Amany Asfour

Amany is a distinguished physician, business leader, and international advocate with more than 30 years of experience advancing women’s empowerment, gender equality, and public health across Africa and beyond. A paediatrician by training, she has successfully bridged medicine, entrepreneurship, and policy advocacy to champion the social and economic.

Amany graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, and earned her Master’s and MD degrees in Pediatrics from Egypt’s National Research Centre. While still a medical student, she entered the private sector and went on to establish a successful healthcare management and medical equipment company.

Guided by her belief that women’s financial independence is key to their power of choice and voice, she has focused her work on women’s economic empowerment, capacity building, human resource development, and equal access to education and training. She is a strong proponent of STEM education for girls and the promotion of women in science and technology.

Her advocacy also spans the prevention of gender-based violence and the elimination of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage. Through leadership at global, regional, and grassroots levels, she has mobilised institutions to integrate gender equality into health, business, and development agendas.

Amany has held numerous leadership roles, including President of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (2017–2021), Chair of the COMESA Business Council (2014–2018), President of the Egyptian Business Women Association, and Chair of FEMNET. She is the Founder of the African Paediatric Nephrology Association and the Hatshepsut Women Business Development Centre and Incubator.

Within the African Union framework, she is a Board Member of Africa CDC and has served as a member of the African Union Foundation and as the President of the Africa Business Council.

She has received numerous national, regional, and international honours in recognition of her contributions to health, women’s leadership, and sustainable development, including awards from the Egyptian Government, the African Union and other African institutions, the Arab League and Islamic organisations, as well as international women’s and business associations.