Kenya’s Jackie Odhiambo(First from left), founder of Nyanam International with the five African leaders named winners of the 2025 Segal Awards./HANDOUT
Kenya’s Jackie Odhiambo, founder of Nyanam International, is among five African leaders named winners of the 2025 Segal Awards, which celebrate individuals advancing homegrown solutions to the continent’s toughest social challenges.
Odhiambo was recognised under the Fighting for Fairness Award, a category named in honor of the Segal Family Foundation’s late founder, Barry Segal.
Through her organisation, Nyanam International, Odhiambo works with widows in Kisumu and surrounding areas — women who often face stigma and exclusion in their communities.
By training them as community leaders, her team is helping to restore dignity and empower widows to take part in decisions that shape their lives.
Her recognition highlights the growing importance of gender justice and grassroots leadership in Africa’s development story. Now a highlight of the Segal Family Foundation’s annual calendar, the awards spotlight African changemakers driving impact from the ground up.
Martin Segal (centre) poses with the five 2024 award winners./HANDOUT
Awards with a Purpose Since their inception, the Segal Awards have celebrated leadership that blends creativity, resilience, and accountability to local communities.
Rather than providing grants, the awards offer visibility and global recognition, amplifying leaders whose transformative work might otherwise go unnoticed.
Categories such as Fighting for Fairness, Angel for Africa, and Grassroots Champion reflect the many ways Africans are redefining leadership and social change.
Past winners have gone on to influence policy, attract partnerships, and scale their models to reach more communities across the continent.
Meet the 2025 Segal Award Winners
1. James Gondwe — Angel for Africa Award (Malawi) Founder of Ulalo, Gondwe is using technology to bridge rural-urban divides.
His initiative provides digital access and skills training to rural communities, opening new doors in education, agriculture, and entrepreneurship. The award, he says, validates the power of community-centered innovation in driving Africa’s digital transformation.
2. Dr. Juliana Busasi — Rising Star Award (Tanzania) Founder of TAHMEF, Dr. Busasi is pioneering digital healthcare with a focus on youth mental health—a sector often overlooked in the region. By harnessing technology, her team is expanding access to mental health support and reshaping conversations around emotional well-being.
3. Naum Butoto—Grassroots Champion Award (Democratic Republic of Congo) Through her organization UGEAFI, Butoto is transforming lives in conflict-affected Itombwe and Fizi by combining education, vocational training, and community service.
Her “village school” model equips students not only with knowledge but also with real-world experience as health workers and mobilisers — a lifeline in regions where systems are fragile.
4. Tracy Ahumuza—Systems Innovator Award (Uganda) Founder of the ATTA Breastmilk Community, Ahumuza connects donor mothers with fragile newborns in need of breastmilk.
The initiative ensures medical screening, safe delivery logistics, and mental health support for families—a model born out of her personal loss and now shaping maternal and child health systems across Uganda.
A celebration of African ingenuity From Kenya to the Congo, this year’s Segal Award winners reflect a common thread — African leaders solving African problems with compassion, creativity, and courage.
Their work proves that the most enduring change often begins at the grassroots, powered by those closest to the challenge.
