The founder of the 40 Roses Foundation, Penelope M. Jones-Mensah Esq. has been honoured with the Woman of Impact 2022 Award at the 4th edition of the prestigious Women’s Choice Awards Africa organized by Global Ovations.
The event which took place at Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra Ghana on December 2, 2022 saw other exceptional personalities like Joyce Bawah Mogtari Esq, special aide to former President John Mahama, Antoinette Kwofie, CFO of MTN, Yofi Grant, CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Freda Duplan, Board Chair of Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited, Oheneyere Gifty Anti, actress Jackie Appiah also honoured in different categories of the awards.
The evergreen former beauty queen who is a graduate of the University of Ghana, Legon and the Ghana School of Law, wears many hats. She is most notably a mother, to her three children, a corporate lawyer, a notary public, a women and children’s rights advocate, and a social entrepreneur.
Over the years, She has proven to be a force to be reckoned with and an inspiration to many. Being very passionate about women and children’s rights, she is committed to driving change, promoting empowerment and giving a voice to the voiceless through the various charities and initiatives she founded or supports.
In 2012, Penelope founded the 40 Roses Foundation, an initiative that supports socio–economically disadvantaged girls with academic promise. The Foundation promotes mentorship by linking 40 successful women in leadership to mentor and sponsor 40 young girls annually, and partners with Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa to continue to deliver empowerment interventions for girls throughout Africa.
Ms. Jones–Mensah says that it’s her firm belief that young women and girls in Africa are among the most dynamic and powerful demographic groups in the world today, both in terms of numbers and collective potential. The choices this generation of young women make will not only shape their lives but have a profound impact on a whole new generation of girls and boys in society as well. Thus, investing in the educational and personal advancement of these young girls today will provide them with the tools to reinvest in their own lives, their families, and their communities as a whole.
As a change agent, her passion for making an impact has led her to address colleagues and industry professionals at notable international conferences such as the Congressional Black Caucus meetings in Washington DC, the German Bar Association in Berlin, the International Bar Association, Women in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Energy Development (WEISED) conference, Capetown, South Africa,, Global Women Economic and Social Empowerment Summit (GWESES) which she co–founded in 2018, and the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network conferences in London and Bari, Italy, to name a few. Additionally, Penelope has served on several corporate and non-profit organisation boards, including WISE – Women’s Initiative for Self–Empowerment and the International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute (IBWPPI), USA.
Penelope has received multiple awards and recognitions for her contribution to the legal ecosystem in Ghana and her work with women and children’s rights.
In 2012, she received the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN) award for her leadership and innovation in law and the GWIIN Chairman’s Discretionary Award, an award she received in honour of her vision and tenacity in respect to her work with the 40 Roses Foundation.
Also, in 2015, Penelope was awarded International Woman Leader of the Year in London and in 2017, she was honoured by The African Network of Entrepreneurs (TANOE) as one of the WomanRising 100 Most Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs (100 MOWE). TANOE promotes achievements and exceptional milestones by women in Africa.
Beyond making strides in her work as a lawyer and moulding the minds of young marginalised girls, Penelope enjoys, above all things, spending quality time with her three lovely children to whom she dedicated this award in a Facebook post.
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