Monica Musonda is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Java Foods, a food processing company based in Zambia, which she established to provide affordable nutrition to Southern African markets. Java Foods seeks to revolutionize the eating habits of the youth market by offering affordable and nutritious food options made from local products. She is one of the few Zambian women involved in manufacturing and agro-processing. Musonda has held senior positions in private law practice with Clifford Chance and served as an in-house corporate counsel at the International Finance Corporation, and for Aliko Dangote of Dangote Industries Limited. Musonda currently serves as Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Airtel Zambia Plc, Zambia Sugar Plc, Dangote Industries Zambia and sits on the Global Advisory Board for Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network, the world’s leading private sector platform focused on nutrition. Musonda is the recipient of the 2017 African Agribusiness Entrepreneur of the Year award from Market Matters Inc., and is also a 2013 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow.

Evelyne Tall-Daouda is the Founder and Chairman of E. & Partners, a strategy consulting firm that targets multinationals wishing to invest in Africa and African companies wishing to develop their operations to begin geographic expansion. Tall-Daouda is the former Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer / Group Chief Operating Officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated. She started her banking career in 1981 with Citibank in Dakar. She left Citibank to join Ecobank Mali as Deputy Managing Director in 1998 and was made Managing Director in 2000. She was later transferred to Ecobank Senegal as Managing Director and was appointed Regional Head of the Francophone West Africa Region in October 2005. Tall-Daouda is a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee of the Ecobank Transnational Board.

Aissata Lam is the Director General of the Investment Promotion Agency of Mauritania, the governmental entity in charge of national and foreign direct investments, as well as building the investment climate of the country. Through the agency, Lam promotes and implements the new vision of Mauritania, led by H.E President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, for sustainable and more inclusive development driven by stronger, more productive sectors. Lam is passionate about youth and women’s economic empowerment matters on the continent, such as access to finance for start-ups and enabling women entrepreneurial ecosystems. She was appointed to the G7 Gender Equality Council by French In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Lam to the G7 Gender Equality Council. In 2020, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani  awarded Lam the “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite” medal. Lam was also named to the “BBC’s 100 Women 2019,” a list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for that year.