Award-winning South African media personality and businesswoman Bonang Matheba is unstoppable.
Queen B, as she is popularly known, recently moderated a panel discussion titled ‘Spotlighting African Innovation’ at the third Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City.
The discussion explored opportunities to positively affect the lives of African youth, urbanisation as well as infrastructure and transformative solutions.
Matheba was joined on the panel by Cameroonian-American NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who recently won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Olympics and president of the Toronto Raptors and co-founder of Giants of Africa, Masai Ujiri.
Giants of Africa uses sport to enrich the lives of the youth on the continent by creating opportunities both on and off the court.
“There’s a lot of talent on the continent but a lot of times, we are not seen. When you’re looking at my story, if I wasn’t lucky, I would not be sitting here. I just want young people to understand that it’s possible. That’s why storytelling is extremely important. Because I believe, growing up watching athletes in every sport, and looking at their success made me dream about being at this level,” said Embiid.
“Looking at my story, I wasn’t supposed to be here. I, of course, put the work in and took advantage of the opportunities I was presented with – but there are a lot of people that are waiting for that opportunity. I just want people to dream and believe and know that it is possible.”
Ujiri said: “I would say, we must invest in the youth. They say one out of every four persons in the world will be African by 2050, and the median age in Africa is 20 years old – that population demographic is incredible. I also think infrastructure is something that we need to really look at and invest in. Last, but not least, I would say we need to invest more in women all over the world, but particularly, on the continent.”
Matheba echoed Ujiri and said: “Africa is bursting with potential and creativity. Today’s conversation demonstrated our capacity to lead in global innovation while remaining true to our roots. By leveraging our strengths and collaborating across borders, we can drive meaningful change.”
“As I work to empower women through the Bonang Matheba Foundation, I see this prestigious network as a vital opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and amplify my impact.”
The purpose of the summit is to discover, accelerate, award, spotlight and scale solutions to repair and regenerate the planet.
It also brings together global leaders to discuss and advance critical climate solutions.
English royal His Royal Highness, Prince William is the brains behind Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit.
