Overview:
The Forbes Woman Africa Awards are meant to recognise the achievements and resilience of women across Africa and the world.
Ugandan innovator and entrepreneur Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa has been announced the winner of the Forbes Woman Africa Youth Icon Award.
Nabuuma, 26, who is the founder and Executive Director of CHIL Artificial Intelligence Lab, a company that offers mobile cancer screening, was announced winner at a function held in Pretoria, South Africa, on Wednesday.
The Forbes Woman Africa Awards are meant to recognise the achievements and resilience of women across Africa and the world.
In her remarks, Nabuuma dedicated the award to all African women.
“As a young entrepreneur, I have faced so much opposition but this award goes out to all women to show that they can do it,” she said.
“I would like to thank Forbes Africa for recognising our work They said we would not but we did, they said we could not never run any business past our village , we pushed it beyond the continent. Thank you so much to my team and the board for you always believe in me,” she added.
“I would like to thank Forbes Africa for recognising our work They said we would not but we did, they said we could not never run any business past our village , we pushed it beyond the continent. Thank you so much to my team and the board for you always believe in me,”
Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa
Nabuuma, 26, is also the co-founder of Solerchil Technologies, a company which produces solar-powered cold chain technology to help farmers and vendors to safely preserve unsold food.
Other winners at the function include Rwandan female referee Salima Mukansanga who was announced the Forbes Woman Africa Sports Award winner.
The Forbes Woman Africa Technology and Innovation Award went to Funmi Adewara, a UK-based Physician and Cambridge trained Bioscience Entrepreneur of Nigerian heritage, who is the founder of Mobihealth International.
Michaela Mycroft took the Forbes Woman Africa Young Achievers Award 2023.
The Vice Chairman of ABN Group and Founder and publisher of FORBES AFRICA, Rakesh Wahi, hailed African women for striving to develop themselves, their families and society.
Nabuuma’s star has been rising. In April 2020, she became the first Ugandan to make it on the cover of Forbes Magazine, for her selection in the magazine’s Africa 30 under 30 list.
In 2021, she was selected by the Bloomberg New Economy as one of the extraordinary individuals forming the inaugural class of catalysts that includes 30 other scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs and policymakers.