A year on, our very first cover girl, businesswoman Precious Moloi-Motsepe, continues to inspire. We caught up with her on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum (WEF) studio debate at CNBC Africa in Johannesburg, where she talked about WEF’s Global Competitiveness Report, and the importance of more female participation in the economy.
Moloi-Motsepe has spent most of last year traveling the world as a member of The Giving Pledge campaign. At the same time, she has focused her energies towards expanding African Fashion International (AFI), which organizes fashion weeks across Africa and supports designers. She believes Africa’s fashion industry can take the world by storm. However, there is plenty of room for improvement.
“Where I feel we’re lacking is taking our creative skills and turning them into commercial products to make it available globally.” And on female empowerment: “I know there are challenges but [women] cannot sit back, we have to come to the table and continuously engage to make our voices heard.”
Moloi-Motsepe is a mother to three boys. She says aside from her many projects, she has spent a lot of the past year just being a mom. The work with the Motsepe Foundation she has set up with her mining magnate husband Patrice Motsepe has also seen her travel across South Africa over the last year.