African stateswoman and humanitarian Graça Machel has been appointed as a trustee of the newly established Vodacom Foundation Board, bringing her decades of experience in women’s rights, children’s rights, education and economic empowerment to the pan-African initiative.
Vodacom Group announced the formation of the new Foundation on 28 September, saying it is designed to consolidate and strengthen the social impact work of its eight foundations across its African footprint.
The seven-member board is chaired by renowned economist Dr Vera Songwe, with Machel joining as one of the trustees. The Foundation has set an ambitious target of positively impacting 50 million lives across Africa by 2030.
Machel’s role
Vodacom described Machel as the founder of the Graça Machel Trust and highlighted her extensive leadership in women’s and children’s rights, education and economic empowerment.
The company said her experience in development and civil society would strengthen the Foundation’s focus on inclusive social impact.
The Graça Machel Trust also welcomed the appointment, describing it as an opportunity for Machel to contribute to a pan-African initiative focused on connected health, education and digital skilling.
The Trust said the appointment reflects “the continued relevance” of Machel’s leadership and her contribution to efforts aimed at advancing education, economic opportunity and inclusive development across Africa.
A board built around social impact
The new board brings together expertise across economic development, public policy, technology, sustainability, governance and social impact.
According to Vodacom, the board will help guide the Foundation towards scalable, digitally enabled programmes in three key areas – connected health, connected education and digital skills development.
Dr Vera Songwe, who chairs the board, is joined by trustees including Machel, Vodacom Group Chief Officer for External Affairs Ayman Essam, Vodacom Group Chief Officer for Legal, Risk and Compliance Anna Isaac and Gerhard van Niekerk of Vodacom Mauritius.
The structure reflects Vodacom’s attempt to place connectivity and technology at the centre of its social investment strategy, rather than treating philanthropy as a separate arm of its business.
Machel’s long record of African leadership
Machel is one of the continent’s most prominent advocates for women, children and inclusive development.
Through the Graça Machel Trust, which she founded and continues to chair, she has supported initiatives focused on women’s economic advancement, leadership, governance and sustainable development across Africa.
The Trust currently operates across 18 countries, with its work centred on strengthening women’s leadership and economic participation.
Her appointment also adds a significant civil society and development voice to a board otherwise heavily represented by corporate, technology and governance expertise.
The bigger Vodacom ambition
Vodacom says the new Foundation is intended to bring together the work previously undertaken by foundations across its markets and create a more coordinated pan-African approach.
The company serves more than 243 million customers and its mobile networks cover a population of more than 596 million people across the continent, giving the Foundation a potentially significant platform through which to deliver its programmes.
For Machel, the appointment adds another major platform to a career that has consistently linked business, government, civil society and social development.
The focus now will be on whether the new Foundation can turn its stated ambition of reaching 50 million people by 2030 into measurable change in communities across Africa.
