Inclusive Entrepreneurship Education & Training
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About WEI

About WEIForward

Learn about our mission, leadership, and the dedicated team of experts.

Who We Are

WEIForward is a global, non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women and youth to achieve economic equality. We work through evidence-based approaches, strategic partnerships, and systems change to unlock opportunity, agency, and dignity for women and youth across the world.

Our Mission

To contribute to innovative, bottom-up solutions that unlock opportunity, agency, and dignity for women and youth across the world through evidence-based approaches, strategic partnerships, and scalable systems.

Our Vision

A world in which every human being can flourish in justice, security, and peace, where women and youth have equal access to economic opportunities and can help grow inclusive economies.

Our Core Values

The principles that guide everything we do

Inclusion

We believe in creating opportunities for all, especially those who have been historically marginalized and underrepresented.

Innovation

We explore and advance new approaches to addressing economic and social challenges through evidence-based solutions.

Partnership

We build cross-sectoral coalitions to co-create solutions and align action toward common goals.

Justice

We work toward economic justice and social progress, advocating for economic development that benefits all members of society equitably.

Our Journey

Key milestones in our mission to advance women and youth economic empowerment 

2017
Foundation

WEIForward was established with a vision to create inclusive economic opportunities for women and youth worldwide.

2020
WEI Global Institute Launch

Launched our knowledge hub to generate research, convene dialogues, and influence policy design for systemic change.

2025
GroundUp Alliance

Introduced our flagship platform connecting reality to policy actions, impacting people, planet, and markets.

“WEIForward's approach to economic empowerment goes beyond traditional models. They don't just create programs, they build collaborative mechanisms that transform entire communities and create pathways for sustainable change."
Yonette Thomas, PHDFounder, Urban Health 360
To better connect young entrepreneurs to investors and markets, we must create stronger pathways to opportunity, from providing exposure to investor platforms and supporting business setup, to helping them meet the requirements needed to unlock funding. This also means building corporate partnerships through supply chain integration and increasing access to tenders and RFPs reserved for youth-led businesses
Gerald ChirindaStrategic Advisor, WEIForward

Join Us in Creating Change

Whether you are a policymaker, partner, funder, or advocate, there is a role for you in advancing women’s economic empowerment.

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Board of Directors

Our board of directors provides strategic leadership and governance to advance WEIForward’s mission

Dr. Margo Thomas

Founder and CEO

Amadou Mahtar Ba

Chair of the Board

Dr. Yonette Thomas

Board Member

Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke

Board Member

Douglas Richardson

Board Member

Executive Team

Our executive team leads the day-to-day operations and strategic implementation of WEIForward’s programs

Dr. Margo Thomas

Founder and CEO

Hana Alem Tekle

Program Director

Lillian Kinyua

Communication Director

Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu

Strategic Adviser ​

Vonn Ricks​

Information Technology​

John Peter Lowot

Website: BB Collective

Team of Experts

Our team of experts brings specialized knowledge and experience to advance women’s economic empowerment

Global Institute​

Dr. Margo Thomas

Founder and CEO

Gala Diaz Langou

Lead, Social Reweaving

Dr. Cynthia Forson

Advisor, Women’s Entrepreneurship Policy

Dr. Yonette Thomas

Advisor, Human Capital - Population Health & Wellbeing

Dr. Colette Henry

Advisor, Women’s Entrepreneurship Policy

Dr. Roseline Wanjiru​

Advisor Trade & Investment Policy

Dr. Marija Babovic

Advisor, Entrepreneurship Policy Western Balkans

Dr. Kutisha Ebron

​​Fellow​

Dr. Srikanth Kondreddy

Research Advisor

Hyasintha Ntuyeko

Advisor, Entrepreneurship Development

Dinah Bennett

Advisor, Enterprise Development

Andrew Wafula

Advisor, Enterprise Development

Transformational Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development

Dinah Bennett

Dr. Smita Premchander​

Hana Alem Tekle

Andrew Wafula

Dr. Margo Thomas

Dr. Margo Thomas

Founder and CEO

As Founder and CEO of the Women’s Economic Imperative (WEI), Dr. Margo Thomas serves as a catalyst for initiatives aimed at increasing opportunities for the economic empowerment of disadvantaged and under-represented groups around the globe.

Throughout her career spanning more than two decades as a senior official at the World Bank Group, Dr. Thomas has provided policy advice to over fifty national and sub-national governments.

Dr. Thomas successfully completed her appointment as the Chief of Secretariat for the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment in 2017. Under the Argentinian Presidency of the G20, she was appointed as Co-Chair of the 2018 Think 20 Task Force on Gender Economic Equity. Dr. Thomas was invited by the Japanese Presidency to continue her work and serve as Co-Chair of the 2019 Think 20 Task Force on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Under the 2020 Saudi Arabian Presidency of the G20, Dr. Thomas is a member of the COVID-19 Response Task Force and the Social Cohesion Task Force. Dr. Thomas has been appointed as an inaugural Global Solutions Fellow.

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Amadou Mahtar Ba

Chair of the Board

Amadou Mahtar Ba is co-Founder and Executive Chairman of AllAfrica Global Media, Inc – owner and operator of http://allAfrica.com, the largest content service provider specialized on Africa. Mr. Ba sits on several boards and participates in a number of international working groups including the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, the World Economic Forum’s Network of Global Councils, the Africa Democratic Institute, the Africa Policy Advisory Board of ONE and serves as a member of the Panel of Judges for the CNN African Journalist Award. He is a recipient of many distinguished awards and recognitions in Africa, Europe and the USA, including being selected in the “100 Most Influential Africans” for three years in a row by New African Magazine. Forbes Magazine listed him one of “The Top 10 Most Powerful Men in Africa” in February 2014. Mr. Ba was educated in Senegal, France and Spain. He is fluent in French, English, Spanish, Fulani and Wolof.

Dr. Yonette Thomas

Board Member

Dr. Thomas is a globally acknowledged thought leader, urban health champion, and an advocate for valuing the health of women and girls as an economic imperative. She founded Borjoner International and Strategic Transitions to influence the progress, health, and wellbeing of individuals and communities across the world. As a founding board member of Women’s Economic Imperative (WEI), she leads the organization’s focus on the health of women and girls as an economic value.

Her work as global advisor for Evidence for Sustainable Human Development Systems in Africa (EVIHDAF) and the Centre for Urban Health and Development within the Asian Institute of Poverty Alleviation (CUHD-AIPA) extends her focus on the global south and the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals in this last decade. She is the Associate Editor for Women and Girls for Cities & Health.

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Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke

Board Member

Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke is the Founder & CEO of W4, an international non-profit organization and Europe’s first crowdfunding platform dedicated to protecting human rights and promoting empowerment for girls and women globally. W4’s work specifically targets Sustainable Development Goal 5b: leveraging technology for women’s empowerment.

Within the framework of EQUALS (the global partnership for gender equality in the digital age), W4 co-founded the global Her Digital Skills initiative alongside the International Telecommunication Union, GSMA, and EY. This initiative provides girls and women with free, gender-transformative digital skills training and mentorship opportunities.

Lindsey holds a B.A. from Cambridge University and an Executive MBA from ESCP Europe. Prior to founding W4, she spent years advancing human rights and development across Africa and Asia, working with organizations such as Human Rights Watch, UNICEF, and Enfants d’Asie. Recognized as a “Women in IT Role Model” by the European Commission and named one of Europe’s “Inspiring Fifty” women leaders in tech, Lindsey also serves on the strategic advisory committee of UN Women France.

Douglas Richardson

Board Member

Doug Richardson is a Distinguished Researcher at the Center for Geographic Analysis and the Institute of Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University. He was previously the longest serving Executive Director of the Association of American Geographers (AAG).

Prior to joining the AAG, Dr. Richardson was the founder and President of GeoResearch, Incorporated.​

His current research and management interests focus on the geospatial dimensions of health and equity, and on geography and GIS’s evolution as international resources for economic development and global understanding.​

Hana Alem Tekle

Vision-driven leader with 20+ years of progressive experience in nonprofit management, international development, strategic operations, and stakeholder engagement across Africa and the United States. Extensive expertise in ultra-poor poverty reduction, women’s economic empowerment, trade and investment between the U.S. and Africa, and supporting large-scale multilateral organizations. Recognized for cross-cultural leadership, emotional intelligence, and delivering mission-driven impact.

Lillian Kinyua

Lillian Kinyua is a strategic communications and public affairs leader with over 15 years of   experience advancing institutional visibility, policy influence, and social impact across Africa’s development and private sector ecosystems. 

Lillian works at the intersection of advocacy, narrative power, and institutional leadership. She has advised boards, CEOs, and senior executives on strategic positioning, stakeholder engagement, crisis communication, and executive visibility. Her work has focused on using communications as a lever for systems change, not just amplification. 

Her expertise includes policy advocacy, donor and partner engagement, sustainability and impact storytelling, and digital communications that translate complex economic and social agendas into clear, compelling narratives for decision-makers and the public.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Daystar University, is a certified Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) trainer, and is currently completing an MBA in Strategic Management.

Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu

Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu is a Pan-African development leader, AI strategist, and social impact entrepreneur with over a decade of experience advancing youth employment, digital innovation, and inclusive policy solutions across Africa. He is the founder of Nanaade, an AI-powered job-matching platform revolutionizing how young Africans access employment, skills, and career guidance—incubated at the Harvard Innovation Lab and Social Innovation + Change Initiative.
Joannes has led national and regional programs with UNICEF and Generation Unlimited (GenU) in Nigeria, Niger, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire. GenU is a global public-private youth partnership, a flagship program of the United Nations on a mission to skill the world’s 1.8 billion young people and connect them to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and social impact, especially in the most vulnerable communities. Joannes spearheaded large-scale digital skilling and youth employability initiatives, including the rollout of Yoma, a blockchain and AI-powered platform that has reached over 4 million youth.

He currently serves as Technical Lead for the Youth Entrepreneurship and Future of Work subgroup under the Women’s Economic Imperative and contributes to the International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP).

A published researcher, Joannes has co-authored “How AI is Bridging Gaps and Building Bridges in Development” and “From Ideas to Impact: Unlocking Youth-Centred Job Creation in Africa.” He holds a Mid-Career MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School and is committed to building inclusive, data-driven solutions that unlock the potential of Africa’s youth.

Vonn Ricks

Director, Information Technology​​​

Vonn comes to the organization with 20+ years of IT experience working with and supporting small businesses, universities and multiple global organizations. His background is in systems design, configuration and support for networks environments of 20 to over 8 thousand users. His mission is to continuously use technology to enhance and support the collaborative work efforts in an ever-changing world.

Vonn’s superior qualities include his attention to detail, relentless troubleshooting and resolution planning skills, and excellent professionalism. Vonn studied and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Bowie State University and is a Microsoft Certified Professional. Vonn has a signature saying to describe his passion for the IT field, “I turned my hobby into a career and that has been the best decision of my life. I get to help people and play with technology all day. Work doesn’t get much better than that!”​

John Peter Lowot

John Peter Lowot is an Impact and Trust Systems Strategist, branding expert, and creative director focused on helping research, public health, development, and social impact organizations build communication systems that create clarity, trust, and influence.

He is the founder of BB Creatives, an impact communications and trust-building agency that works with institutions to transform fragmented communication into aligned narrative systems that people can understand, trust, and support. His work focuses on message architecture, institutional positioning, knowledge translation, strategic storytelling, and communication system design.

John Peter works at the intersection of strategy, communication, design, and social impact, helping organizations strengthen how they articulate their value, align their messaging, and communicate complex work with greater coherence and credibility. His approach is rooted in the belief that communication should not begin with content, but with structure.

Through BB Creatives, he has contributed to initiatives across research, public health, development, and youth empowerment spaces, supporting organizations to build stronger public understanding, deeper institutional trust, and more meaningful engagement around their work.

His work is driven by a central conviction: strong work loses power when the message cannot carry it.

Gala Diaz Langou

Lead, Social Reweaving

Gala Díaz Langou is the Executive Director of CIPPEC. She holds an MA in Public Policy and Development Management from Georgetown University and a BA in International Studies from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, where she now serves as a professor.

A prominent voice in global gender policy, Gala is a W20 Delegate representing Argentina and was a featured speaker at TEDx Río de la Plata in 2019. Her career includes extensive work as an international consultant for several UN agencies, governments, and international organizations across Latin America.

Gala’s applied research focuses on gender and children’s rights. She has authored over 50 publications on social policy in Latin America, including books on Early Childhood in Argentina (2015), Gender Economic Equity and the G20 (2018), and Gender and Labour in Argentina (2019).

Dr. Cynthia Forson

Entrepreneurship & Gender

Associate Professor Cynthia Forson is the Deputy Provost at Lancaster University Ghana. Cynthia teaches Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management and her research centers on the work, leadership and management experiences of women in the labor market and organizations and has published several articles in this area. She focuses particularly on gender, ethnicity, class and migrant status and the intersectional influence of these structures in the lives and careers of women. Cynthia pays particular attention in her research to black and ethnic minority women in the labor market and organizations. ​​​​

Her research interests now extend to the work and labor market encounters of African women in Africa and the Diaspora and has a particular interest in the development of management theories that reflect the lived work experiences of women in different African contexts.​​

Dr. Colette Henry

Entrepreneurship Policy​​

An academic manager with university-level international teaching, research and program development experience, Colette Henry’s expertise is in the area of Entrepreneurship Education, Women’s Enterprise and Veterinary Business. Currently Head of Department of Business Studies at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, her previous roles include: Norbrook Professor of Business & Enterprise (Royal Veterinary College, London); Visiting Professor (Birmingham City University), and President of the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE, London). ​​​​

In 2015, Colette was awarded the Diana International Trailblazer award by Babson College for her research on gender, and in 2017, was honored with the Sten K. Johnson European Entrepreneurship Education Award. In 2018, she was awarded a Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences.​​

Dr. Cynthia Forson

Entrepreneurship & Gender

Associate Professor Cynthia Forson is the Deputy Provost at Lancaster University Ghana. Cynthia teaches Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management and her research centers on the work, leadership and management experiences of women in the labor market and organizations and has published several articles in this area. She focuses particularly on gender, ethnicity, class and migrant status and the intersectional influence of these structures in the lives and careers of women. Cynthia pays particular attention in her research to black and ethnic minority women in the labor market and organizations. ​​​​

Her research interests now extend to the work and labor market encounters of African women in Africa and the Diaspora and has a particular interest in the development of management theories that reflect the lived work experiences of women in different African contexts.​​

Dr Marija Babović

Dr Marija Babović is full professor at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy. She is one of founders and Director of Programmes at SeConS. Economic sociology is the main area of her academic interests, while her research and policy analysis focus is on socio-economic development, gender equality and social integration of various social groups. In addition to extensive experience in scientific research, she has abundant experience in applied research conducted in cooperation with international institutions (EC, DFID, WB, UNDP, UNHABITAT, UNHCR, ICMPD, DRC, etc.), state institutions and civil society organizations.

Kutisha Ebron

Fellow, WEI Global Institute

Ms. Ebron is a passionate social inclusion professional with over 15 years of career experience within the United Nations system. She served on the United Nations Secretary-General High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment. The programs she has worked on span the world’s regions, covering social innovation areas that include ending violence against women, gender equality, women, peace & security, and social integration. K.T. holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Towson University as well as a Master’s Degree in Management from St. Thomas University. She is currently working on her Ph.D., Ethical Leadership at St. Thomas University.

Dr. SRIKANTH KONDREDDY

I am a global health policy specialist with a PhD and Postdoctoral training in global health policy, governance, and diplomacy. I have been involved in research, teaching, policy and programming for about two decades. During these years, I have worked for Canadian federal departments/ agencies such as Global Affairs Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada, UN agencies such as the WHO and UNOPS, and global health think tanks such as the Global Health Centre (Geneva) and successfully led research studies in academia. I have a strong scientific, technical, and policy background and strong leadership skills, policy engagement, programme management, resource mobilization, stakeholder engagement, and partnership-building experience. In addition, I have excellent research and writing, research methodology, strategic planning, and knowledge mobilization skills. Over the years, I have significantly contributed to in-depth policy analysis for informed policy decisions and supported the development of strategic global health policy and programs.

Hyasintha Ntuyeko

Advisor, Entrepreneurship Development

Hyasintha is a social entrepreneur and the founder of Kasole Secrets Company, which innovates and improves access to affordable, eco-friendly disposable menstrual products and broad-based Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) solutions across Africa. A registered professional engineer, she has dedicated her career to addressing the pressing MHH challenges facing adolescent girls and women. Through her entrepreneurial work, she was selected for the Business and Entrepreneurship program at Dartmouth College as a Mandela Washington Fellow.

She is a highly decorated changemaker, with accolades including Africa Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Trailblazer, Queen of Power, Women Advancing Africa, Builders of Africa’s Future, and the East Africa Women Venture award.

As a prominent MHH thought leader, Hyasintha has been featured in numerous local and international media outlets, including the BBC and Voice of America.

Her leadership has driven significant organizational growth and social impact. She has successfully collaborated with major international partners to implement MHH programs in Tanzania and beyond, including USAID (WARIDI), UNICEF, the US Embassy, USADF, the Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research, and Milli Distributions in South Africa.

An expert consultant in her field, Hyasintha worked with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and UNFPA Tanzania to develop the National MHH Guidelines and associated toolkits. Additionally, she partnered with OIKOS East Africa and the World Bank to conduct a comprehensive study on menstrual product taxation, compliance, and market dynamics in Tanzania.

Dinah Bennett

Global Lead, Enterprise​​​

Dinah Bennett has been a leader of women’s economic empowerment for over 25 years. In the UK she initiated a best practice initiative for supporting women’s entrepreneurship based on the concept of developing and growing social capital. She was awarded OBE in 2010 and holds the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion.​​​​

As the founder of International Consultants for Enterprise Entrepreneurship (ICE), Dinah designs and delivers entrepreneurial development programs all around the world. ICE’s aim, to help institutions and individuals understand the small business community in order to introduce effective enterprise strategies and polices. ​​

Andrew Wafula

 Andrew Wafula is a seasoned development and partnerships specialist with over 10 years of experience in designing and scaling multi-sectoral youth and public health programs across East Africa, Kenya. As a strategic leader, he has successfully translated evidence into policy and practice, fostering sustainable change within government systems, donor-funded initiatives, and community-led platforms.

Andrew’s expertise lies at the intersection of program innovation, stakeholder engagement, and systems integration. He is the architect of the adopted Vukisha Economic Empowerment Model and has led complex public-private partnerships that have strengthened health and livelihoods ecosystems in Kenya. A skilled convener and advocate, he has contributed to county-level policy reforms in gender-based violence, youth empowerment, and adolescent health.

Holding a master’s in development studies and multiple certifications in project management and monitoring & evaluation, Andrew combines academic rigor with deep field experience. He is driven by a commitment to equity, youth agency, and locally-led development principles that continue to guide his work as a consultant, mentor, and thought leader in the region.

Dr. Smita Premchander

Microfinance​​

Professor Smita Premchander is the founder of Sampark, and Adjunct Faculty at the premier Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Dr. Premchander is also the Chairperson of the International Advisory Committee (the Board) of the United Nations University’s Institute of Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) in Bonn. ​​​​

She is a development practitioner and consultant, and has worked in several countries across Asia, South East Asia, Central Asia, Middle East, Europe and USA. She has worked on issues related to gender equality and social inclusion, women’s empowerment, microfinance, labor, livelihoods, social protection and sustainable development. She has a Masters in Economics, Business Management, and a PhD from the Durham University, UK.​