The tribute, according to a statement from CIPRA that VerAngola had access to, took place on Wednesday morning and aimed to recognize Ana Dias Lourenço's "inspiring leadership and contribution to the growth and development of Africa."
"The First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, was honored this morning, June 25, by African Business Stories (ABS), a social and business platform that supports African female entrepreneurship, during the round table promoted by the aforementioned organization," the statement reads.
At the end of the round table, Ana Dias Lourenço was surprised by the recognition. "At the end of the breakfast-style round table, Ana Dias Lourenço was surprised by the award of the 'Leadership Award - African Business Stories', in recognition of her inspiring leadership and contribution to the growth and development of Africa," CIPRA points out.
Under the theme "Advancing Women's Leadership-Investing in Africa", the event was held on the sidelines of the US-Africa Business Summit and brought together female leaders from Africa and the Americas, aiming to "celebrate African female leadership and share ideas".
"Ana Dias Lourenço made a brief incursion into her role in promoting inclusive growth, as a catalyst for economic transformation, defending gender-sensitive policies and supporting programs to encourage female leadership", the note reads.
On the occasion, the first lady considered that "women are central to the vitality" of the economy.
"Women are central to the vitality of our economy. My goal is to contribute to a national dialogue that recognizes that when women prosper economically, communities and nations also prosper", she said, quoted in the note.
Yvonne Ike, Bank of America representative in Sub-Saharan Africa, said she "followed the work carried out by the First Lady of the Republic of Angola, having listed some actions and deeply praised her for her courage, persistence in the transformative strength of women, as well as her strong commitment to gender equality in the fight against violence against children and adolescents".
