Who we are

Speciosa Wandira

Dr. Speciosa Wandira, the first-ever female vice president of an African country, has dedicated her life to the advancement of women, reducing poverty and promoting social justice.

Dr. Wandira served as executive Vice President of Uganda for nearly ten years from 1994 to 2003. She held various Cabinet portfolios, was a Member of Parliament and a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted Uganda’s 1995 constitution. From 1991 to 1994, she was Uganda’s Minister for Gender and Community Development.

Dr. Wandira was the first President of the African Women’s Committee on Peace and Development, a committee of eminent African women who advise the Secretary General of the now African Union on gender issues and the involvement of women in Africa’s development.

In 2002, Dr. Kazibwe publically took on the taboo subject of domestic violence against women in Uganda when she filed for divorce from her husband, saying that she refused to be a victim. She resigned from her position in government in 2003, but her influence sparked debate over legislation to outlaw marital rape, ease divorce for women, grant property rights to wives and regulate polygamy.

Currently, Dr. Kazibwe is a senior advisor to President Museveni on Micro Finance. She is also serving on a number of international boards, including the Hunger Project in New York and the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) for Africa, and is a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Special Task Force on Agricultural Development.

Dr. Wandira currently received a Doctor of Science Degree in Population and International Health from Harvard University. She is also a poultry farmer, special banana grower and a banana juice manufacturer.