Senamile Masango

Youth in Business

Nominee's Province:
Kwazulu-natal

Age:
34

Project Name/Description:
Senamile Masango Foundation, Wise Africa

More info:
https://twitter.com/senamilemasango?lang=en

Born and bred in KwaNongoma in KwaZulu-Natal in May 1987, life threw Masango a curveball when she became a teen mom. Masango, a Zulu royal princess, dusted herself up and today she’s a nuclear physicist who’s determined to use science and engineering to empower women in Africa. She founded the Senamile Masango Foundation in 2014, which trains young women scientists and engineers on the continent. A PhD candidate in nuclear physics, she’s the first African woman to take part in the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. Masango is also the chairperson of Women in Science and Engineering in Africa (Wise Africa), which teaches youth leadership skills before entering the science and technology industries. Among her many accolades, she was mentioned as one of the 50 Global Inspirational Women of 2020. “The day you plant the seed isn’t the day you eat the fruit; don’t give up, keep watering that seed,” Masango says.