Monica Geingos

First Lady of the Republic of Namibia and President of the Organization of African First Ladies (OAFLAD)

Monica Geingos is the First Lady of the Republic of Namibia, serves as the President of OAFLAD, and is a qualified lawyer. She served on the Boards of large public- and private-sector companies as either Chairperson or Deputy Chair and played a meaningful role in private sector development. She received numerous merit awards, and is ranked by an international publication as one of “Africa’s Top 100 Economic Leaders.” Monica serves on the Boards of Africa Reach (Chairperson), the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre, the Concordia Leadership Council, WomenLift Health, and Virchow Foundation.

Event Schedule

DAY 1

18 July 2023

Start Time	End Time	Session	Description	Action
10:30 am EEST	12:00 pm EEST	The Festival of Dreams Opening Ceremony Youth Zone Youth Zone, KCC Terrace	Join us for a morning of dreaming, disrupting, and decolonizing, young people’s involvement in changing the world. Through a powerful panel of global leaders sharing Read More Join us for a morning of dreaming, disrupting, and decolonizing, young people’s involvement in changing the world. Through a powerful panel of global leaders sharing their stories on their sleeves, we will come together to envision how stakeholders can work to transform young people’s voices in traditionally exclusive spaces, officially opening The Festival of Dreams. Read Less Speakers Rania Dagash-Kamara Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa UNICEF Daren Paul Katigbak Young Leader Women Deliver Julia Ehrt Executive Director ILGA World Monica Geingos First Lady of the Republic of Namibia and President of the Organization of African First Ladies (OAFLAD) Helen Clark Former Prime Minister New Zealand
12:00 pm EEST	01:30 pm EEST	Maputo@20: Bridging the Gap Between Policies and People Plenary KCC Auditorium	Watch the recording here A high-level accountability session with thought leaders that spotlights Africa’s priorities and actions taken to advance Gender Equality and Read More Watch the recording here A high-level accountability session with thought leaders that spotlights Africa’s priorities and actions taken to advance Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa, in light of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa turning 20 years in 2023. The session will be anchored on the 3Ps Framework of the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate; Policies, Partnerships and People with Promising Practices. The storyline will focus on how to connect African Union Policies to the African people through impactful Afro-centered partnerships, while highlighting promising practices at different levels. Opening Session: Moderator: Ms. Prudence Ngwenya, Director, Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, AUC Ms. Karen Ondwasi, Former Chairperson, Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Youth Network Ms. Malado Kaba, Director, AfDB Gender of, Women and Civil Society Directorate H.E Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission (AUC) Keynote Address: H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of Republic of Liberia and Patron of the Women Leader Network (AWLN) Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Dr. Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, Former AU Goodwill Ambassador on Ending Child Marriage King Mansour Maiguizo, Male Traditional Leader, Niger Ms. Natsnet Ghebrebrhan, Violence Against Women (VAW) Prevention Coordinator, Raising Voices, Uganda Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion Ms. Malado Kaba, Director, AfDB Gender of, Women and Civil Society Directorate Ms. Prudence Ngwenya, Director, AUC Women Gender and Youth Directorate Ms. Christine Baingana, Financial Services Executive CEO at Urwego Bank Beyond The Bridge: Promising Practices in Africa Moderator: Ms. Nathalie Gahunga, Ag. Divison Manager, Gender and Women Empowerment Division, AfDB, AHGC Dr. Fatoumata Haidara, Director of Sahel, Plan International H.E. Nardos Bekele Thomas, CEO, AUDA-NEPAD H.E. Monica Geingos, First Lady of Namibia and President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) H.E. Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, First Lady of the Republic of Burundi Read Less Speakers Prudence Ngwenya Director, Women, Gender and Youth Directorate African Union Commission Fatoumata Haidara Sahel Director Plan International in West and Central Africa Nardos Bekele-Thomas Chief Executive Officer AUDA-NEPAD Karen Ondwasi Chairperson GIMAC Young Women Network H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Founder Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center) Natsnet Ghebrebrhan Violence Against Women (VAW) Prevention Director Raising Voices Monica Geingos First Lady of the Republic of Namibia and President of the Organization of African First Ladies (OAFLAD)