at a tournament hosted in Cameroon. Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) were the other three females worked as assistant referees.
Precious Sibalo
From working as a waitress, she rose through the ranks to become a Commercial Pilot.
She is a former Cabin Crew at Qatar Airways and holds an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) from 43 Air School, South Africa. Her late mother had her at age 17 and she was raised by her grandparents.
At age 17, she also had a child and immediately relocated to South Africa because she could no longer proceed to the University. Upon arriving in South Africa she worked as a waitress, but all this could not stop her from achieving her dream.
“I used the job of a waitress as a stepping stone. Some people will always say I will never take this job; take it and use it as a stepping stone.
“Work with excellence and cultivate your knowledge because knowledge is power. The waitress job took me to Dubai and paved a way for my job at Qatar Airways,” she said.
Precious is currently working on her Flight Instructors Rating and flying to build hours in South Africa, in an effort to achieve her next goal – flying big planes at Qatar Airways.
Sinethemba Masinga
She is a second-generation farmer and has been involved in farming from a young age, working closely with her parents. Her farm produce include – nuts, yams, sweet potatoes, dry beans, green beans, eggplant, green peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, among others.
As Director of the farm, she is involved in the day to day manual labour on the farm.
“If I’m not monitoring basic tasks like fencing, fetching water and supervising harvesting, I keep also the records of the farms accurate and up-to-date.
“I handle our business account to manage all our monthly expenses and payrolls and make sure the profits we make are used for emergencies or saving towards resources for labour on the farms,” she said.
She believes “the only way for more young women to be involved in farming is to change their minds.”
“Farming is for everyone and should not be associated with any gender. There are no limits to the positions women can fill in the agricultural sector. The sky is the limit; young women should go grab those opportunities, break the chains to motivate and create jobs for the generations to come,” she said.
Maud Chifamba
Born in abject poverty, she is now a Chartered Accountant, Education Content Creator and Advocate. At age 14, she became one of the youngest University students in Africa.
She obtained a Bachelor of Accountancy (Honours degree) at age 18 and a Master of Science (MSc) in Accountancy at age 20 from the University of Zimbabwe.
Chifamba lost her father when she was just five years old. Her mother was suffering from cancer and she could not take care of her younger brother.
When she was in grade ‘3’ in 2005, she was mistakenly given a grade ‘4’ exam paper but managed and scored 100 per cent. The same year, she requested for a grade ‘5’ test paper and passed with distinction. She went on to finish grade 7 at the age of nine.
In 2009, Chifamba did not have money for high school, she studied on her own and completed her Ordinary Level in just two years. She was later identified by the Ministry of Education and awarded financial assistance for her A levels.
She lost her mother in 2011 but against all odds, at age 23, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe and certified as a Public Accountant by the Public Accountants and Auditors Board, Zimbabwe.
— WomenPowerAfrica
By Spectator Reporter
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
