H.R.H. Dr. h.c. Princess Abze Djigma is a Mossi Princess and Traditional Leaser from Burkina Faso. She is a direct descendant of Princess Yennenga, a famous warrior in the 12th century, and considered the mother of the Mossi people, whose son created the Mossi Kingdom in the 12th century.

H.R.H. Dr. h.c. Princess Abze Djigma is internationally recognized as a role model for empowering the bottom of the pyramid, for recognizing the importance of the informal sector and for unleashing the potential of women and youth in developing countries. See here for instance the letter from the Secretary General of the United Nations, H.E. Ban Ki-moon.

Her different activities/responsibilities are:

  • Chair of the H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma Foundation
  • Convener African Royal Houses for SDG’s
  • Elected and appointed member representing the Least Developed Countries (45 countries with over 1 billion people) at the Paris Committee on Capacity-Building under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement UNFCCC.
  •       Co-Chair of the UNFCCC Paris Committee on Capacity-Building
  •       Co-Coordinator UNFCCC Work Programme on Just Transition Pathways on behalf of the LDCs
  • Commissioner of the Global Commission to End Energy Poverty
  • Coordinator of the West African Solar Pack (WASP)
  • Former Special Envoy of the President of Burkina Faso for resource mobilisation for SDG’s and Climate Change
  • Ambassador for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency of Burkina Faso
  • Deputy head of delegation of the COP23, COP24 and COP25 delegations of Burkina Faso
  • Member of the African Union – European Union Digital Economy Task Force
  • UNESCO ESD Expert & Prominent Person for Greening Education Partnership
  •       Chair of the International Jury of the UNESCO-Japan Prize on ESD
  • Former member of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Technical Committee
  • Creator of the YAM® Token: a cooperative token within the ‘MAMA-LIGHT® Initiative;
  • Founder and CEO of AbzeSolar S.A.
  • President Senior Advisor External relations and Gender for the Center Region Council of Burkina Faso
  • Former Board Member of UNDRR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies
  • Initiator and leader of the Initiative MAMA-LIGHT® for Sustainable Energy. A Worldwide program that provides access to affordable and sustainable energy for women, small business and children. It empowers the informal sector, it drives the generation of new jobs and it creates a sound basis for gender equality and women empowerment. The program is selected by the United Nations at the Solutions Summit at UN General Assembly in 2015 as one of the 14 breakthrough solutions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Initiator of the global expertise hub for the Informal Sector. The Hub works with and on behalf of the informal sector. It is an expertise centrum that facilitates their empowerment by making information accessible for all stakeholders and by catalysing actions oriented activities. It brings together the Bottom Up needs and challenges with the Top Down actions in a structured and integrated manner

H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma is a regular and motivational speaker/facilitator at high-level international conferences and meetings including the United Nations, representing the Informal Sector, and the youth and women of the bottom of the pyramid.

In a recognition for her leadership role in combatting climate change H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of United Nations, invited H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma to attend the Paris Agreement Signing Ceremony in New York during April 2016, see the Invitation letter Ban Ki-moon to attend the signature of the Paris Agreement.