Johannesburg – In a powerful keynote address at the recent Graça Machel Trust’s Women Creating Wealth Summit, renowned humanitarian Graça Machel challenged the long-held notion that African women should be confined to informal sectors and small enterprises. Setting her prepared speech aside, Machel emphasised that African women have the right not just to survive, but to create wealth for themselves, their families, communities and nations.

 The summit, organised by the Graça Machel Trust (GMT), focused on breaking barriers and creating wealth through sectoral networks in finance, agribusiness, entrepreneurship, media and energy, with plans to expand into technology. Over 200 women entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, donors and thought leaders from nine countries gathered to reflect on the current state of African entrepreneurship, assess progress, and chart a course for the future.

 Machel stressed the importance of collective action in addressing systemic constraints, stating, “No one is going to remove barriers alone.” Those with knowledge of a particular sector are in a position to identify constraints and define the strategies of where to start, she noted. “Then we are able, step by step, to change things. That’s when we are really going to be those who break barriers.”

 She emphasised the African philosophy of solidarity over mere targeting, explaining that true solidarity means sharing both pain and success as the key to uplifting women and by extension, society as a whole.

 The veteran activist highlighted the need for a mindset shift among women themselves. “The first thing which has to change is for us to believe that we have reasons to be wealthy,” she noted. She also emphasised that women’s wealth creation brings a unique perspective to business, focusing on sharing and community benefit rather than individual gain.

 The summit brought together women from various sectors, including finance, business incubation and mentorship programmes. Machel encouraged participants to connect with at least five other attendees, emphasising the importance of both emotional and intellectual bonds in creating lasting change. She also called on attendees to think beyond continental boundaries, suggesting that African women’s approaches to business and wealth creation could influence global practices.

 “Please share as much as you can of your personal journey,” she said. “Make sure that when you leave here, you have connected with other five sisters, not just because you are together in the same network, but really build that relationship of the heart, because the good thing with women is that we connect our minds and our hearts, always.”

 Addressing Africa’s historical economic challenges, Machel questioned why the continent has remained “at the bottom of benefitting from the endowments” despite its rich resources. She challenged women to become not just wealth creators but innovators in transforming these resources for collective benefit. “We bring to the table a different way of doing things, which is transforming our societies,” she declared.

 She acknowledged the important role played by other women leaders at the summit: HE Zanele Mbeki, founder of Women’s Development Bank, and members of the GMT Expert Leaders’ Group Dr Tukiya Kankasa-Mabula, former Deputy Governor Administration, Bank of Zambia and HE Saude Msemo, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Tanzania.

 Advocate Mojankunyane Gumbi, who is the Special Adviser for Addressing Racism in the Workplace at the UN also lent her support to the event, while Dr Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission addressed the attendees virtually.

 Looking to the future, Machel expressed hope that the next generation would live in a society that truly respects and accepts women as equals. She urged participants to maintain their cultural identity while pursuing excellence and concluded by urging participants to “stand tall” and remember that they represent millions of other women when they enter any room.

 The Women Creating Wealth Summit represents part of the Graça Machel Trust’s ongoing efforts to transform the economic landscape for African women, moving beyond acceptance of limited roles to embrace wealth creation and economic leadership.