Young engineer flies SA flag at WEF
YOUNG civil engineer and member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Shamiso Kumbirai has beaten the odds as she was chosen to represent southern African youth at the World Economic Youth Forum (WEF) in Davos from today until Friday in Davos, Switzerland.
Kumbirai, 28, who studied engineering at UCT, was selected from 50 young people across the world to represent the voice of the youth and all because of her work in bulk water supply and hydropower engineering in Africa, as well as her involvement with WomEng, an award-winning initiative to support young women in engineering.
Ferdi Nell, Aurecon managing director Africa, where Kumbirai works, said the company was looking forward to watching Shamiso represent the youth on a global stage.
“We would like to congratulate Shamiso for being selected to be part of the Global Shapers community.
“Developing future-ready leaders starts with investing in and empowering the people who are solving some of Africa’s most complex problems,” he said.
One of the projects that Kumbirai is currently working on is the upgrading of a water and sanitation facility at a no-fee school in Mamelodi, part of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
She is also a member of the Global Shapers’ Open Africa Initiative, which aims to raise awareness for greater economic and cultural integration to grow the African economy.
“We recently met with the members of the African Union in Addis Ababa to present their findings and investigate ways that the initiative can support the Continental Free Trade Area plan set out by the AU,” she said.