Miss Africa 2018 Calabar reigning Queen, Dorcas Kasinde is a 24-year-old graduate of Management Studies. She’s a goal-driven lady with a passion for entrepreneurship and a profound love of diverse cultures as well as fashion. She describes herself as compassionate, a good listener and a perfectionist who believes in forgiveness as the key to peace. 

For her year of reign, she plans to focus on projects that empower African women through education. She believes that women, even those who are not educated and have very little, still focus on their children’s upbringing and education. “If you give them education, they will really make a change,” she adds.  For her,  ignorance is one of the contributing factors to underdevelopment. That is why helping as many African girls and women to get access to education, is going to be her priority.

She is inspired by women such as Oprah and Noella Coursaris who have opened girl schools in South Africa and Congo respectively. “I believe that I should follow their footsteps and amplify this process. The road is still long and we need all to contribute,” she declares. Her message to young women? “You have a choice to be just a cute bimbo who is lazy and depends on others for everything. Or you can be a beautiful woman who adds value to society, a leader who counts and influences others positively instead of being a follower. For that, you need to be ready to work hard without giving up. You will face adversity and challenges, but stick to the plan and ultimately you will become a leader.”