Full Name
HE Graça Machel
Job Title
Chancellor
Organisation
African Leadership University
Speaker Bio
Her Excellency Graça Machel, an accomplished international advocate for women and children’s rights, serves as the Chancellor of ALC. She was also the Minister of Education in Mozambique and led a movement to cut the illiteracy rate by 22 percent and to increase the school-going population from 400,000 to 1.6 million. Her Excellency was awarded the InterAction Humanitarian award in 1997 and was made an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the request of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2007. In 2018, she was awarded the World Health Organization’s highest honour, the WHO Gold Medal, for her enormous contributions to the health and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents.
She has also founded various organisations that work to ensure the rights of families and communities across Africa. These include the Graça Machel Trust, an NGO which protects women and children’s rights and promotes women’s leadership across Africa. The Trust also runs the Graça Machel Scholarships for Women. She is a Founding Member of the Elders, an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. As she lends her expertise to several organisations in a governance role, Her Excellency Graça Machel is also the Founder of the Foundation of Community Development and the Zizile Institute in Mozambique. She serves as Board Chair of the Africa Child Policy Forum, Board Chair of the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, Board Chair of United People Global as well as Executive Chair of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies. Her Excellency Graça Machel is a Board Member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and Education Above All. She is Board Chair Emeritus for the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) and is a UNICEF Young People's Agenda Global Advisory Board Member. She is Chairperson of Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust and a Trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. She also sits on the Jack Ma Netpreneur Advisory Board. ALC is privileged and honoured to have Her Excellency Graça Machel as our Chancellor. We are confident that her experience in education will be of tremendous value in strengthening ALC’s governance and helping us achieve our goal to develop the future leaders of Africa.
She has also founded various organisations that work to ensure the rights of families and communities across Africa. These include the Graça Machel Trust, an NGO which protects women and children’s rights and promotes women’s leadership across Africa. The Trust also runs the Graça Machel Scholarships for Women. She is a Founding Member of the Elders, an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. As she lends her expertise to several organisations in a governance role, Her Excellency Graça Machel is also the Founder of the Foundation of Community Development and the Zizile Institute in Mozambique. She serves as Board Chair of the Africa Child Policy Forum, Board Chair of the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, Board Chair of United People Global as well as Executive Chair of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies. Her Excellency Graça Machel is a Board Member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and Education Above All. She is Board Chair Emeritus for the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) and is a UNICEF Young People's Agenda Global Advisory Board Member. She is Chairperson of Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust and a Trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. She also sits on the Jack Ma Netpreneur Advisory Board. ALC is privileged and honoured to have Her Excellency Graça Machel as our Chancellor. We are confident that her experience in education will be of tremendous value in strengthening ALC’s governance and helping us achieve our goal to develop the future leaders of Africa.
