Women in Security & Peacebuilding Network
Honoring and empowering female defense commanders, intelligence analysts, maritime directors, forensic scientists, and grassroots peace negotiators transforming African security.
Distinguished Security Pioneers & Strategists
4 Leaders Profiled
Brigadier General (Ret.) Sarah Mwangi
Senior Defense Strategist & Peace Operations Fellow
Pan-African Peace & Security Institute
With over 28 years of distinguished military command experience across three UN and AU multinational peacekeeping missions, Gen. Mwangi spearheaded groundbreaking gender-integrated tactical engagement units in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa.
Key Career Breakthroughs:
- Architect of the East African Standby Force Gender Integration Framework
- Pioneered community-centric intelligence liaison units in Jonglei Sector
- Author of "Command and Compassion: Strategic Leadership in Modern Asymmetric Warfare"
Farida Al-Mansoor
Chief Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst
African Cyber Defense Alliance
Farida has led national computer emergency response teams (CERT) in mitigating nation-state cyber incursions into electric grids and banking switches. She trains over 200 young female cybersecurity analysts annually.
Key Career Breakthroughs:
- Directed incident response for the 2025 Continental Banking Switch Defense operation
- Published seminal research on North African critical infrastructure SCADA attack vectors
- Recipient of the African Cyber Excellence Award
Dr. Amina Touré
Director of Sahelian Security & Conflict Studies
Centre for Strategic Conflict Research
Dr. Touré is one of West Africa's foremost authorities on non-state armed groups in the Liptako-Gourma region. Her field assessments have directly shaped humanitarian safe passage corridors.
Key Career Breakthroughs:
- Mediated 14 cross-border pastoralist-farmer accords in the Mopti and Tillabéri regions
- Advisor to the African Union Peace & Security Council
- Senior Lead Researcher on "Climate Drivers of Trans-Saharan Insecurity"
Commander Nana Akua Mensah
Executive Director of Littoral Operations
West African Maritime Security Taskforce
Commander Mensah has commanded fast-attack naval interdiction squadrons across the Gulf of Guinea, overseeing joint anti-piracy exercises with international navies.
Key Career Breakthroughs:
- Led multinational boarding operations that neutralized major illegal bunkering syndicates
- Established the Gulf of Guinea Women in Maritime Law Enforcement Network