The Leadership Council of the Center for African Studies (CAS) at Harvard University is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary organization at Harvard University that aims to broaden public and academic awareness of Africa and African experiences and perspectives.
The Leadership Council comprises a group of dynamic young leaders on the African continent. The Council is drawn from the Harvard community and beyond with geographic representation across the continent. In addition to geographic diversity, the Council is composed of leaders in a range of fields including the arts, science and technology, healthcare, government, and entrepreneurship. Members engage with CAS and its Africa Advisory Board members to shape CAS’ and Harvard University’s broader engagement with Africa as a Continent.
On her Instagram account, Patricia Nzolantima wrote: “I could not be more grateful or more excited, to have been appointed alongside my Kenyan friend Amandla Ooko-Ombaka as Co-chairs of the Harvard University Center for African Studies Leadership Council for the coming three-year period. Michelle Obama said “Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower yourself with a good education. Then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of you boundless promise. Lead by example with hope; never fear.” Our desire to deepen linkages between Harvard University and Africa will position the leadership council to help inform the center’s intellectual agenda in the years ahead. We believe that African women are the future of Africa. Women are going to play a major role in this decade. The future of Africa is female. Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals. I am so grateful for all the failures and setbacks that have made me stronger, and the small and big victories that I’ve cherished. Feeling incredibly thankful for the ones who encouraged me get here. This one’s for you. There’s so much to share with you. Share your story, your journey, you never know how much you are impacted people’s life. Wishing you a new season of Breakthroughs”.
Congolese Serial Entrepreneur
Serial entrepreneur, Patricia Nzolantima has over 18 years of experience in entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment. It was since May 2017 that she was selected as one of 20 Africans from across the continent as a member of the Harvard University Center for African Studies Leadership Council.
Patricia Nzolantima is the founder and president of Bizzoly Holdings, a women-owned business and foundation. As part of this effort, she created Ubizcabs, the first women-owned cab company in the Democratic Republic of Congo and “Ubizdelivery”, the first women-owned logistics services. She is also the founder of Bizzoly Brands and Co. Sarl, a consumer products company specializing in household products and value chains.
Patricia Nzolantima is also the co-founder and CEO of EXP-Comuni-cart, a marketing agency based in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In March 2020, she launched the first female driver academy to empower women in transportation and logistics.
In 2018, in partnership with UBA Group, Patricia Nzolantima launched the first women’s visa prepaid card in the DRC, with the “Working Ladies brand” to fund women entrepreneurs’ projects through her women’s economic empowerment hub. In January 2020, she signed a partnership with VISA International to launch the first female digital bank.
In 2012, Patricia Nzolantima was the first woman in the DRC to be selected and participate in the Young African Leaders (YALI), Mandela Fellowship program, an initiative of former President Barack Obama.
At the international level, Patricia Nzolantima is a member of several professional organizations and was a member of the Clinton Global Initiative. She has participated several times in the GES (Global entrepreneurship summit) and opened the plenary session of the conference with former Secretary of State John Kerry in Silicon Valley.
In December 2020, Patricia Nzolantima received her PhD in Business Administration with a focus on entrepreneurship from Virginia Commonwealth University and the London School.
In addition, she holds a Master of Laws degree from the Protestant University of Congo (DRC) and a Master of Business, English and Marketing Management degree from the Cape Town Institute of Studies, South Africa. In addition, she earned an MBA from the Business School of Harvard University. She is a graduate (Cohort 4) of Stanford University’s Seed Transformation Program, the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies, which works to end the cycle of global poverty. She is a graduate of the Alibaba School of Business, e-founder program. A program designed to empower African business owners to build sustainable businesses.
Kenyan economist and associate partner at McKinsey
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka is an economist and associate partner at McKinsey, specializing in agriculture and food. She co-leads Mckinsey’s agriculture practice in Africa and directs the McKinsey Center for Agricultural Transformation (MCAF). Her areas of expertise include strategy for agricultural sector development, food and nutrition security, marketing of agricultural inputs and consumer products in emerging markets, and digital applications for agriculture.
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka, as co-leader of McKinsey’s agriculture practice in Africa, works across Africa and the world with governments to develop their agricultural sectors, and with private agricultural input and food companies to better serve their farmers and consumers.
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka has participated in televised conversations with several African presidents and former heads of state, central bank governors, CEOs of pioneering billion-dollar African and global companies, presidents of leading international universities, and other new generation African leaders. She is a member of the Executive Board of the Harvard Center for African Studies, a member of the Board of Directors of Sanergy (a non-profit organization), a member of the Advisory Board of LendHer Capital and Emerging Public Leaders-Kenya, and a co-founder of the Leadership Institute at Yale.
Co-author of McKinsey’s series on the economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka is quoted in numerous media outlets, including CNN, BBC, Africa.com, and Business Daily, and regularly hosts mainstage sessions at high-level continental forums on agriculture and development, including the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) and the Tana Forum.
Before joining McKinsey, Amandla served as a lecturer in economics at Strathmore University (Kenya), and as strategy advisor to several global S&P and FTSE companies, governments and startups including: the Kerry Group, GenPact, the Government of Rwanda, the African Leadership Network, and Mums Village.
A Kenyan national, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka has lived and traveled in over 50 countries. She holds a B.A. in Economics and International Studies with honors from Yale University, an MPA in International Development, and an MBA with honors from Harvard, where she was a fellow at the Center for Public Leadership.
