Alina Karimamusama

Founder, Women’s Economic Empowerment Project

Lusaka, Zambia
Cohort: Common Purpose, Johannesburg, 2019

Alina Karimamusama is a 22-year-old young woman driven to solve the challenges of gender inequality and economic marginalization facing women and youth in Zambia. She founded The Women’s Economic Empowerment Project when she was 16 years old; a social enterprise that equips women with sustainable development skills and strives to end poverty in local communities as well as rural Zambia while increasing the number of household incomes controlled by women through growing the female labor force in Zambia and increasing entrepreneurial activity among youth, one of their key focus points has also been to eradicate period poverty and challenge how menstruation affects the economy. Alina is an award winning entrepreneur and activist, a Queens Young Leader, University of Cambridge ICE alumni, WorldSkills Champion, Essence International Ambassador, Former Television Show host, radio presenter, Anzisha Prize fellow and an AMEX Leader, who is recognized globally for her activist efforts. She has taught entrepreneurial leadership to young women at the University of Zambia as well as conducted classes at Sylva University. She had the honor of organizing HRH The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry visit to Zambia and was a keynote speaker alongside him to announce that she is an official partner of The Queens Commonwealth Trust. In 2016, she received a scholarship to study an exclusive course at the university of Cambridge from Her Majesty the Queen of England Elizabeth II, and received the award invitation to join the royal commonwealth society. She is one of Africa’s most prestigious award winners for Africa’s youngest entrepreneur prizes known as Anzisha. Alina also created a social enterprise which trains and creates jobs for women from local communities called Yoni Steam Zambia that specializes in manufacturing organic products tailor made specifically for women, from PMS teas to Intimate feminine hygiene washes which are distributed throughout the entire Zambia as well as crossing borders.