Zimbabwe’s Divine Ndhlukula, Founder and Managing Director of DDNS Security Operations, trading as Securico, has been selected as one of the most influential female leaders of 2015 in the world for her concerted efforts in empowering women in Zimbabwe and the region.
The announcement of this latest award for Divine Ndhlukula came from the powerful global movement, Empowering A Billion Women by 2020 (EBW2020), led by the inspirational entrepreneurial guru, Ingrid Vanderveldt. The movement looks to mentor and empower one billion women to reach their full potential as confident leaders and entrepreneurs, and paid tribute to Ms Ndhlukula for her outstanding role in empowering women in Zimbabwe and across the world.
In a statement from EBW2020, Divine Ndhlukula was praised for her work and her efforts:
“As always, you are an incredible role model and a bright light to girls and women in Zimbabwe, Africa and in the world. You inspire, motivate and empower millions with your outstanding leadership.”
Ms Ndhlukula leads one of Zimbabwe’s growing security firms and was the only Zimbabwean representative amongst all the leaders on the Most Influential Female Leaders of 2015 list, which also included America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama, Hilary Clinton, Mozambican former first lady, Graca Machel, and Liberia’s president Ellen Johson Sirleaf. The nominations and subsequent selection of the leaders was done by EBW2020 global advisors and board members, with nominations drawn from countries around the globe.
Speaking about her selection to the prestigious list, Ms Ndhlukula commented that it was an affirmation of her efforts in empowering women. She said:
“I am extremely humbled by the selection, which recognises the efforts I have been making in ensuring that women from all spheres of society are economically empowered.”
In addition to her incredible business success with Securico, a company she originally started at her kitchen table, she has also been instrumental in setting up the gender desk at Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, and has over the years, been actively encouraging women and young people to become entrepreneurs. Through her conscious and deliberate efforts, Ms Ndhlukula lobbied for the inclusion of women in the security sector, and her company now employs more than 900 women, arguably the largest employer of women in Zimbabwe outside of the civil service.