By Staff Reporter
Prominent Gweru based business couple, Engineer Dr. Mncedisi Dube and Ambassador Professor Smelly Dube of River Valley Holdings bagged awards in Kigali, Rwanda, at the 100 Most Notable Africans Leadership and Business Summit.
The prestigious awards ceremony was held in the Rwadese capital, Kigali 4-6 July, 2025.
Top economic experts, government officials, entrepreneurs, captains of industry, policy makers, and professionals were part of a pool of the award winners.
Among other things, the summit that honoured these luminaries aimed at showcasing and celebrating the achievements and contributions of African leaders and businesses to inspire future generations and promote a positive image of Africa globally.
Prof Smelly Dube who was honoured under the Most Notable Women Africa category, said that she is humbled at being given this great honour and recognition on the continent.
“It serves as an inspiration and motivation for me as a woman business leader and us as the River Valley Group of Companies to remain focused and add value to our country’s economic revival agenda, i.e Vision 2030 and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
“As a Group, we will keep on heeding the call by the President Dr. E.D Mnangagwa that no one, but ourselves can build the Zimbabwe, SADC and Africa we want. Indeed, Nyika lnovakwa Nevene Vayo / llizwe Lakhiwa Ngabanikazi Valo,”she said.
Among those honoured alongside Eng Dr. Mncedisi Dube and Prof Smelly Dube were Egyptian ace footballer Mohammed Salah, renowned investor Femi Otedola, DG WTO Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of Coza Global, Victor Osimhen, H.E. Malam Umar Namadi, Finance Minister Hon Prof Mthuli Ncube, Governor of Jigawa State of Nigeria, His Excellency, Rt Hon Dennis Idahosa,Deputy Governor of Edo State.
There was also the Deputy Governor of Cross River State; Nduka Obaigbena (Chairman Arise media group), Dr. Nimi Briggs, Chief Executive Officer of NIMPAT Group, George‑Kelly D. Alabo, DSSRS, FNIQS, Executive Secretary, Border Communities Development Agency. Dr. Amit N. Thakker, EBS Executive Chairman, Africa Health Business, Nairobi, Kenya. Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, among other luminaries.
Recently Prof Smelly Dube was inducted into the prestigious National Excellence Hall of fame in Harare – an honor made once every ten years, over the successes of the River Valley Holdings that she leads as its Group Chief Executive together with her husband and the entity’s Executive Chairman Engineer Dr Mncedisi Dube.
Before this weekend’s Kigali ceremony, at a press conference in Abuja, Nigeria, the Project Director for Africa, for the 100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa, Amb. Dr. Kingsley Amafibe celebrated the selected Africans who made the highly enviable Peace Icons list for 2025.
He also noted that the summit promotes cross-border trade initiatives that allow nations to share best practices in areas like Agriculture, Education, Artificial lntelligence and Health.
According to the organisers, the summit hopes to drive positive change and economic growth initiatives that promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and strengthen governance and education across the African continent.
The platform supports startups, innovators, and small businesses through mentorship and access to markets. Implement community-based projects focused on education, healthcare, environmental conservation, and youth empowerment in collaboration with local and international partners and NGOs. It also offers leadership development workshops, executive training programs, and mentorship opportunities to empower emerging leaders and entrepreneurs.
“Today, we celebrate trailblazers shaping Africa’s future, capturing the attention of leaders across Africa and business executives.
“There is a pressing need for visionary leadership strategic governance, transparency, and partnerships to drive positive change and unlock the continent’s full potential,” Amafibe said.
Discussions at the summit focused on governance reforms, business capacity development, education, agriculture, infrastructure development as well as human capital development, all geared towards job creation and youth empowerment across Africa.
