Her situation came to light after she met politician Geoffrey Mosiria, who documented her story as shown in this video shared with Global South World. 

“Sir, in my house, there is hunger. We sleep on an empty stomach,” she told Geoffrey. “Begging is not a part of me,  I rebuke it in the mighty name of Jesus.” 

“The only thing that is in my house is salt and matchbox.”

Elizabeth’s case underscores broader deprivation in Kenya, with the latest available data from 2022 showing that 25.4% of the population — about 13.8 million people — are living in multidimensional poverty, with a further 26.4% considered vulnerable.

The country’s multidimensional poverty index stands at 0.113, lower than peers such as Cameroon and Tanzania , but still reflecting significant gaps in access to basic needs.

For families like Elizabeth’s, those figures translate into daily uncertainty over food, work and survival.

“I do manual jobs. I've been out for weeks trying to secure a job, all in vain.” 

That casual moment became the starting point of a journey that would move from home cooking to digital influence, and now, social change. 

The video later evolved into a full recipe post on TikTok, helping her find an audience that connected with her food, her ideas, and eventually, her purpose.

In the early days, Chefabbys made a clear decision to stay behind the camera. For nearly two years, her videos focused only on the food. “For like two years I never showed my face… I just really love to cook,” she told Global South World in an interview. 

At the time, cooking was the focus, not visibility or recognition. That changed around December 2024, when she chose to step into the frame. “The moment you add your face to it, it becomes like your personality, showing what you can offer.” Showing her face helped shift how people saw her content. What once felt like a recipe page began to feel like a personal brand, built around a real person with a clear voice.

As her audience grew, so did the challenges behind the scenes. Chefabbys spoke about the financial strain of food content creation. “You need to buy the ingredients to shoot the recipe… and if that’s not coming anymore, you need to use your own money.” 

Beyond costs, there was also the pressure of standing out in a crowded digital space. “How do you stand out? What exactly will make people want to watch your videos?”

For her, the answer was never just better visuals or trend-driven content. It came from something deeper. Her relationship with food was shaped long before social media. 

“Growing up, we always came from a family where food was in abundance, and we always gave our food.” 

That habit of sharing stayed with her. Seeing people light up when they received a meal became meaningful. “I felt like, oh, if food can make somebody this happy, then imagine giving thousands of people that food.”

That thinking pushed her to look beyond content creation. She began to question how her words and values could turn into real action. “I wanted to make use of something I’ve been saying all the time… How do I change that thing that is just talking into something that is more passion-driven and action?”

The answer came on October 16, World Food Day, when Chefabbys launched the “Big Street Feast” in Accra. 

She turned the street into an open kitchen and fed tens of thousands for free . The event was simple in concept but powerful in impact. Food was shared without conditions or labels.

But she was not alone; her initiative received support from the office of Ghana’s president and local organisations. 

“People actually helped us. They came through. It was the first time, so people needed to see how it was going to go.” 

The crowd reflected the wider reality of food insecurity. Over 36 million people in West and Central Africa are on the verge of experiencing emergency hunger as a result of persistent conflict, difficult economic conditions, and severe weather, according to the World Food Programme (WFP) . The situation in Ghana, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire is getting worse due to rising food and fuel prices.

According to WFP, a million of Ghana's more than 2 million people who experience food insecurity are chronically malnourished children under five.

“It’s not just for the underprivileged… businessmen, influencers, and everyday people” showed up, reinforcing her belief that food challenges affect many people, not just those often identified as vulnerable.

From that experience, a bigger vision took shape. The Ghanaian now wants every October 16 to be recognised as Free Food Day across her country and everywhere else. 

Her idea is simple: restaurants, communities, and individuals offering free meals on that day. 

“In the next five years, I want to see World Food Day as something that is practised out of Ghana, in countries, in restaurants… people should be able to walk in and eat for free.”

Her work has not gone unnoticed. In July 2025, she was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Creators. Months later, at the TikTok Awards Sub-Saharan Africa held in Johannesburg in December, she earned 1st Runner-Up in the Food Creator of the Year category. 

For her, recognition is not pressure. “It gives me more opportunities to do more… I don’t feel pressure at all,” she said.

Despite being widely known as a chef and content creator, Chefabbys defines herself differently. 

“Being a chef is my passion. Being a creator is a platform… but being a changemaker is my vision, my hope, my dream.” 

Footage from the scene shows al-Ahmed grabbing one of the gunmen from behind, forcing him to the ground and taking his weapon. He is then seen pointing the gun at the suspect, who later fled.

Background and identity

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that al-Ahmed is an Australian citizen of Syrian origin. Family members say he comes from al-Nayrab village near Idlib in Syria and migrated to Australia in 2006. He lives in Sydney, where he runs a fruit shop, and is married with two children .

His brother, Huthaifa al-Ahmed, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that Ahmed was nearby when the shooting began and intervened immediately. “I’m really proud of my brother,” he said. Al-Ahmed was shot twice during the incident and sustained serious injuries. He was taken to St George Hospital in Kogarah, New South Wales, where he is undergoing treatment and further surgery. Albanese visited him in hospital on Tuesday, describing his actions as an example of national unity. “Ahmed al-Ahmed took the gun off that perpetrator at great risk to himself,” the prime minister said.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns also praised al-Ahmed, calling him a “real-life hero” whose actions helped prevent further loss of life. 

Al-Ahmed’s intervention has been widely commended in Australia and internationally. A fundraising campaign set up to support him and his family has raised more than $218,000. However, misinformation also circulated online following the attack, with false claims about al-Ahmed’s religion and identity. These claims were later corrected by Australian authorities.

The video captures a Jewish couple—Boris Gurman, 69, and his wife Sofia, 61—stepping in to protect others during the early moments of the attack.

Gurman, a retired mechanic, is seen in the footage wearing a purple shirt, charging at an armed assailant in a black shirt, attempting to disarm him while his wife stood beside him. 

Witness accounts and the video suggest the attacker had another firearm, which was then used to fatally shoot the couple. Both Boris and Sofia were among the first victims of the incident, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

The Gurman family released a statement describing the couple's actions as instinctively selfless.

“While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness. This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were— people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others.”

The couple had been married for 34 years, with their 35th anniversary approaching in January.

“We were looking forward to celebrating Sofia’s 62nd birthday on Wednesday, 17 December,” the family added.

Witnesses have described Gurman as a hero. The woman who shared the dashcam footage told Reuters, “Mr Gurman did not run away—instead, he charged straight toward the danger, using all his strength trying to wrestle away the gun and fighting to the death.”

“Everyone needs to know what he tried, because it was right in the beginning. And he put himself in that face of danger. There were bullets flying already, and he put his self in the face of danger,” another witness told reporters.

The attack, which occurred during a Hanukkah event, left at least 15 people dead and 22 others injured, nine critically. Victims ranged in age from 10 to 87, including a child, a rabbi, a former police officer, and a Holocaust survivor.

Authorities have classified the shooting as a terrorist act targeting the Jewish community. Police identified the attackers as a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram. The father, aged 50, was killed by officers at the scene, while the 24-year-old son remains in hospital.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident, calling it “An act of evil anti-Semitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”

The celebration, tagged as a “big street feast”, fed hundreds of locals, including media , influencers, and people from underserved communities. Traditional Ghanaian dishes were the highlight, creating a vibrant scene that mixed food, culture, and community.

"We had one vision in mind, to make everybody happy. So, whatever we're doing, we had it in mind. I wanted to make everyone happy. So, it came into the serving. We made sure we smiled to everybody. We made sure we made everybody feel loved. And that was our baseline for this event," she said.

Chef Abbys, recently honoured on TIME magazine's 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential Creators for her efforts in using food and social media to promote African culture, said she hopes to make World Food Day a national day of free meals across Africa. She declared October 16 as Free Food Day in Ghana and has plans to expand the idea beyond the country.

“My vision is that every October 16th, World Food Day will be Free Food Day in Ghana and hopefully in Africa. It's going to be extended in so many other countries,” she added.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), over 36 million people in West and Central Africa are nearing emergency hunger levels due to ongoing conflict, economic challenges, and extreme weather.  Rising food and fuel prices continue to worsen the situation in Ghana, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Out of the over 2 million facing food insecurity in Ghana , a million of those are children under five who are chronically malnourished, WFP reports.

The idea for the device began in 2019 when Ubokobong lost his fingers in a firecracker accident. His brother John, a former special effects artist, created a silicone glove to match his skin tone after finding only white-coloured prostheses available. 

“Ubokobong was born out of a quest to solve an individual need for my younger brother Ubokobong, who lost his fingers to an accident some years ago,” John Amanam, Immortal Cosmetic’s founder and CEO, told Reuters.  

While the prototype provided a cosmetic solution, the brothers were eager to make it functional. 

“After solving this need for him, there was a need also to improve on what we already had. So Ubokobong decided to invent this idea called the ‘Ubokobong Bionic’ to add functionality to our already made hyper-realistic prosthesis,” John added.

Their product is already gaining worldwide traction, receiving orders from the United States , the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ghana. The Amanam brothers are seeking government and non-governmental support to make the device affordable in Nigeria, where access to prosthetic technology remains limited.

For Ubokobong Amanam, creating the “hand of God” is not only a pursuit of innovation, but also a personal mission to extend a helping hand to others who have faced similar circumstances as him. 

“I know how it feels like to lose a body part no matter how small it is, it is very painful and I feel so fulfilled and it gives me joy to see that I can put smiles on someone else’s face, and I am also happy that it is a problem in Africa that I have solved,” Ubokobong said. 

“The solution is already here, but I am trying to spread the solution.”

Earlier this year, 25-year-old Gift Usen became one of the first to test the prototype in Akwa Ibom state. 

Born with her left arm ending at the elbow, she used the bionic hand to pick up her handbag — a task she had never been able to do before.

“I was born like this, growing up like this, growing to see myself with one and half hands, and most times I feel discouraged but at times, I have to encourage myself because this is how I saw it, I didn’t create myself,” Usen said. “When we are launching it will be my greatest happiness ever. I feel so good, like I am happy, finally I’ll have two hands, and maybe feel among.”

The bionic arm closely mirrors human features, including nails, wrinkles, and fingerprints. The brothers say their vision goes beyond restoring function, as they hope to change public perceptions of amputees.

“Our project for the future… I’ll always maintain, is to make prosthesis fashion, to take away the pity factor from the public, so people don’t have to see amputees as a different kind of people, people don’t have to sympathise with them but see them as classy people, as fashionable people,” John said.

Although the mechanical version of the Ubokobong bionic arm was introduced in February, the final version with realistic skin covering has not yet been officially launched.

For Usen and many others awaiting access, the device represents more than technology. It symbolises dignity, confidence, and the possibility of feeling complete — the promise embodied in its name, the “hand of God.”

“I could remember vividly the panic. That moment was something I don’t want to revisit,” Dundas said. “When the light went, he was struggling to breathe, and you could hear him struggle to breathe, just a two-month-old baby,” he told Global South World .

With no backup generator at the hospital, Dundas raced home to fetch an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) from his desktop computer. The small device kept the oxygen machine running long enough to stabilise his child. “We could have lost him,” he recalled. “Thank God he’s now six years plus.”

That terrifying night became the turning point. As a trained innovator with a passion for problem-solving, Dundas began asking himself questions like “what energy source is abundant, reliable, and accessible within seconds? As an innovator, I was always thinking, what can we use that is readily available, that in zero to ten seconds, you can have electricity, just like that?” His answer was salt water .

Dundas started experimenting with seawater, which makes up 70% of the earth’s surface and contains minerals such as magnesium. The principle, he explains, is not far from a battery. “You have the plus and the minus, and it creates charges,” he said.

Over several years of research, from 2018 through 2020 and beyond, he refined a system that uses salt water to generate safe, instant electricity. His goal was to create power that communities could depend on when the grid failed.

In countries like Sierra Leone, where Dundas lives, blackouts are common and hospitals often lack backup systems. His invention, still under development, is aimed at bridging that electricity gap, ensuring that no family experiences the terror he once faced with his son.

The glove works using pressure sensors and a microcontroller to detect specific hand and finger movements. Once gestures are recognised, the system translates them into audible speech, allowing sign language users to communicate directly with those who do not understand sign language.

Footage released Monday shows Husaini working on the glove from his university dormitory and attending lectures, balancing his studies with the ongoing development of the prototype.

“The inspiration behind the NHED Smart Glove is actually my immediate younger sister,” Husaini said. “She was born without the ability to speak."

Despite limited access to materials and equipment, Husaini continued to develop the project with support from peers and a deep personal drive to improve communication for people with speech impairments.

“People with special abilities are living evidence that limits can lead, if only they have the right aid or the right resources to project their abilities,” he explained.

The current version of the glove can recognise and interpret gestures involving five fingers. However, Husaini is already working on a second version that would expand functionality to 10-finger input, allowing for a wider vocabulary and more accurate communication.

His lecturer, Dr Isah Yakub Mohammed, praised Husaini’s commitment and believes his innovation could go even further.

"With the way the boy is going, I think there are a lot of things that he can come up with—particularly solutions that will help people with disabilities,” he said.

The NHED Smart Glove has been featured by local media and is gaining attention for its potential to help thousands of people across Nigeria and beyond.

Although comprehensive national statistics on speech impairment are lacking, various studies estimate that 30 to 44.4 percent of people in Nigeria experience some form of speech disorder, with children representing a significant portion of these cases.

By offering a functional and accessible communication tool, Husaini’s invention could provide a major breakthrough for individuals who rely on sign language to engage with the world.

“We found this little chimp tied to a tree...very malnourished, dehydrated,” Amarasekaran recalls of the encounter in Matotaka village. “They asked if we were interested. At that time, we didn’t even realise it was illegal or anything,” he told the AFP. Without intervention, the animal would likely have died. He brought it home. That chimp was the beginning of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

But what started as a spontaneous act of compassion quickly turned into a life-changing discovery. “That’s when we started to realise this is not an ordinary monkey. They have jealousy, love, they get angry... just like us,” he said. The human-like emotional depth of chimps drew Amarasekaran deeper into conservation work. He eventually quit his job, intending to set up the sanctuary for “one or two years.” “That never happened,” he says. Decades later, he’s still there.

Today, Tacugama is home to over 100 rescued chimps and is one of Sierra Leone’s most relevant conservation efforts. Yet Amarasekaran admits the sanctuary is treating symptoms, not causes. “We are rescuing chimps, but why are they being poached? Why are their homes disappearing?” he asks.

Habitat loss, illegal pet trade , and bushmeat hunting continue to threaten wild chimpanzees across West Africa. Amarasekaran’s long-term goal is not to grow the sanctuary, it’s to make it obsolete. “Our mission is to stop them coming to Tacugama,” he says. “The moment they are left alone and are a free-roaming population in our forests, that’s the day I can say we’ve done something good for conservation.”

Working from his family’s dining room in Matola, near Maputo, Rego’s invention uses sensors to detect obstacles and warn users through vibrations.

His Vision Hope smart glasses are being tested by people like Armando Ernesto Chau, a 45-year-old father who lost his sight two decades ago.

Chau says the device helps him avoid danger and could allow him to leave home without relying on others.

The latest version of the glasses has a wider field of detection, improved battery life, and GPS tracking to help families keep in touch with users.

Rego is already planning new features like waterproofing and sensors that can spot thin wires or small puddles, details that matter in everyday life.

For people like Chau, it’s more than a tool, its also a chance to reclaim independence.

“If the glasses are made the way I suggest, it will help us a lot, me and many other visually impaired people out there,” Chau told the AFP.

His goal is to partner with companies that can help him produce the glasses for use across Mozambique, where millions live with vision loss.

Aryan, who had arrived in the city just hours earlier to visit his father, had been fascinated by the sight of low-flying planes and decided to record a video to share with friends.

He had climbed to the terrace with his sister and a friend when the flight passed unusually close overhead. Within seconds, the plane plunged and exploded, leaving a trail of fire and smoke.

Flight AI 171, headed to London, crashed less than a minute after take-off, killing 241 people on board and causing several deaths on the ground.

Among the victims was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Aryan’s video, which shows the aircraft moments before the crash, quickly spread on social media and drew the attention of the police.

The teenager has since given a witness statement to the Ahmedabad Crime Branch.

His family said he has been deeply shaken by the experience and decided to return to his village to recover and continue his education .

Residents described him as visibly disturbed in the hours after the crash.

The video, which may hold important clues, is now part of the official investigation into one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent years.

“I am driven to use cycling to mobilize funds, support, and raise awareness to ignite and sustain community-led change through education and empowerment in underserved Ghanaian communities,” Adjei said. Calling Ghana a “sports-enthusiastic nation,” he hopes to “use the power of sports–cycling to champion education.”

His journey serves as a platform to increase awareness of the importance of education in transforming lives, whilst raising funds to support sustainable and localised education initiatives. He also hopes to inspire action and representation, encouraging others to pursue their dreams while giving back to society and creating a level playing field for inclusive participation, MyJoyOnline reports.

EduSpots, a registered NGO in Ghana and the United Kingdom trains more than 400 volunteers (catalysts) who run 50 community learning centres known as “spots.”

Adjei’s effort adds to a growing wave of Ghanaian endurance adventurers using overland travel to support charitable causes and promote national identity.

In 2023, a group of Ghanaian tourism enthusiasts, known as Wanderlust Ghana, drove overland from Accra to London to spotlight African adventure tourism and raise awareness around philanthropy and Pan-African connectivity.

This new system has made testing for TB much quicker and more reliable, according to the Head of Programme at the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Lung Disease Program, Dr. Immaculate Kathure.

Faster and more accurate diagnosis

This new system has made testing for TB much quicker and more reliable. It also helps solve a big problem: the shortage of trained radiologists in many parts of Kenya and other African countries.

The digital X-rays are used both for screening and diagnostic purposes, depending on the availability of molecular testing at the facilities visited by patients and the environment or conditions under which testing is done.

Although molecular testing is usually the first point of call for patients who present with symptoms of TB at health facilities, the X-ray machine is the most efficient alternative for fast and quicker results where molecular testing is not immediately available.

The results are also available instantly.

“Once the X-ray is done, the clinician is actually able to access the results immediately through their phone,” Dr. Kathure explained.

The system connects through a local network in the health centre, which allows the results to be seen across departments.

It also tells doctors whether there is “probable TB” or “no TB”, helping them decide quickly if more testing is needed.

What else can the X-rays detect?

The system does more than just detect TB. It can also find other chest problems such as a large heart, long-term lung disease, lung nodules that may lead to cancer, and even chest fractures.

How many people have been screened?

By December 2024, the system was in use at 69 health facilities across Kenya. Over 128,000 scans had already been done using the new digital chest scan tool, with an estimated 35,000 being chest scans. Out of this number, 4,000 TB cases were detected.

“This technology has helped us detect more TB cases. We have actually seen a 51% increase in case detection since we began using it,” Dr. Kathure confirmed.

Accessibility and affordability to patients

The system is free for people who go to lower-level public health centres as a result of the government’s primary healthcare infrastructure.

X-rays carried out during community outreaches are also free for patients. Patients who are also already subscribed to the Kenyan government ’s health insurance are covered.

At bigger referral hospitals, there may be a charge for taking the X-ray, but not for using the computer tool to read it.

“We don’t charge any extra money to that patient,” she said.

How the system helps Kenya reach WHO’s 2030 TB target

According to the WHO’s 2024 report, Kenya has about 124,000 new TB cases each year. But in 2024, only 97,000 cases were found, leaving more than 20% of people with TB undiagnosed.

The new system is helping to change that.

“What we are hoping is that the introduction of this technology is aimed at helping us to accelerate the last mile to be able to find the missed cases of TB and get closer to TB elimination.”

The WHO has helped Kenya with planning, fundraising, and rolling out the technology.

“They have been pivotal in the process,” she said.

Where the funding is coming from

The digital machines and the computer systems are not made in Kenya. They are bought using government funds and support from international partners.

The Global Fund helped bring the computer system to 70 health centres that already had digital X-ray machines but didn’t have the scanning software, whereas partners, including the United States Aid (U.S. AID), also donated portable chest scan machines with the system included.

These are used in smaller clinics and during visits to communities.

Watch the full interview below:

For more than two decades, Olaosun roamed stadiums across the country, faithfully covering matches in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). With minimal resources but a deep passion for the sport , he became a familiar face on the sidelines, quietly building a legacy in grassroots sports photography.

Olaosun’s story gained nationwide attention in 2024 when fellow photographer Taofeek Ibrahim Adeshina, known as FotoNugget, posted a photo of him working at a league match. The image, accompanied by a touching caption detailing Olaosun’s journey, quickly went viral on social media .

“For over 25 years, Mr. Akeem has tirelessly captured the essence of Nigerian football,” Adeshina wrote. The post sparked public admiration and a crowdfunding campaign to support Olaosun’s work.

This week, Adeshina returned with another post, “I’m happy to share that Canon has officially recognised Mr Akeem’s work. They’ve honoured him with a certification and a brand-new camera. Truly, a single picture can change a story,” the Punch Lite quotes.

Olaosun is widely regarded as one of the most dedicated figures in Nigeria’s football photography scene.

While most billionaires are still men, these women are proving they can lead big companies, grow their own businesses, and give back to society.

Some of these women inherited their wealth, but many also built their fortunes from scratch. From fashion to finance, and from candy to shipping, here are the top 10 richest women in the world in 2025, according to Forbes .

Alice Walton – US$101 billion

Alice Walton is the richest woman in the world. Her father started Walmart, and she owns a large part of it. Even though she never worked at Walmart, the company’s success made her wealth grow.

She spends her time supporting the arts. She built a museum in her hometown in Arkansas and has given away billions through charities, especially to help with education and the environment.

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers – US$81.6 billion

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers comes from the family that founded L’Oréal, one of the biggest beauty brands in the world. She became the main heir after her mother died in 2017.

Her family still owns a large part of the company. She keeps a low profile and rarely appears in public, but her two sons help run the business.

Julia Koch – US$74.2 billion

Julia Koch became very rich after her husband, David Koch, died in 2019. She and her children inherited a big share of Koch Industries, one of the largest private companies in the U.S.

She grew up in a normal family and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Now, she gives millions to hospitals and museums to help improve health and education.

Jaqueline Mars – US$42.6 billion

Jaqueline Mars owns a big part of Mars Inc., the company behind M&M’s, Snickers and Pedigree pet food. Her grandfather started the business over 100 years ago.

She worked in different parts of the company and also supports many causes. She helps groups in arts, sports, and horse riding in the U.S.

Savitri Jindal – US$35.5 billion

Savitri Jindal is the richest woman in India. Her family owns a huge steel and energy company. She took over after her husband passed away.

She is also involved in politics and has worked to support education and healthcare in her country.

Abigail Johnson – US$32.7 billion

Abigail Johnson runs Fidelity Investments, a company her grandfather started. It helps people manage their money, retire, and invest.

She became the boss in 2014 and has made the company even bigger.

Miriam Adelson – US$32 billion

Miriam Adelson’s wealth comes from Las Vegas Sands, one of the biggest casino companies in the world. She got her share after her husband died.

She is also a doctor and gives a lot of money to help with health research and public health programs.

Marilyn Simons – US$31 billion

Marilyn Simons is the widow of Jim Simons, who ran a very successful hedge fund. She now leads the Simons Foundation, which helps fund science and education.

She keeps working to support research in maths and health. Her goal is to make science useful for people’s everyday lives.

Melinda French Gates – US$30.4 billion

Melinda French Gates is known for her work in technology and charity. She was married to Microsoft founder Bill Gates and helped build their foundation.

She now runs her own company, Pivotal Ventures, which supports women and families hoping to involve more women to lead in business and in their communities.

Gianluigi Aponte-Diamant – fortune details not clearly stated

Together with her husband, she started MSC, a global shipping company. They began with one ship and grew it into the largest fleet in the world.

She is one of the few women who built her own fortune and has won many awards for her work in the shipping industry.

“My husband now looks up to me to take care of a large chunk of expenses, including buying furniture and other assets,” Bhobho said at a market where she delivers crops for farmers in her community.

The tricycles, called Hamba—meaning "go" in Ndebele—are powered by solar-charged lithium-ion batteries. Mobility for Africa, a local start-up, piloted the project in 2019 by leasing the vehicles to groups of women for $15 a month. Today, women like Bhobho can own them through a lease-to-purchase program.

“I used to depend on my husband for everything, even money for bread,” she said.

Bhobho now owns land, has opened a small grocery store, is paying off a car, and has moved her children from an underfunded rural public school to a better-equipped private institution. She earns up to $300 a month, a salary comparable to that of government workers such as schoolteachers.

Beyond financial gains, she has gained self-esteem. “Even my husband and in-laws have more respect for me now. No one used to listen to me, but now I have a seat when important decisions are being made,” the mother of three said.

According to Carlin Thandi Ngandu, the community engagement coordinator for Mobility for Africa, the program aims to ensure that 70% of its beneficiaries are women in Zimbabwe. 

The program involves 300 women across Zimbabwe, with only women owning and operating tricycles. 

The tricycles are particularly beneficial in rural areas, as they can navigate narrow paths inaccessible to cars and reach remote homesteads and vegetable gardens. The affordability of the tricycles makes them accessible to locals, allowing them to contribute to their families and communities. 

However, women face challenges such as rough terrain and resistance from men who struggle with seeing women lead in traditionally male-dominated spaces. 

“Some men don’t like seeing women in charge, but we are proving that we can contribute just as much, if not more, to our families and communities,” says Bhobho.

Beyond business, the tricycles are revolutionising healthcare access, particularly for women and children. Josephine Nyevhe, a volunteer community health worker, uses her tricycle to bring medical services closer to rural families and serves as a village ambulance.

“I am on 24-hour standby. I get calls during odd hours and have to rush people to the hospital. Sometimes it’s a pregnant woman who would have otherwise given birth at home in unsafe conditions,” she said.

Ayelabola did not walk this path alone. Her runway was shared with models who often face barriers in the fashion world—plus-size models, individuals with albinism, vitiligo, and tribal marks. 

According to the 26-year-old, the event was more than a record-breaking attempt; it was to inspire others to embrace their uniqueness.

“I came up with a theme that was inclusivity and diversity,” she told Guinness World Records . “I wanted a runway where everyone would be included and everybody could showcase their talent, and we could inspire others to be who they were and to stay true to themselves.”

Having worked in the modelling industry for six years, the inspiration for the record-setting catwalk stemmed from a personal experience of rejection. After being told she wasn’t tall enough to participate in a Lagos Fashion Week, Ayelabola set out to challenge conventional beauty standards. Her goal was to create opportunities for other aspiring models who had been turned away for reasons beyond their control.

“I started this journey to create a stage for all the models who’d been told no because they aren’t tall enough or have a skin condition, even though they were talented,” she explained.

Data Girl Technologies, based in Cameroon, offers young African women access to coding education , mentorship, and networking opportunities.

Speaking with Global South World's Edward Sakyi, Eposi Frida, co-founder of Data Girl Technologies, said the company believes that more women are needed in the tech space and that they must have access to the software, hardware, and education needed to pursue the tech dream.

"The goal is to not just train these women to run off, but it's for them to gain the skills that they need, you know, to get a job or to, you know, start their own businesses," Frida said.

In the spirit of International Women's Day, Data Girl Technologies is challenging traditional gender stereotypes and biases by breaking down barriers that have historically prevented women from pursuing careers in tech.

The company is showing the world that women can be just as successful and innovative in tech as men.

Click to watch the full interview below:

Despite the physical and mental toll, she finds strength in providing for her family. “Sometimes I don’t even feel like waking up. But when I remember my responsibilities, I push through. The moment I start my bus, I find my courage.”

Balancing work and home life remains a challenge. “No matter what you do, you’re still expected to cook, care for the children , and prepare for the next day,” Okoli explained. “I work until midnight and then start again early in the morning.”

More women are joining the industry, she noted, with many approaching her for driving lessons. “It’s not about enjoying driving—it’s about survival, about putting food on the table.”

His journey to plastic surgery was not easy he says.

After studying medicine in China, he returned home to teach human anatomy at the University of Burundi.

Despite his dream of training in plastic surgery there was no programme in his country and studying abroad was too expensive, so he began training in general surgery instead.

Everything changed when he got a scholarship to specialise in plastic surgery.

He had to leave behind years of general surgery training, but for him, it was not a difficult choice.

He moved to Rwanda for three years of training, then passed his final exams in Zimbabwe. In December 2023, he officially became a plastic surgeon.

Today, Dr. Baramburiye does a lot of things including teaching at the University of Burundi, leading the Department of Human Anatomy, and working as a consultant at the University Hospital.

His work involves much more than cosmetic surgery. He helps patients with severe burns, cleft lips, soft tissue infections, and other medical issues.

According to him, it becomes challenging sometimes because of inadequate equipment or lack of time in the operating room.

"For most reconstructive surgeries, basic instruments can work. But for cases like cleft palate, you need special retractors and calipers. Sometimes I'm challenged by these instruments, but I'm advocating to get what I need so I can do proper work," he told All Africa .

Despite the difficulties, he says his work is incredibly rewarding.

Many people in Burundi did not believe certain surgeries were possible until he started doing them. He loves seeing patients regain hope. Even simple procedures can make a huge difference because no one was doing them before.

He also believes technology and Artificial intelligence can greatly impact healthcare in Burundi.

"AI will play a big role," he said . "I was impressed by a software used in Rwanda to assess the severity of cleft cases. I think AI is going to make our lives way easier, but we need to handle it properly."

Dr. Baramburiye however notes that the lack of doctors in rural areas is one of the biggest barriers in the country. According to him, these professionals need better pay, equipment, and support so they can live comfortably while helping patients.

Dr. Baramburiye says Africa’s surgical training has improved a lot in recent years. Before, surgeons had to do everything—general surgery, orthopaedics, neurosurgery. But now, specialisation is possible, thanks to programmes like the College of Surgeons of East & Central and Southern Africa COSECSA , which offers affordable surgical training. He hopes more young doctors will follow their dreams, just like he did.

For him, the future of healthcare in Burundi depends on one simple thing: making sure doctors have what they need to do their jobs well.

The patients comprise those with autism, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, and amputations, benefitting from unique interaction with dolphins.

Physiotherapist Igor Simoes Andrade, who developed this therapy method, describes it as "the first in the world," emphasising it complements, rather than replaces, traditional medical treatments. He aims to instil joy, happiness, and a connection with nature, which can be lacking in conventional healthcare settings. The therapy sessions are offered free of charge and supported by sponsorships.

Hannah Fernandes, a neuropsychologist, highlights the social advantages of the therapy, noting that it allows individuals with disabilities to experience new environments and social interactions outside their usual routines.

Prior to their sessions, participants like Luiz Felipe perform breathing exercises and yoga to prepare for dolphin interaction.

Initially hesitant to enter the water, Luiz Felipe has gained confidence through the therapy. The pink river dolphins, or "boto," respond to participants with curiosity, swimming closely and fostering human connection.

These "bototherapy" sessions have received approval from the environmental regulator Ibama, ensuring compliance with local wildlife policies.

Simoes asserts that the therapy enhances skills like balance, spinal strength, and psychomotor coordination. He believes the focus is on treating individuals holistically, saying, "Here we don't treat pathologies but human beings."

This time is 88 seconds faster than the previous world record of 57:30, set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia last year, World Athletics reports.

Kiplimo, 24, had already held the half-marathon world record twice before, first in 2021 and again in 2024. His latest victory puts him ahead of Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor and Samuel Mailu, who finished the Barcelona race in 58:44 and 59:40, respectively.

Kiplimo has a history of success in distance running.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he won gold medals in both the 5000m and 10,000m races, defeating top Kenyan athletes. That same year, he also won bronze in the 10,000m at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

After his record-breaking run in Barcelona, Kiplimo said he had not expected to break the world record but focused on maintaining his pace once he realized he was on track for it.

He started the race strong and kept pushing, knowing he had a chance to make history.

Kiplimo has been a rising star in long-distance running for years. He made his mark at the 2016 World U20 Championships and won gold at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia. With this latest achievement, he has further cemented his place among the world’s best distance runners.

What is the half-marathon world record?

The half-marathon world record is the fastest time ever recorded for running a half-marathon race. A half-marathon is a long-distance race that is 21.1 kilometers (13.1 miles) long. The record is set when a runner completes the race in the shortest time ever officially recorded. It is recognised by World Athletics, the global governing body for track and field events.

Athletes train for years to try and break this record. The fastest runners in the world compete in major races, hoping to run faster than anyone before them.

The uprising began in Ben Tre Province in 1960.

During this time, villagers were angry about years of oppression under the government of Ngo Dinh Diem, which was supported by the United States.

Diem’s government broke the 1954 Geneva Agreement and used harsh laws to suppress communists. Thousands were executed, and many more were imprisoned.

In response, the people of Ben Tre fought back, led by female commander Nguyen Thi Dinh. Women from all walks of life joined the movement, determined to resist injustice. They used both political protests and weapons to fight the enemy.

The Long-Haired Army quickly became a symbol of courage. These women faced brutal raids, torture, and even death but refused to back down. They demanded justice for innocent victims and compensation for families who had suffered.

The movement spread from Ben Tre to other parts of southern Vietnam, inspiring others to join the fight.

By 1961, over 3,000 women in Ben Tre had become guerrilla fighters. They carried out daring missions, disrupted enemy operations, and played a major role in pushing back against American and South Vietnamese forces.

In 1964, the first all-female armed unit was formed in Ben Tre. Known as C710, it operated for ten years and achieved significant victories on the battlefield.

The Dong Khoi Movement, led by the Long-Haired Army , changed the course of the war in southern Vietnam.

It helped unite guerrilla forces across the region and led to the formation of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in 1960.

Even today, the Long-Haired Army is remembered as a powerful example of women’s bravery and resilience.

In 2018, the women of Ben Tre were honoured with the title “Hero of the People's Armed Forces” for their extraordinary contributions to Vietnam’s struggle for independence.

The mother of three, whose tumour would have previously been considered inoperable, says she had to be strong for her kids despite being in “a lot of pain.”

“I was really very scared at first... I had less chances to decide; I don't want or I would keep it because it was growing and at the end of the day it needs to be removed. So I just opted in and say, well, whatever comes up, I'm ready,” she told PA News Agency.

She was diagnosed with a meningioma in early 2023. While doctors planned to monitor the growth, a second meningioma was discovered in October of the same year, and the operation was performed in February 2024.

The complex procedure was performed by a team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. To prepare, the surgeons practised using 3D models of Kaviya’s head and conducted trials in a cadaver lab. The surgery lasted just three hours, and Kaviya was able to walk the same day.

Since then, surgeons have performed similar procedures, offering new hope to patients with tumours previously deemed inoperable.

Traditionally, accessing tumours in such locations required removing a large portion of the skull and manipulating the brain, increasing the risk of complications like seizures. 

However, advancements in minimally invasive techniques and technology have reduced these risks significantly. 

“There’s been a move towards minimally invasive techniques over the last few years or so, with the advancement of technology, tools, 3D innovation, it is now possible to do the procedures with less morbidity, and that means the patients recover quicker and better,” neurosurgeon Asim Sheikh told the PA news agency.

Sheikh added that traditional methods involve “pressing on quite a lot of brain” to reach the tumour, which can lead to significant postoperative risks. “If you press on it too much, or retract it, or try and move it apart, then it can lead to patients having seizures afterwards,” he noted.

“I noticed a change for me and then, also, bloating and a little bit of pain in my stomach. I was 29 at the time and bloating with, you know, monthly periods and things in food nowadays that I didn't know if I was maybe gluten intolerant... it was just a little bit uncomfortable,” Bianca explained about her initial symptoms.

She first consulted her general practitioner in Wigan after experiencing persistent bloating and constipation. Tests, including a colonoscopy and biopsy, confirmed the presence of advanced bowel cancer. Doctors initially aimed to prolong her life rather than find a cure.

Despite the daunting diagnosis, Bianca remained hopeful. “I don't want to sound kind of ignorant or arrogant or anything like that, but I just didn't feel in my gut that that was going to be it,” she said. 

Her mother had enquired about the possibility of a liver transplant, but the procedure was initially deemed unsuitable.

Bianca underwent 37 rounds of a targeted drug therapy called panitumumab combined with chemotherapy over two and a half years. Her exceptional response to the treatment allowed her to have surgery in May 2023 to remove the bowel tumour.

However, scans revealed inoperable liver tumours. Given her remarkable progress, doctors reconsidered the possibility of a liver transplant.

She was added to the transplant list in February 2024 and received a donor liver last summer.

“Within four weeks of going under the knife, I was able to drive and walk the family dogs. It was really quite incredible. To go from being told I’d only have a short time to live to now being cancer-free is the greatest gift,” she said.

Dr. Kalena Marti, Bianca’s oncologist, expressed optimism about her recovery. “To see that Bianca has had such a positive outcome is wonderful. When we looked at the tumour cells in her liver after it had been removed, they weren’t active. This is excellent news, and we hope that this means that the cancer won’t come back.”

Bianca, happy about the outcome of the procedure, expressed gratitude to her donor’s family, saying, “I’ve been given a second chance at life, and I’m going to grab it with both hands. I do believe this is a cure. They’re always hesitant to say that, obviously, but I am cancer-free right now.”

Growing up in a society where women are often tied to conventional roles, her choice felt rebellious but with the support of her family, she carved her way up into becoming one of the world’s youngest recognised Pakistani filmmakers.

“Getting into filmmaking felt like a rebellion, and it still feels like that. It was hard to convince people to trust a young woman in leadership roles. There was no roadmap for any of us,” she told GSW’s Wonder Hagan.

Promoting bold narratives for women

Bushra’s work challenges stereotypes and highlights the inequalities and challenges faced by particularly women in society. Through 17 short films and campaigns Guria, Chimera and Dear Sweet Nightmares, the young Pakistani filmmaker is redefining filmmaking in the South Asian region.

Her campaign, Guria which has gained global popularity, for instance, focuses on South Asian brides and weddings. Bushra explained that weddings which portray rich tradition and culture have over time shifted focus and become more of a spectacle rather than a big day for the brides.

Many South Asian brides become ‘puppets’ during their own weddings, having to satisfy family and society’s expectations of how the event should be rather than how they want their day to turn out.

Through her work, she questions how brides are often reduced to their attire and societal expectations. “Every step a bride takes is dictated and judged. Her personal desires are ignored to put on this huge spectacle,” she explained.

Redefining Filmmaking in Pakistan

Bushra’s work is also a platform to amplify Pakistani stories.

“The world wants to see Pakistani narratives. There is an audience out there for Pakistani cinema and art,” she said.

She emphasised the importance of collaboration to support local artists. “We need international co-productions and better distribution channels. There are so many Pakistani artists who have gained global recognition, and the impact of their work is massive,” she explained.

Recognition and works

Bushra’s work has gained global recognition on platforms including Forbes and the Flaunt Magazines. As one of seven Pakistanis recognised in the Forbes 30 under 30 Awards for her craft, she expressed excitement. Despite challenges, she finds the recognition humbling.

“It’s truly humbling, and I’m blessed. I hope to create more and stronger narratives that are unapologetically bold and honest,” she added.

Investing in future generations

Beyond filmmaking, Bushra runs a charity school with about 500 students from underprivileged communities. “These kids come from places where even getting an education is seen as a taboo or not important enough,” she said.

While the school provides conventional education, she’s working on adding a vocational training centre. “I want to teach them skills I’ve learned, so they can also venture into creative industries,” she explained.

Her goal is to leave an impact through both her art and her community work. “I want to encourage people to be unapologetically honest with their craft and create strong narratives that exist in Pakistan,” she said.

Watch her full interview with GSW here:

Here are the Global South World changemakers of 2024:

Shamsuddeen Jibril, Nigeria

At just 24 with nearly seven years of experience, Shamsuddeen Jibril has already gained some traction in the Nigerian robotics field.

Driven by a desire to make a tangible impact in his community, Shamsuddeen founded Vora Robotics, a tech startup specialising in the development of drones designed specifically for agricultural purposes.

An aerospace engineer graduate from the Airforce Institute of Technology in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, Shamsuddeen is determined to go beyond creating drones for the sake of it. His vision is to develop technology that addresses real-world problems within his community. Read more

Prefer, Singapore

With climate change threatening to wipe out about 50% of the world’s coffee farms in less than 30 years, former neuroscience major Jake Berber, together with his co-founder and food scientist, Ding Jie Tan, founded Prefer, a bean-free coffee company based in Singapore.

They introduced Asia’s first bean-free coffee in 2022, a product that has become the leading alternative to traditional coffee on the market. Read more

Inty Grønneberg, Ecuador

As well as being a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur, Inty Grønneberg is also an activist. His success lies in the combination of these roles.

For the Ecuadorian scientist, who was recognised as Latin America's Inventor of the Year in 2018, the world has become accustomed to some problems that should not be considered "normal." Plastic pollution is one of them.

To combat this issue, Inty Grønneberg has founded a startup called Ichthion and developed Azure, a technology that extracts plastic from rivers and collects data to better understand where it comes from. Read more

Katleho Mojakisane, Lesotho

In the heart of Lesotho, Katleho Mojakisane’s journey began with a personal tragedy. A traumatic robbery involving her family left a lasting mark, driving her to make a difference in her community.

Out of this painful experience, her organisation, Youth on the Rise, was born, aimed at addressing the root causes of crime and socioeconomic challenges young people face in Lesotho. Read more

Anusha Alamgir, Bangladesh

In a world where a woman’s body and appearance are widely judged by societal and cultural standards, a young Bangladeshi artist has emerged with a creative way of changing the narrative.

Anusha Alamgir fuses creativity and innovation into various forms of art, including architecture, painting, and film, to develop pieces that address public perceptions of women and their bodies. Read more

Alex Mativo, Kenya

Alex Mativo’s name is quickly becoming synonymous with innovation in Africa’s business scene. With his company, Duck, he’s setting new standards for how businesses use data to drive growth and efficiency.

Starting with eLab, Mativo focused on reducing waste and showcasing how creative approaches can generate new income opportunities. Building on this experience, he founded Nanasi shortly after completing university.

Nanasi was designed to address the need for digital tools to manage inventory and payments. Initially serving restaurants, the app quickly expanded to a wider range of small and medium-sized enterprises. Read more

Coffee Resurrect, Ethiopia

Only about 30% of a coffee bean's mass can be extracted into the coffee we drink, leaving a larger fraction as spent coffee grounds.

Coffee Resurrect, an Ethiopian startup founded in 2021, repurposes unwanted coffee grounds into sustainable, high-quality products. As Africa's first coffee biorefinery, Coffee Resurrect creates all-natural ingredients for personal care, nutraceuticals, and food products. Read more

Yapaykuy, Peru

Customer service is something people often complain about, but have you ever considered the challenges faced by people with disabilities or speakers of indigenous languages when seeking help in public facilities?

Yapaykuy—a certification company in Peru founded by Jorge Rojas Barnett, an engineer, entrepreneur, and advocate for accessible innovation—is on a mission to transform businesses into inclusive spaces. Read more

Beba-Beggie, Kenya

From a horrific robbery experience, a genius idea—the first of its kind on the African continent—was born: smart lockers that provide secure storage solutions for commuters.

The product was designed by Kenyan entrepreneur Charles Oduk after he lost his laptop during a rush-hour commute in 2013.

Determined to enhance safety for people facing similar threats, the CEO of Beba-Beggie developed an IoT automated technology solution to safeguard valuables in urban areas within Kenya’s capital. Read more

Plenti, Colombia

A Colombian engineer, Martín Peláez, quit his job at Tesla to develop an app that helps people safeguard their savings using blockchain technology.

In 2023, Peláez was one of the Latin American innovators under 35 included in the MIT list. Three years ago, his native Colombia was grappling with the devaluation of the peso and political uncertainty.

Peláez, along with two associates, started building a prototype. A few months later, the team launched Plenti, a digital wallet that uses blockchain technology. The app allows Colombian users to open a bank account in US dollars and facilitates transactions with the United States. Read more

Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté, Burkina Faso

Through Gene Drive Technology, a lead investigator of Target Malaria in Burkina Faso, Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté, and his team of researchers have identified potential methods to genetically modify mosquitoes. 

This will alter their fertility and render them resistant to the Plasmodium parasites responsible for malaria. Read more

Yessi Nur Mulianawati, Indonesia

You could call her a born artist! As a child, Yessi Nur Mulianawati would scribble and colour anything and everything using crayons, as long as there was a blank spot.

Soon, what began as a childhood hobby became a passion, and at age 10, she was selected by her art teacher to represent the school at an art competition.

Through the years, street art became a means for Yessi to inspire change. She would not just splash and spray on walls but tell stories with her art. Read more

Football Without Borders, Kenya

Nestled in the heart of Kisii, a municipality in southwestern Kenya, Football Without Borders Kenya (FWBK), a non-profit organisation, is significantly impacting underprivileged children through sports-based programmes.

The organisation aims to foster a sense of community among children while imparting valuable skills that empower them to support themselves and contribute to their communities. Read more

Minagie Energy, Ghana

Minagie Energy is addressing a critical issue: At present, 600 million people, or 43% of the total population, lack access to electricity, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

Co-founded by Johannes Amo Aye, who felt the impact of energy poverty firsthand growing up in Ghana. The company wants to use wind turbines to lower costs and support local economies. Read more

José Molina, Colombia

Colombian influencer José Molina has been sweeping the streets of Bogotá for seven years. From Monday to Saturday, he sets his alarm for 4 am to clean up the rubbish that citizens throw on the streets of Colombia’s capital. On his social media platforms, Molina showcases the waste he finds to raise awareness about litter pollution and its environmental impact. Read more

LenoKids, South Africa

LenoKids, a WhatsApp Chatbot learning platform, is an early childhood education start-up powered by South African students in partnership with the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa.

The project was born out of the 2022 MTN Digital Innovation Programme, which looked to provide solutions to some of the social problems in health, education, and agriculture.

It was on their journey to solve some educational sector problems that co-founder Sange Mafinyongwana and his team discovered an alarming statistic: "81% of fourth graders in South Africa could not read for meaning." Read more

Owanga Solar, DR Congo

Recent law school graduates Benedict Owanga and Chinelo Adi are leading a project that could transform lives across the continent.

Owanga Solar, founded by the two friends, is redefining access to electricity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, plagued by inconsistent power.

During his second year at law school, a power outage during a crucial training session led Owanga to consider the broader implications of unreliable electricity. Read more

Henry Senyegbe Agbemabiese, Ghana

At 6 years old, Henry Senyegbe Agbemabiese's life changed dramatically when he suffered burns in a fire accident.

Now aged 19, Henry used this traumatic event as inspiration to create technologies aimed at helping others with disabilities—developing assistive devices for the visually impaired. Read more

From sports to politics and entertainment, here are the five most inspiring comebacks of the year:

Chidimma Adetshina’s Journey to Miss Universe Glory

Chidimma Adetshina’s rise to the Miss Universe stage was far from conventional. Born in Soweto, South Africa, to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, Adetshina's multicultural background fuelled her powerful presence. She first gained attention during the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant, where her charm, self-assurance, and commitment to social causes made her an early fan favourite. However, her path was marred by controversy. Questions about her citizenship and allegations of identity fraud led to an investigation by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs. Despite these challenges, Adetshina withdrew from the pageant , citing concerns for her safety and well-being. But this setback didn't define her. Embracing her Nigerian roots, she competed in the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 pageant and emerged victorious, representing Taraba State. She then went on to place 1st runner-up in the Miss Universe competition, marking the highest ranking ever achieved by a Nigerian contestant. Additionally, she was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, a true testament to her resilience and self-determination.

Imane Khelif: Algerian Boxer’s Olympic Gold

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s journey to Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games was not just a victory in the ring but a powerful statement in the ongoing debate over gender identity in sports. After enduring intense online abuse and scepticism over her womanhood, Khelif emerged as a champion in the women’s welterweight division, defeating Yang Liu of China 5-0 in the final. Her triumph at Roland Garros was the culmination of eight years of hard work, and it was celebrated by fans chanting her name and waving Algerian flags. Khelif’s gold medal not only solidified her place in history but also became a symbol of defiance against unjust scrutiny. Her resilience in the face of criticism and personal attacks made her victory even sweeter, proving that strength comes in many forms. 

Donald Trump's Political Comeback

Four years after leaving the White House, Donald Trump secured a remarkable comeback in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. Despite facing two assassination attempts and multiple legal battles, including charges related to the Capitol riots, Trump’s message resonated with millions of Americans, especially in key battleground states . The election campaign was one for the history books. With his original opponent, President Joe Biden, dropping out just months before the election, Trump’s victory is seen as a testament to his enduring political appeal. While Trump prepares for his second term, questions remain about the loyalty of his advisers and the potential direction of his presidency.

Simone Biles: The Comeback Queen at the Paris Olympics

Simone Biles faced immense pressure and criticism after her withdrawal from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, with many unfairly labelling her a "quitter." But at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she silenced her doubters with an extraordinary performance, claiming three gold medals and leading Team USA to victory in gymnastics. Biles’ struggles, including trauma from sexual abuse by the former U.S. gymnastics doctor and the isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, made her 2021 withdrawal understandable. But her return to the Olympic stage, filled with grace, strength, and focus, reminded the world of her unparalleled talent. In her comeback , she advocated for mental health awareness and proved that resilience isn't just physical but emotional too.

Senegal's President: From Prison to the Palace in 20 Days

Senegal’s president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, made a dramatic and improbable return to power after spending 20 days in prison. Originally scheduled for elections in February, the process was delayed by the previous president, Sali, who accused constitutional judges of interference. Despite the turbulence, the election eventually took place, and the imprisoned candidate triumphed, securing a remarkable comeback from the confines of a prison cell to the presidential palace in just 20 days. In April, Faye was sworn in as president, and he later appointed Ousmane Sonko as the prime minister.

Here are a few noticeable ones that happened this year:

Claudia Sheinbaum - Mexico's first female president

Claudia Sheinbaum succeeded her mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to become Mexico’s first female president in June. Sheinbaum previously served as Head of Government of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023.

Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang - Ghana's first female vice president

History was made when former Ghanaian president John Mahama won the December 7 election. It meant that 73-year-old Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang would become the first-ever female vice president of the West African nation.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra - Thailand's youngest-ever prime minister 

Although Paetongtarn Shinawatra did not become Thailand’s first-ever female prime minister when she replaced the ousted Srettha Thavisin, she still managed to etch her name in the history books by becoming the Southeast Asian nation’s youngest-ever prime minister at 37 in August.

Judith Suminwa - DRC's first-ever female prime minister 

President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Félix Tshisekedi had the opportunity to change the course of history in the DRC, and he did not disappoint. The man hailed as the ‘Champion of Positive Masculinity’ appointed Judith Suminwa as the nation’s first-ever female prime minister in April following the resignation of Sama Lukonde.

Kemi Badenoch - First Black person to lead UK’s Conservative Party

At 44, Kemi Badenoch stepped into a big role when she became the new leader of the Conservatives, making history as the first Black person to lead a major British political party. She won the leadership contest in November and took over from Rishi Sunak, the former Prime Minister.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey - First African woman to become Commonwealth secretary-general 

Ghana’s outgoing foreign minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, became the first African woman to be appointed secretary-general of the Commonwealth in October—on the final day of the group’s summit in Samoa. She will take over from Patricia Scotland, who has held the position since 2016.

Mandisa Maya - South Africa's first female chief justice

In the history of South Africa, there had never been a female chief justice—then came Mandisa Maya. The 60-year-old former deputy chief justice got the ultimate promotion when President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed her as the country’s first female chief justice in July. Maya, who began her legal career in 1987, assumed the role on September 1.

Emma Theofelus - Africa's youngest minister

After the death of President Hage Geingob on February 4, not many would have expected joyful news from Namibia in such a short time given that they were in a state of mourning. However, Geingob’s vice and successor, current president Nangolo Mbumba, appointed a 27-year-old Emma Theofelus as the new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) minister just five days later—making her the youngest serving cabinet minister in Namibia and on the African continent.

The initiative, launched by filmmaker Mohamed Fawi, aims to nurture Sudan’s first filmmaking community while empowering women to share untold stories. “After the war began, I felt compelled to contribute from within Sudan,” Fawi said.

“The most fitting approach was to create a project for women, as many workshop participants focused on women’s issues.”

One participant, Zeinab Alfadel, explained the process: “We were trained in filming, scriptwriting, and directing. Afterwards, we moved on to production and editing, culminating in the release of our films.”

For Eithar Khairy, another filmmaker, the experience was transformative. “It was challenging but rewarding. The idea came from Miss Bakhita, who suggested making a documentary during the ‘Cinema by Women Workshop.’”

The "Women's Cinema Project," as it’s called, has trained 11 women so far, creating a platform for voices long overlooked in Sudan.

Naana Jane was the running mate of President-elect John Mahama who represented the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Her win is iconic particularly because she represents women in Ghanaian politics at one of the highest levels of power.

But her win comes after many years of hard work in respective fields including academics.

Here is a brief profile of Naana Jane:

The 73-year-old was born on November 22, 1951, in Cape Coast, Ghana, she has spent years in education, breaking barriers and earning respect for her work.

Her career in politics began as the first female minister of education under the John Mahama administration between 2013 and 2017.

During this period she worked hard to improve Ghana’s education system. In 2020, she was selected by John Mahama as his running mate for the general elections and she run again in the same position for the 2024 elections.

Naana’s higher education journey began at the University of Cape Coast, where she earned a Bachelor of Education in English and French in 1977. She went on to complete a Master’s and a Doctorate in Canada at York University in 1980 and 1986, respectively.

Her academic career at the University of Cape Coast started in 1986 holding key positions including the first female Vice-Chancellor position from 2008 to 2012.

Naana’s contributions extend beyond academia.

In 2007, she was invited to the United Nations in New York to deliver a lecture marking 200 years since the abolition of slavery. Two years later, she was chosen as Ghana's representative on UNESCO’s Executive Board.

Balogun, a native of Kaduna in northwestern Nigeria, began her journey with the NCS in 2002. Initially recruited as a customs assistant, she served as a cabin crew member in the service’s Airwing Unit before advancing to this historic role as the first woman pilot in the NCS.

Speaking on her achievement, Balogun emphasised the significance of her new role as an inspiration for women pursuing their aspirations. “My role as the first female pilot in the service reflects my commitment as a woman to advancing my passionate dream as well as the operational capabilities of the NCS,” she stated.

Balogun, who earned her pilot certification from the Flying Academy in Miami, Florida, also holds an Advanced Diploma in Air Ticketing and Cabin Services and a Master’s in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University in Kaduna. 

Her accomplishment marks a significant moment in the gender equality movement within Africa's aerospace industry, as she joins other African women breaking barriers in the male-dominated field.

“I hope my journey motivates young Nigerians, especially women, to chase their dreams and break through barriers,” Balogun shared.

After a day of work, she and other aid workers sought refuge at a nearby military base to use Wi-Fi to contact their families. That’s when disaster struck. Boko Haram fighters stormed the base, killing some and abducting others, including Loksha.

At the time of her abduction, she was one of the highest-profile victims of Boko Haram's widespread kidnapping spree.

As a mother of two, she decided to work in the region to provide for her mother's dementia care, despite the region's volatile security situation.

For the first few months, the militants kept their captives isolated, occasionally reaching out to their employers, demanding ransoms and the release of their prisoners. When their demands were ignored, the captors’ anger grew, and they warned the women that the worst was yet to come. “The nation will be surprised,” Loksha said the fighters told them.

Less than a year after her abduction, Loksha told the fighters she would convert to Islam, taking the name Halima. "I had to join them because I can't beat them," she told the New York Times . She learnt to perform Islamic rituals outwardly while maintaining her Christian beliefs in secret, praying when she could, away from the prying eyes of her captors.

At one point, she was enslaved by Abu Umar, a top Boko Haram commander, with whom she had a child, which elevated her status within the group. When he was killed in 2021 for committing adultery, Loksha was passed on to another commander, which brought some advantages: better living conditions, food, and a semblance of privacy.

In October 2023, Loksha crossed paths with Akilawus, another woman held by Boko Haram. The two quickly bonded, sharing stories of their captivity and dreams of escape. Together, they began planning their daring escape, gathering money by selling bits of household items.

Loksha and Akilawus managed to save enough money to enlist a woman from the Fulani ethnic group—nomadic people known for navigating the bush. In exchange for $90 (a small fortune in the region), the woman’s husband surveyed the Boko Haram camp and plotted an escape route.

At dusk on October 24, the women slipped out of the camp under the cover of darkness, with nothing more than a few changes of clothes, some money, and basic electronics.

Loksha gave her son a dose of diazepam to keep him calm. They travelled through the night, riding donkeys and crossing rivers.

After two days, they reached Diffa, a town in Niger, but their journey wasn’t over. The women continued their trek to Geidam, a town in Nigeria, where they reached a Nigerian military checkpoint.

When they arrived, they burst into joyous praise, shouting thanks to Jesus for their newfound freedom. "We are really saved," Loksha said.

She believes that Boko Haram spies are still watching and that her captors will stop at nothing to silence her. “I know that they may not like to see me alive,” she said . “Nowhere is safe.”

Boko Haram has been responsible for thousands of abductions in northern Nigeria, including the infamous kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014. Since then, there have been many more cases of mass abductions, with at least 1,700 children taken from schools, subjected to unimaginable abuse, including rape.

The three-year-old mongrel was chosen because she was tough and used to harsh conditions as a stray dog and scientists believed such dogs could handle the challenges of space better.

Laika was trained to eat special food and survive the tight space of the spacecraft. She was also prepared for the physical effects of space travel.

Future Manned Spacecraft Center Director Robert Gilruth told historians , “When I saw the dog go up, I said, ‘My God, we better get going because it’s going to be a legitimate program to put man in space.’”

Although the mission aimed to study the impact of space travel on living beings, she was unable to return to Earth safely because of the non-existence of technology at the time. According to NASA, engineers hadn't made provisions to recover Laika.

NASA reports that she died within hours from heat and stress after reaching orbit.

Scientists reported that the satellite's batteries expired on November 10 and receipt of data from the science experiments also ceased.

Laika’s flight was part of the Soviet Union's effort to lead in the Space Race. The launch came soon after Sputnik 1 and was timed to mark the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. Her journey was watched by the world and proved that living beings could survive in space.

Her death sparked debates about the ethics of using animals in experiments. Critics argued it was cruel, but the mission provided important data for future human spaceflights. Laika's sacrifice became a symbol of the risks and unknowns of early space exploration.

Over the years, other animals have also contributed to space research. Dogs, monkeys, and even fruit flies have helped scientists understand how space affects living beings. Their efforts paved the way for humans to travel into space.

Laika’s story remains a powerful reminder of the triumphs and sacrifices of early space missions. Today, she is remembered as a hero who played a key role in shaping the future of space exploration.

The two marked the day with an afternoon tea party at the Savoy Hotel on November 21, where they got to know each other and shared life experiences.

"Meeting Jyoti for the first time was wonderful," Rumeysa said about the encounter.

"We do have things in common! We both love make-up, self-care, jewellery and doing our nails.”

"It was difficult for us to make eye contact at times due to our height difference, but it was great," Jyoti added.

Both women received special blue-and-gold certificates celebrating their status as Guinness World Records ICONS: the cream of the crop of record-breaking achievements.

Editor-in-Chief of GWR , Craig Glenday said the event highlights the importance of celebrating differences.

“By bringing together these two amazing, iconic women, they can share their perspectives on life with each other and, also, with us,” he said.

Rumeyasa, originally from Türkiye was recognised as the tallest living teenager at age 17 and confirmed as the tallest woman living in 2021. Diagnosed with a condition called Weaver Syndrome which causes bone overgrowth following a mutation of the EZH2 gene, Rumeyasa suffered bullying and stereotypes for her stature and appearance while growing up. Today, the 27-year-old is a web designer and an ambassador for diversity and positivity.

Jyoti, an Indian, is a Hollywood star who loves fashion and make-up. The 20-year-old’s height is caused by achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that affects the arms and legs. At age 15, she became the world’s shortest teenager in 2009. By 2011, after remeasurement, she was officially announced as the shortest woman living. She loves creating social media content for her growing fanbase.

Adetsina initially emerged as one of the top 16 contestants in the Miss South Africa competition, but her journey was derailed by controversy over her South African citizenship.

Allegations surrounding her mother’s purported identity fraud led to brutal xenophobic attacks, forcing her to withdraw from the pageant. Subsequently, the South African Home Affairs Department launched an investigation, claiming to have uncovered irregularities in how her mother obtained South African citizenship. 

Later in October, South African organisations like Progressive Forces for South Africa petitioned to bar Adetsina from the Miss Universe competition. They called on organizers to revoke her entry, arguing that her participation tainted the pageant’s integrity. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Home Affairs began the process to revoke her South African citizenship and travel documents. 

“As Progressive Forces of South Africa, we are writing this letter on behalf of everyone who stands for justice to plead with you, Miss Universe, as an organisation to reconsider the contestant, Miss Nigeria Universe, and if possible, to cancel her entry. Miss Universe is a known brand of class, integrity, and hate to see the pageant losing its good image due to a contestant whose mother has been found guilty of stealing the identity of an innocent citizen and fair competition,” the petition read in part.

Undeterred, Adetsina embraced her Nigerian heritage, entering and winning the Miss Nigeria pageant. Representing Nigeria, she became the only African contestant to break into the Top 30 at the Miss Universe finals in Mexico .

Ultimately, she secured the 1st Runner-Up position – which makes her Miss Universe for Africa and Oceania - with Miss Denmark, Victoria Kjær Theilvig, crowned Miss Universe, and Miss Mexico, María Fernanda Beltrán Figueroa, finishing as the 2nd Runner-Up. 

In an emotional Instagram post before the finale, Adetsina thanked Nigerians for embracing her during one of the darkest chapters of her life. 

She wrote, “To my dearest Nigerians, with open arms, you carried me on wheels made of the purest love and intentions… Nigeria refuelled my purpose and my reason to live. As I step onto the Miss Universe stage tonight, I carry with me over 2 million beads of love, strength, and an unstoppable spirit.” 

Known as the "horse whisperer," Baker communicates with her horses using her voice, a technique she developed at RDA's Park Lane Stables in Teddington, London. "I can't use my legs at all when I ride, so I have to find another way to encourage the horse to go forward for me," she told AFP.

"I think horses just have a magical way of understanding what you're asking them to do," she added. "It doesn't matter whether you're able-bodied or whether you have a disability, they have a sixth sense."

This vocal communication is permitted for Paralympic riders, unlike able-bodied competitors.

While mentoring young riders at Park Lane, one of 450 RDA locations across the UK, Baker shared her experiences. The RDA has received notable recognition, including being named the charity for this year's London International Horse Show from December 18-22.

Natalie O'Rourke, the founder and manager of Park Lane Stables, raised £1.4 million ($1.8 million) through crowdfunding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Young riders like nine-year-old Elle Dimitrijevic have shown remarkable improvements in confidence and physical ability. Her mother, Angela, shared how the experience has shifted their focus to what Elle can achieve rather than her limitations.

With around 13,000 volunteers, the RDA is supported by individuals like 14-year-old Yohannes "Yo Yo" D'Allio, who has been volunteering for over two years. He expressed his love for horses, saying, "They don't judge you; you can be whoever you want to be."

RDA CEO Michael Bishop spoke about the emotional impact the organization has on families. He shared stories of parents moved to tears by the positive changes in their children after RDA sessions, noting that these experiences help foster a sense of normalcy and connection within families.

As the Tihar festival approaches, garlands spill from rooftops and porches, filling the village with vibrant purple, red, and orange. The deep purple globe amaranth, known as makhmali, is in especially high demand during the five-day celebration.

"Women have jobs because of the makhmali flowers," said Saraswoti Bista, a 56-year-old local farmer. "They can just stay home and weave garlands. There is good profit."

Sanju Bista, a 45-year-old farmer, explained how the seasonal garland work complements their typical potato and rice crops. "The jobless women are now employed. All the women of Gundu planted makhmali and thumke flowers and made income from the garlands. This has given them confidence," she said.

Nepal produced an estimated 2.5 million makhmali garlands in 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year, according to the Floriculture Association Nepal. The country is set to export 200,000 garlands, valued at $1.4 million, to markets worldwide.

However, the flower industry faces challenges. Heavy flooding worsened by climate change resulted in over $1.1 million in losses for the floriculture sector last year. But for the women of Gundu, the garland trade remains a reliable source of seasonal income and empowerment.

Rutgers University announced on October 9 that the solution to Bauer's Height Zero Conjecture was published in the September issue of the prestigious Annals of Mathematics . Tiep's work on the Deligne-Lusztig theory is detailed across two papers, one in Inventiones Mathematicae and another in Annals of Mathematics.

Reflecting on the completion of the Brauer conjecture, Tiep shared, “I was hoping to advance the field. I never expected to be able to solve this one.” Tiep has dedicated the last 10 years to working on this problem, which was originally posed by Richard Brauer, a renowned German-American mathematician. Tiep described Brauer as having "this rare intellect… it’s as though they came from another planet or from another world. They are capable of seeing hidden phenomena that others can’t."

The solution to Bauer's Height Zero Conjecture is expected to significantly enhance the understanding of symmetries in nature and improve the study of long-term behaviours in random processes across multiple fields, including chemistry, physics, engineering, computer science, and economics.

In addition to solving the Bauer conjecture, Tiep also tackled a problem related to traces in the Deligne-Lusztig theory, which involves the traces of matrices, a fundamental concept in mathematics.

“Tiep’s high-quality work and expertise on finite groups has allowed Rutgers to maintain its status as a top worldwide centre in the subject,” said Stephen Miller, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics.

Tiep's academic journey is equally impressive. Born in Vietnam, he attended Chu Van An High School in Hanoi and won a silver medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1979 at age 16.

He pursued advanced studies in Math-Mechanics at Moscow State University and later earned his doctoral degree in 1991.

Since moving to the US in 1996, Tiep has held academic positions at the University of Arizona and collaborated with renowned institutions such as the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

Over his career, he has authored five books and published more than 200 research papers, cementing his reputation as a leading figure in the world of mathematics.

Anusha Alamgir fuses creativity and innovation into various forms of arts including architecture, painting and film to develop pieces that address public perception of women and their bodies.

Body as a site

In 2022, Anusha created her first major piece, “Body as a Site”, which focuses on the idea of body architecture.

The work features an inhabitable bodysuit made from everyday materials such as rubber bands, tights, and balloons, aimed at challenging traditional views of a woman's shape and size.

Anusha believes social media, especially for young women, has shaped a specific way people see themselves. Her art, she says, is a way to spark a conversation about body neutrality and accepting the human form for its biological function, free from societal expectations.

“I see that with social media, especially women in the younger generation, they have been conditioned to perceive themselves in a specific way, and I think I am really truly just interested in reshaping the human body to the basis of its basic biology utilities. Truly just accepting body neutrality and I think that the pieces I have made exist as a way to start that conversation,” Anusha revealed in a GSW interview.

Muslim veiling practices

Anusha’s film Porda, that focuses on the practice of veiling has gained international recognition on many platforms including the 2023 Venice Biennale art festival.

The short film highlights the stereotypes that surround the different forms of veiling that exist in different countries and cultures and how women should be able to feel comfortable creating their own versions of veils that are acceptable and comfortable.

“I was trying to create new typologies about the Muslim idea of veiling. And it's interesting because there are so many Muslims that exist in the world but every single culture has a different methodology of veiling,” Anusha told GSW.

“If you look at Somali women, if you look at Malaysian women, if you look at Bangladeshi women, they all have a different methodology of veiling and it’s interesting how these are so curated and unique to the specific geographic regions. There are no written tools of how we should veil the body so I was proposing new ideas of veiling. There’s also a fine line between what we consider acceptable and what we are allowed to create in a way.”

Modes of protection

Anusha also indicated how her work seeks to project new forms of protection for women particularly when they find themselves in dangerous situations. Her pieces aim to empower women by teaching them how to make simple protective items from readily available materials.

“These pieces also serve as modes of protection as in protecting oneself from a police state, modes of aggression, war, colonialism, things that are threatening, and how can we then create things and objects that we can keep in our homes. Modes of production that are very simple for people to use to create some type of body armour that can protect them,” she explained.

Future works

Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2022 with a Master’s degree in Architecture, Anusha Alamgir has been focused on producing more work that contributes to important social conversations and advocates for women’s protection. Her next project involves sculptures that explore the life cycle of ships in Bangladesh and Virginia, U.S.A. She hopes her future work continues to challenge societal norms and inspire change.

Watch the full interview here:

The impact of this initiative has been profound. Residents who once felt marginalised and forgotten are now finding a sense of belonging and purpose. According to Sunday Ozegbe, the founder of the Slum Party, the government fixed a bad road in the community which was highlighted through the dance events.

"We decided to shut down this road for our festival this year just to also tell people that dance specifically got the attention of the government to fix this road, and this is one out of many things that dance as an art form can do, not just dancing on Tiktok and Instagram, it actually has real power to attract attention in terms of government, in terms of international bodies to actually come help us when we have problems," he told AFP.

Additionally, the dance events have become a beacon of hope, drawing attention to the potential within the community. They have also helped to reduce crime rates by engaging young people in positive activities and providing them with an outlet for their energy and creativity.

"We are trying to let people understand that you can use your art to change the story, to change the narrative, e.g. music, dance, any kind of art, drawing, painting, even photography. Letting people understand that it is different, making people see that there is talent in the slum. There is talent and you can use your talent to speak, you can use it to fix things and also understand people’s lifestyle," added a dancer, Danjuma Oluwafemi.

Despite his uncertain future, Wandji has found an unexpected opportunity – competing for South Korea in the 2024 Homeless World Cup, a global tournament aimed at uplifting unhoused individuals, refugees, and those overcoming adversity. 

"I left Cameroon because of the war," he told AFP.

The Homeless World Cup, backed by FIFA and held in Asia for the first time this year, brings together teams made up of marginalised individuals from around the world. 

For Wandji, playing for South Korea is a symbol of resilience. "I stayed in the airport for one year, and it wasn’t easy, but now things are better," he said. "I just want to say thank you to Korea, thank you to immigration, to the manager, and the coach who chose me to participate in the Homeless World Cup. And thank you so much to God."

Amina Sohail, 28, a motorcycle taxi driver and courier, shared how the economic strain in her household pushed her to start working with the AFP. She said, "The atmosphere at home was stressful. My parents were struggling to manage, and that’s when I decided I must work," she said.

Amina added that her decision transformed her outlook on herself and her immediate environment. "My vision has changed. I’m confident and will work openly like any man, no matter what anyone thinks."

Hina Saleem, a 24-year-old receptionist, also defied societal expectations after her father fell ill. Faced with pressure from her uncles to marry for financial security, Hina received support from her mother when she found a job opportunity. "At first, my mother was confused, as I was the first girl in the family to seek work. But given the economic conditions, she stood by me."

Meanwhile, Farzana Augustine, a 43-year-old cook, reflected on the social stigma surrounding her work, saying, "If someone asks my children what their mother does, they don’t say I work - they say 'mama stays at home.'"

In more conservative families, however, women are still discouraged from entering the workforce.

Pakistan, which became the first Muslim-majority country to elect a woman as prime minister in the 1980s, has over the years seen women rise to positions of power in business and government. However, much of society remains governed by traditional values, where family approval is often required for women to work outside the home. According to the United Nations, only 21% of women in Pakistan participate in the workforce, with many employed in informal sectors, particularly in rural areas.

Nanasi was designed to address the need for digital tools to manage inventory and payments. Initially serving restaurants, the app quickly expanded to a wider range of small and medium-sized enterprises.

As Nanasi evolved, Mativo recognised a new challenge, businesses needed better tools to forecast customer behaviour and optimise their inventory and pricing strategies. This insight led him to launch Duck, a data analytics company that helps larger businesses make informed decisions based on real-time data.

"And what we do is that we provide real-time data to large businesses to help them figure out you know, how to price their products as well as where to distribute the products," Mativo told Global South World in an interview.

A report from Edge Delta states that most businesses analyse  37% to 40%  of their data, and 97.2% of companies invest in big data solutions.

According to Mativo, Duck was birthed from a mixture of conversations with businesses as well as, being able to identify that there was a problem, that businesses needed to solve.

He found that many companies struggled to access the data necessary for effective pricing and distribution. Duck’s mission is to bridge this gap, providing actionable insights that help businesses refine their strategies.

"As a good entrepreneur, I believe you should be able to identify opportunities. So how I identified this opportunity was through customer feedback," he explained.

"So, for example, think of a product like Coca-Cola that's being sold in a market like Africa. Coca-Cola would struggle to price its product competitively, given that there are other you know, consumer brands or drinks in the market. It would also struggle to know where exactly they should distribute those products." Mativo added. "So what I realised was there was an information gap or a data gap where businesses don't really have an accurate picture of their products and competition in the market."

Mativo was surprised to find a strong demand for data-driven insights, a shift from his initial scepticism about whether businesses would invest in intangible assets like data.

Two-thirds of C-level executives at least sometimes ignore data and make decisions based on intuition, according to The Alation State of Data Culture Report .

"So it makes sense to sell a physical product to a business. However, when you think of an intangible asset like data you're not really sure whether businesses can actually pay money for information. So I was surprised that businesses are actually willing to pay for information about their products," Mativo expressed his disbelief.

Through Duck, Mativo is not just offering a service but empowering businesses with the tools they need to succeed.

Watch the full interview:

As a final-year aerospace engineering student at the Airforce Institute of Technology in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, Shamsuddeen is determined to go beyond creating drones for the sake of it. His vision is to develop technology that addresses real-world problems within his community. "Looking at the food insecurity we are facing in Nigeria as well as in Africa, we needed to ensure that we bring solutions in that sector," he said.

Where passion meets practicality

Recognising the critical role agriculture plays in Nigeria’s economy, Shamsuddeen focused on creating drones that could help farmers enhance productivity while also reducing health risks. In Nigeria, where 26.5 million people were projected to face acute hunger during the June-August 2024 lean season, agricultural solutions have become more urgent. The World Food Programme reported that the food insecurity crisis in Nigeria is exacerbated by factors like conflict, inflation, and the impact of climate change.

Shamsuddeen saw an opportunity to automate farming processes, particularly the manual spraying of crops, which often exposes farmers to harmful chemicals. "If you look at the way they do their local way of spraying in the farm, it leads them to inhale some chemicals… Even though they are masked up, they still inhale it," he explained. The goal of Vora Robotics is to create drones that can safely and efficiently perform such tasks, reducing health risks and increasing agricultural efficiency.

The birth of Vora Robotics

Operating primarily in Kaduna and Abuja, Vora Robotics was co-founded a year ago by Shamsuddeen and four others. Shamsuddeen serves as the Chief Technical Officer, overseeing the company’s technological development.

Isayaku Musa, the Chief Operating Officer, shared insights on the company’s early challenges and growth trajectory. With a seed fund of 3 million Naira (approximately $1,920), Vora Robotics has been developing its products while employing a team of 10 workers.

"We want to perfect our product before entering the market," Musa said, emphasising that the company is still in its research and development phase.

However, logistical challenges, especially the need to import materials not readily available in Nigeria, have proven to be obstacles. "More than 60% of our requirements to develop this drone are locally sourced, but there are a lot of things we cannot get here, particularly in Kaduna State. We have to import it from somewhere far, sometimes even outside the country," Musa added.

Building a sustainable tech startup

Despite these hurdles, Vora Robotics remains committed to long-term growth and positive community impact. One of their key objectives is to create 1,000 jobs for Nigerians within the next five years. To achieve this, Musa called on the Nigerian government to support startups like Vora Robotics that are working to drive change and address critical challenges in the nation.

Watch the full interview:

LenoKids, a WhatsApp Chatbot learning platform is an early childhood education start-up powered by South African students in partnership with the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa.

Sange Mafinyongwana, the platform's Chief Executive Officer in an interview with Global South World's Edward Sakyi, shared that the project was born out of the 2022 MTN Digital Innovation Programme which looked to provide solutions to some of the social problems in health , education and agriculture.

"We were part of the 2022 MTN Digital Innovation Programme... Looking to address social issues within our communities... Those three sectors were mainly education, health and agriculture. Due to the passion that I have and with my team within the education space, we then looked at finding or addressing a problem within the education sector," Sange said.

It was on their journey to solve some educational sector problems they discovered an alarming statistic that "81% of fourth graders in South Africa could not read for meaning."

"If learners cannot read for meaning at the foundation phase, can you now just imagine in terms of how that will affect their future careers as they grow up?" he added. The group, according to Sange, while trying to find why this problem existed came up with LenoKids.

"We wanted parents to be involved in their child's learning journey by more or less creating a WhatsApp innovative platform that is driven by an AI that is educationally based and trained to more or less make learning and reading fun and engaging for learners by creating content that will be gamified and that will be aligned with the school curriculum," Sange explained.

Commenting on why the team opted for WhatsApp, Sange emphasised: "In South Africa, over 80% of cell phone users have WhatsApp. It's one of the communication channels that's being used mostly in South Africa. We saw a niche unique value proposition of us developing the platform on WhatsApp because it's already an on-use platform. And with terms of data, it won't be more or less a challenge for parents to use or give their children access to data."

"Utilising WhatsApp was more or less a good strategy for us by saying, we don't need to worry about accessibility. They are already using WhatsApp. We don't need to worry about data. Parents already use WhatsApp with their data. And then we don't need to compete with other apps," he added.

In a 2021 report on Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), South Africa ranked last with 288 points against 500 points in a global assessment to monitor the progress of literacy and reading comprehension of 9 and 10-year-olds.

BBC reports that the country's minister at the time, Angie Motshekga, blamed the low score on the closure of schools during the pandemic.

She also added "Reading instruction often focuses solely on oral performance, neglecting reading comprehension and making sense of written words" as a contributing factor.

Watch the full interview below:

Beyond the effects of climate change, coffee production itself contributes to the carbon footprint. So, while a cup of coffee can bring a lot of joy, the rising temperatures, lack of rainfall, and humidity are all reducing the growth and production of the crop.

Simply put, there’s high demand for coffee but less supply, which means you either need more money to buy it or be prepared to change your coffee-drinking habits.

This gap in the market is what motivated Prefer CEO and Founder Jake Berber and his Co-founder, the "Fermentation Prince" Ding Jie Tan, to create bean-free coffee.

Together, they introduced Asia’s first bean-free coffee in 2022, a product that has become the leading alternative to traditional coffee on the market.

“We use bread, soy, and barley from local manufacturers here to create coffee flavours via our fermentation process. And after we ferment it, we roast it and then we grind it up into coffee grounds,” Berber told GSW.

“It is the real deal. It tastes just like coffee. It gives the same experience as drinking coffee and, if you want, it gives that same kick or caffeine that coffee does. We're just able to create coffee in a more affordable and sustainable way,” he added.

Prefer currently works with several businesses in Singapore, including cafes and restaurants, that are happy to integrate their bean-free coffee into their operations to reduce costs and their carbon footprint.

Watch the full interview below:

In an interview with Global South World, 19-year-old Henry, founder of Code Club Academy, shared his journey of developing assistive devices for the visually impaired.

Henry, recalling how the traumatic event set him and this path said "I knew what persons with disability go through because if I had a fire accident, and people started seeing me with a disability, what of people with actual disability?"

By age 13, Henry had developed his first prototype: a smart spectacle designed to assist visually impaired individuals. This early invention laid the groundwork for Code Club Academy, a project dedicated to teaching technology and developing assistive devices.

Henry founded Code Club Academy to achieve two main goals: educate people in robotics and technology and create practical devices for those with disabilities.

“So I enrolled myself in self-training technology courses and at an earlier age I started teaching university students robotics and other technology-related courses," Henry told GSW.

Code Club Academy's flagship products are the Smart VI (Visually Impaired) devices, a smart spectacle and a smart stick. The smart spectacle detects obstacles above shoulder level, while the smart stick identifies objects at lower levels.

"Aside that, it has some special functions like light detection and an emergency button where in case of emergency, with the click of a button the emergency goes straight to the caretaker," Henry added.

Henry chose to focus on visually impaired individuals because it represents a broad category of disability. "We wanted to focus on the wider disability before we come to the smaller ones," Henry explained.

Despite facing doubts from friends and family who saw robotics as a frivolous pursuit, Henry remained committed. “My family, and friends didn’t support me much because they thought it was a waste of time, energy and resources. They weren’t into it that much until they saw it growing, He recalls.

The Code Club team

Henry also had to contend with economic challenges in Ghana. High costs for imported components have strained his efforts, but he remains resolute. “The journey has not been easy,” he admits.

At 19, Henry holds diplomas in system engineering, robotics engineering, and special needs. Since 2023, Code Club Academy has raised about GHC 40,000 to develop the devices and bring them to market.

Henry attributes his transformation from a young burn victim to a robotics engineer and founder of Code Club Academy to consistency.

"I’m the type that believes that life is not a random way so we shouldn’t always follow that, which is go to school and get a job," Henry added. "I diverted from that and taught myself all that I know through online education. So you can always make your way."

Watch the full interview :

In an interview with Global South World, Benedict Owanga shared his journey to entrepreneurship. Originally from Congo, he spent his early years in South Africa, then moved to Canada, and eventually studied law in the United States.

During his second year at law school, a power outage during a crucial training session led him to consider the broader implications of unreliable electricity. "I lost power for an hour but that one hour has shaped my two months' worth of experience," Owanga said. This experience prompted him to think about the daily struggles of those who face frequent power outages.

With his co-founder Chinelo whom he met in law school, they set out to address the severe electricity shortages in Congo.

Despite receiving millions in donor funding, the World Bank reports that just 19 per cent of the Democratic Republic of Congo's 108 million people have access to electricity.

The common and costly methods of power; kerosene lamps and generators which contribute to fossil fuel pollution have proven to be dangerous and harmful to the environment.

Owanga and Chinelo offer a fresh and affordable take on electricity distribution. The company has developed portable battery packs that can power a three-bedroom house or a small shop. These packs are available for rent at $2 a day or can be purchased for $250. They are powered by solar panels or regular grid energy, making them both accessible and sustainable.

"And one thing that we're really proud of is that we make it on the continent, but it's also sustainable," Owanga said.

"So the biggest problem we encountered was just like logistics and getting batteries abroad. So we were like, hey, let's build with what we have." Owanga explained. So we used recycled laptop batteries. We obviously analyse everything, make sure it's safe. And we also use plastic bottles to create the device.

By manufacturing locally, Owanga Solar is also creating skilled labour opportunities for those who need them most.

Launching a hardware company in a developing region presents unique challenges. Owanga and Chinelo faced issues ranging from logistics and production delays to securing funding. Their initial support came from a $10,000 grant from DivInc and a $500 monthly stipend from The Hatchery at Emory University, which allowed them to experiment and refine their prototype. They also gained traction through pitch competitions, which provided additional funding and recognition.

"I really want to try and fix Congo and it all starts with electricity. The moment people are connected to the grid, the moment people have electricity, students, and kids can study much better. Moms can make that money they need," Owanga expressed his desire for change. "And not only that, like the society is so much better and people can be more innovative and people can really open the country."

Watch the full interview:

Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Heman moved to the United States with his family at the age of four. Now residing in Annandale, Virginia, he developed the Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS) last year .

The soap, a compound-based bar infused with various cancer-fighting chemicals, aims to provide an affordable and accessible treatment option for people suffering from different types of skin cancer.

Heman’s parents taught him and his sisters the importance of protecting their skin from prolonged sun exposure. However, he recalled some of his earliest memories were of seeing labourers working under the intense sun with little to no protection.

“I’m really passionate about skin cancer research… whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field,” Heman shared in his interview with TIME. “It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life. That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.”

The idea for the soap stemmed from Heman’s research into an effective skin cancer-fighting cream. He wondered whether such treatments could be made more widely accessible and affordable. He realised that almost everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, uses soap daily, making it an ideal medium for delivering life-saving medication.

“What is one thing that is an internationally impactful idea, something that everyone can use, [regardless of] socioeconomic class? Almost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best option,” Heman explained.

Heman’s innovative soap was the winning entry at the 2023 3M Young Scientist Challenge , a prestigious science and engineering competition for students in grades five through eight. His entry earned him a $25,000 cash prize and recognition as one of the most promising young scientists in the world.

When asked in an interview earlier this year how he intends to make his product affordable and accessible, he said: “I have plans that by 2028, I hope to turn this passion project into more than that. I hope to turn it into a nonprofit organisation so that I can provide equitable and accessible skin cancer treatment to truly as many people as possible.”