Wanjira Mathai

Wanjira Mathai is a formidable force in environmental advocacy. She spearheads transformative initiatives to encourage sustainable and equitable development. With over two decades of strategic leadership, she has catalysed critical environmental and social change across Africa. As a Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Chief Africa adviser to the Bezos Earth Fund (BEF), she is shaping NGO and philanthropic work on the continent, directing attention, research, and funding to helping the most climate-vulnerable places and communities. She has led the iconic Green Belt Movement (GBM) in Kenya as the former Chair- the organization her mother, Wangari Maathai (2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate) founded in 1977-, pioneered investment in women entrepreneurs in renewable energy, and is driving a movement to restore 100 million hectares of African land. She has raised the prominence and visibility of global issues such as climate change, youth leadership, sustainable energy and landscape restoration. Wanjira currently serves as a Leadership Council member of the Clean Cooking Alliance. She is a member of the High-Level Group of the Africa-Europe Foundation and the European Climate Foundation Advisory Council. Wanjira is one of a few Six Seconds EQ Practitioners in Kenya and was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential African Women in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023.