Forbes has just announced its 2023 list of 50 women over 50 years (50over50) in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
These 50 women are changing their communities and the world in ways big and small through social entrepreneurship, business and political leadership, law, and education.
On this prestigious list of global luminaries is a Zimbabwean woman Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula. She has flown the Zimbabwean flag high for all the right and positive reasons and the country is most proud of her.
Commenting on such a feat, Dr Simbi-Ndhlukula has this to say “It is not just an honour, but for me, this speaks volumes on what African women are capable of. There is nothing, besides just hard physical labour, that women cannot do as well as men. Many African women just haven’t had opportunities.”
Having founded SECURICO 24 years ago from literally nothing but just a vision, Dr Simbi-Ndhlukula has had a dazzling career by leading her team to be at the apex of an industry hitherto perceived to be not suitable for women. Dr Simbi-Ndhlukula has made significant impact in the spheres she has sought to influence, among other spearheading the acceptance of women in the security sector, founding and leading several women economic empowerment organisations such as the Woman Owned Business that supports the scaling up of women enterprises. Being a firm believer in the mantra “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, Dr Simbi-Ndhlukula has facilitated many bursaries for rural girls to go further in their education with some now doing medicine in global universities. That also culminated in setting up a community library in her rural home in Gutu where learners from nearby 8 school can access curriculum relevant text books.
Dr Simbi-Ndhlukula has also impacted the agribusiness landscape where she works with thousands of small holder farmers in the livestock value chain.
With many local and global awards and recognitions under her belt, the humble and unassuming Dr Simbi-Ndhlukula believes in the pay it forward mindset. According to Forbes, many of the women on the Forbes list aren’t just working to advance their own careers, but they are using their platforms to make life better for future generations. These are disruptors and changemakers who are leaving the world a little bit better than they found it.
