{"id":2000114555,"date":"2026-06-04T18:27:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000114555"},"modified":"2026-06-04T17:31:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:31:41","slug":"berlin-residence-of-rwandas-ambassador-hosts-pan-african-celebration-of-womens-economic-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/berlin-residence-of-rwandas-ambassador-hosts-pan-african-celebration-of-womens-economic-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Berlin: Residence of Rwanda’s ambassador hosts pan-African celebration of women’s economic leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rwanda played a central role in the celebrations on May 28, hosting a special event at the residence of its ambassador to Germany. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gathering brought together spouses of African ambassadors accredited to Berlin and showcased a shared pan-African vision that places innovation, creativity, and the economic empowerment of women at the forefront of Africa’s development agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the promotion of BIWEISS, a brand created by Franco-Ivorian entrepreneur Bienvenue Angui, participants sought to demonstrate the potential of African cooperation and the growing role of women in transforming the continent\u2019s economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event brought together visionary leaders, designers, trend specialists, and fashion industry professionals who, beyond anticipating emerging trends, are helping redefine the relationship between design, technology, culture, and sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than a product showcase, the gathering highlighted the journeys of African women entrepreneurs who are turning ideas into businesses and transforming local craftsmanship and expertise into products capable of reaching both continental and global markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her remarks, Mrs. Jeanne Adili Ndatirwa, President of the Group of Spouses of African Ambassadors in Berlin, recalled the official theme of Africa Day 2026: \u201cEnsuring sustainable water and safe sanitation systems to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the organizers chose to celebrate Africa Day through their support for BIWEISS, an initiative that embodies several key ambitions of the African Union\u2019s Agenda 2063, particularly economic transformation through innovation, industrialization, and value creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From calf leather sourced in Morocco to Ivorian craftsmanship and a design process spanning Abidjan, Berlin, and Paris, BIWEISS represents a tangible example of Pan-African cooperation and the promotion of African expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda as a symbol of women\u2019s leadership in Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice of the Residence of the Rwandan Ambassador as the venue for the event was no coincidence. Widely recognized for its achievements in promoting women\u2019s leadership and participation in economic and political life, Rwanda has become one of the continent\u2019s most remarkable examples of inclusion and women\u2019s empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ndatirwa noted that women account for 58 percent of Africa\u2019s self-employed population and contribute approximately 13 percent of the continent\u2019s Gross Domestic Product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also emphasized that Rwanda\u2019s experience demonstrates how investment in women serves as a powerful catalyst for development, innovation, and social transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBIWEISS is much more than a product. It is a story of creativity, innovation, and transnational collaboration. It demonstrates how African talent can create value together and compete on a global scale,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a time when the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is opening new opportunities for intra-African trade and cooperation, participants stressed the importance of supporting initiatives that encourage the emergence of products conceived, manufactured, and promoted across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event was conceived and coordinated by Mrs. Waridi Schrobsdorff-Pabst and her platform FA 2-54. A former Kenyan-born model, she is now recognized as a creative strategist, contributor to Vogue Germany and Vogue Italy, and an active figure in Berlin Fashion Week since 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussions were moderated by Ms. ShaNon Bobinger, a Berlin-based moderator and systemic coach of Rwandan and Ugandan heritage who works with numerous international organizations and leading brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Mayouri Sengchahn of the Berlin-based trend forecasting agency Exalis GmbH also contributed her expertise and support to the initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Africa writing its own future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In closing the event, Ndatirwa emphasized that Africa Day is above all a celebration of unity, pride, and the continent\u2019s shared ambitions. She noted that Africa\u2019s story continues to be written every day, increasingly by a new generation of women entrepreneurs in Abidjan, Conakry, Djibouti, Dodoma, Kigali, Niamey, and Windhoek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By hosting this Africa Day 2026 celebration, the Residence of the Rwandan Ambassador in Berlin reaffirmed its role as a space for dialogue, inspiration, and Pan-African cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bridging heritage and innovation, the event reflected a shared conviction: Africa\u2019s future development will also depend on the ability of African women to create, innovate, and build the continent of tomorrow together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jeanne Adili Ndatirwa, President of the Group of Spouses of African Ambassadors in Berlin, noted that Africa\u2019s story continues to be written every day, increasingly by a new generation of women entrepreneurs in Abidjan, Conakry, Djibouti, Dodoma, Kigali, Niamey, and Windhoek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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karirima@igihe.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the occasion of Africa Day 2026, spouses of African ambassadors accredited to Berlin, the capital of Germany; highlighted innovation, creativity, and women’s entrepreneurship as critical drivers of the continent’s economic transformation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000114577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"byline":[2285],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000114555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","byline-karirima-a-ngarambe-8"],"bylines":[{"id":2285,"name":"Karirima A. Ngarambe","slug":"karirima-a-ngarambe-8","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"contributors":[{"id":2285,"name":"Karirima A. Ngarambe","slug":"karirima-a-ngarambe-8","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"featured_image":{"id":2000114577,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-04-at-4.40.23-PM-4.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1442,"height":841,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-04-at-4.40.23-PM-4.jpeg","width":1442,"height":841},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-04-at-4.40.23-PM-4.jpeg","width":1442,"height":841},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-04-at-4.40.23-PM-4.jpeg","width":1442,"height":841},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-04-at-4.40.23-PM-4.jpeg","width":1442,"height":841},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-04-at-4.40.23-PM-4.jpeg","width":1442,"height":841}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000114555"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000114579,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000114555\/revisions\/2000114579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000114577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000114555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000114555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000114555"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000114555"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000114555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}