Casablanca Event Celebrates Influential African Women

Casablanca will host the Africa Women Leaders Summit & Awards in 2026. Verve Management will organize the event, bringing the summit to the African continent for the first time.

The summit is scheduled for January 28-29 and will take place at the Barceló Anfa Casablanca Hotel.

Summit Focus and Goals

The two-day summit aims to gather influential women leaders, policymakers, business executives, and change-makers from across Africa. Discussions will center on high-level topics, strategic partnerships, and practical solutions to strengthen women’s roles in Africa’s economic and social development. Organizers state the event builds on Verve Management’s experience in leadership platforms, highlighting African excellence and encouraging collaboration.

Confirmed Speakers

The summit will feature a diverse group of speakers, including Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance; Hakima El Haite, Honorary President of Liberal International; Leila Hanafi, Senior Legal Specialist at the World Bank Group; Rita Maria Zniber, CEO of Diana Holding; and Dahlia Khalifa, Director for Central and Anglophone West Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Additional speakers include Aawatif Hayar, Chair of the Casablanca IEEE Core Smart City Project; Maria Nadim, a Moroccan singer and actress; and Bouchra Baibanou, the first Moroccan and North African woman to climb Mount Everest and complete the Seven Summits challenge.

Africa Women Leaders Awards

A key component of the summit will be the Africa Women Leaders Awards. These awards will recognize exceptional women in business, public service, entrepreneurship, innovation, and social impact.

Verve Management Statement

Sabah Parvez, Managing Director of Verve Management, described bringing the summit to Africa as both a responsibility and a privilege. The platform aims to ensure African women are recognized as leaders and drivers of growth.