Monica Geingos, the former First Lady, has been recognized with the prestigious 2024 Hall of Femme Award by the International Women’s Forum South Africa (IWFSA)
IWFSA is part of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), a global invitation-only network of some of the world’s most accomplished and influential women leaders.
The IWFSA Award Gala was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 31 October, and was attended by the former First Lady of the Republic of South Africa and IWFSA Patron, H.E. Dr Zanele Mbeki, IWFSA President Ms Nolitha Fakude, IWFSA Board Members, and South Africa’s top women leaders.
The Award pays tribute to women committed to advancing women’s leadership. Past honorees include Mrs Zanele Mbeki, former First Lady of South Africa; Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General; Ms Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director; and other trailblazing women.
Mrs Geingos was made a Halle of Femme Honoree with Dr Naledi Pandor, Former South African Minister of International Relations, and Wendy Ackerman, co-founding Pick n Pay Group Executive.
Mrs Geingos was commended for being a global role model and thought leader who has led with purpose and determination in addressing women’s issues.
The award citation for Geingos recognised her transformative work on financial inclusion in Namibia, how she drove meaningful change as First Lady, and her turnaround of the Organisation of African First Ladies during her tenure as its President, which included leading a successful capital campaign, deepening organisational capacity, and launching a high-level gender equality campaign titled the “We Are Equal” campaign, which has to date been launched in 18 countries with a combined population of 700 million Africans.