Future of Africa Plenary: How do we make this the 'African Century'?
Hear from our inspirational Delegate Speakers
Speakers
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Joan Rukundo NalubegaFounder/CEOJoan Rukundo Nalubega
Founder/CEO
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Rowida TariqEducation project coordinatorRowida Tariq
Education project coordinator
Rowida Tariq is a dedicated Sudanese humanitarian advocate. She began her work with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) setting up education programs for refugees from Tigray, providing safe learning spaces for more than 7,000 children, and leading the Education in Emergency response program following the war in Sudan, which provided over 45,000 children with access to education, psychosocial support, and life skills.
She was instrumental in launching NRC’s first youth project in Sudan, providing 3,000 young people with vocational training, coaching and mentoring, literacy, and leadership opportunities. Beyond her work in Sudan, she led youth-focused earthquake response initiatives in Syria to strengthen the participation of displaced youth.
Rowida is deeply passionate about youth empowerment and social movements, striving to equip young people with the tools to become agents of change in crisis settings. She is currently leading the POWER project in Sudan.
“I believe education is a fundamental right and a powerful tool for building resilience in young people facing crisis. I am driven to create safe learning spaces and empower youth to become agents of positive change in their communities.”
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Sandra ShokoInnovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem BuilderSandra Shoko
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder
Ropafadzo Sandra Shoko, widely known as The StartupBae, is a Zimbabwean lawyer, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem builder, and public policy practitioner committed to advancing Africa's growth by enabling young people and their entrepreneurial ideas to thrive.
Her work spans the journey from entrepreneur to ecosystem builder. She has designed startup incubation programmes, created pathways connecting young entrepreneurs to skills and markets, led hackathons and pitch platforms, and built partnerships across universities, government, development organisations and the private sector. Her work has expanded digital and STEM access to 2,985 rural students, connected 300 rural and differently-abled entrepreneurs to markets through the JOINA e-commerce platform. She founded Founders Friday to strengthen peer-to-peer support among entrepreneurs.
At continental level, Sandra serves on the Alliance for Entrepreneurial Universities in Africa and is a thought leader shaping how science, tech and innovation should support.
Sandra is a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, 2025 Mandela Washington Fellow and was recognised among the Top 100 Female Lawyers in Africa in 2024. She holds a Master's in Comparative Law and Business in Africa from the University of Cape Town, where her research examined what effective SME frameworks under the AfCFTA could look like, and is completing a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford where she focuses on designing policies that unlock science, innovation, and inclusive economic growth across Africa.Having once been a young entrepreneur herself, Sandra's ambition is deeply personal, to help build an Africa where ideating, innovating and enterprising are not luxuries, and where African talent has the institutions, capital, markets and networks needed to thrive.
She is also an active Rotaractor and founder of Mentor Me Please, a non-profit providing mentorship to children in homes and orphanages. -
Keleadile RudaEnergy Engineer and Project ManagerKeleadile Ruda
Energy Engineer and Project Manager
Keleadile Ruda is a Renewable Energy Engineer and Project Management professional with over eight years of experience advancing Botswana's energy transition through the development and delivery of solar PV infrastructure, clean energy solutions, and sustainable development initiatives. Her expertise spans utility-scale and commercial renewable energy projects, technical advisory services, energy efficiency, regulatory engagement, and stakeholder management across the public and private sectors.
Throughout her career, Keleadile has successfully coordinated multidisciplinary stakeholders including EPC contractors, financiers, government institutions, regulators, and development partners to deliver impactful energy projects that support economic growth and decarbonization objectives. She is particularly passionate about the intersection of energy, industrial development, and investment, with a focus on enabling sustainable infrastructure that drives inclusive growth across Africa.
Beyond her technical and project leadership roles, Keleadile is a co-founder of Women in Energy Botswana, and is a recognized advocate for women's participation in STEM and the energy sector and has been listed by the African Energy Chamber among the Top 20 Under 40 Energy Women Rising Stars, 2025. Keleadile actively contributes to regional and international dialogues on clean energy, sustainability, and climate resilience and is an alumnus of the African School of Regulation through the African Women in Energy Regulation Leadership Program, and the Africa Climate Academy through the Climate Finance Training. Her work continues to champion innovation, collaboration, and investment in Africa's evolving energy landscape.
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Mohamed DhaouafiCEOMohamed Dhaouafi
CEO
Mohamed Dhaouafi is the Founder and CEO of Cure Bionics, the first and only certified prosthetic technology company in MEA region developing accessible prosthetics and rehabilitation technologies.
He is an electronics and embedded systems engineer by training with masters in management of NGOs.
He has been recognized by Forbes Middle East as 30U30, MIT Technology Review as U35 Innovators, and TIME magazine Next Generation Leader, as well as an OBAMA Foundation Africa Leader, for his work in healthcare innovation.Mohamed is focused on making advanced assistive technologies more accessible across Africa and emerging markets.
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Tom OsbornFounder & CEOTom Osborn
Founder & CEO
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Ivor IchikowitzIndustrialist, Philanthropist and Thought Leader, Ichikowitz Family FoundationIvor Ichikowitz
Industrialist, Philanthropist and Thought Leader, Ichikowitz Family Foundation
Ivor Ichikowitz is a South African entrepreneur, philanthropist and Chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation. He is also the founder of the African Oral History Archive and the commissioner of the African Youth Survey.
He has been recognized twice as one of Africa’s 100 most influential people in recognition for his investments (business and philanthropic) in the future of the continent. For more than more than three decades he has built a number of successful businesses on four continents in energy, mining, retail, tourism, real estate, aviation, defence technologies and aerospace manufacturing.
His professional experience has informed his interest in African industrial development, innovation, skills, economic opportunity and the importance of building the continent’s capacity to determine its own future.
Through the Foundation, he has extended this commitment beyond business, investing in initiatives that promote education, preserve Africa’s heritage, support conservation and amplify the voices of African communities.
A central focus of his philanthropic work is the belief that young Africans must be understood as active participants in shaping the continent, rather than simply as beneficiaries of development programmes or leaders of a distant future. The African Youth Survey reflects this conviction: it seeks to create an evidence base that brings young Africans’ perspectives into conversations about policy, investment, leadership and Africa’s place in the world.
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Vimbai MasiyiwaEntrepreneur, Thought leader, and Founder, Batoka AfricaVimbai Masiyiwa
Entrepreneur, Thought leader, and Founder, Batoka Africa
Vimbai Masiyiwa is a Zimbabwean entrepreneur, thought leader, and the Co-Founder and CEO of Batoka Africa, a regenerative hospitality group redefining African luxury through community-first tourism. With a career spanning business, impact, and empowerment, Vimbai champions purpose-driven ventures that unlock opportunity and shift narratives.
Vimbai is deeply committed to helping young African’s build businesses that are sustainable and scalable. With a strong foundation in operations, brand development, and strategic growth, she works alongside organisations that are driving entrepreneurship and inclusive economic opportunity across the continent.
Her influence extends beyond the boardroom. She serves on the One Young World Global Advisory Board and the Global Advisory Board for Bryant University, and has advised both the Youth Envoy of the African Union and the African Investment Hospitality Forum. In 2024, she joined the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list, and in 2026 was honoured as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (YGL), a testament to her growing leadership and impact on the continent.
Through all her work, Vimbai remains focused on a single mission: to help entrepreneurs build, lead and thrive, while shaping a future where African excellence sets the global standard. -
Neville MatjieCEO, Brand South AfricaNeville Matjie
CEO, Brand South Africa
Neville Matjie is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brand South Africa, the official marketing agency of South Africa, with a mandate to build the country’s brand reputation, in order to improve its global competitiveness.
Prior to that he was Acting CEO of Freeport Saldanha Industrial Development Zone seconded from the IDC. Prior to that he served as the Special Advisor to the former Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Hon Dube Ncube, with a focus on economic, trade and investment affairs. He also served as the CEO of the official Trade and Investment Agency for the KwaZulu-Natal province, where he championed a number of economic development initiatives including the establishment and launch of the One Stop Shop.
He holds multiple qualifications, with his undergraduate BA Comm from University of North-West. He did a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and did a Master of Science degree in Investment Promotion and Local Economic Development from Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland.
Neville has a strong background in strategy development, international trade, international marketing, deal making and business development. He has also led a number of high-level trade missions to several countries and facilitated numerous trade deals. He is passionate about creating jobs and has previously brought in over R400 billion of investments into the KwaZulu-Natal economy.
With his role as Chief Executive Officer of Brand South Africa, he is responsible for protecting and marketing the South African brand. He is committed to revitalising the country’s image, driving stakeholder engagement, and positioning South Africa as a globally competitive and reputable nation brand.
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Professor Thuli MadonselaDirector, Centre for Social Justice, Stellenbosch University and Founder, the Thuma Foundation for Democracy Leadership and LiteracyProfessor Thuli Madonsela
Director, Centre for Social Justice, Stellenbosch University and Founder, the Thuma Foundation for Democracy Leadership and Literacy
Professor Thuli (Thulisile) Madonsela is the director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) in the Faculty of Law at Stellenbosch University and the Law Trust Research Chair Professor of Law in Social Justice Studies. She is the founder of the Thuma Foundation for Democracy Leadership and Literacy and a member of the African Academy of Sciences. She was recently appointed to the UN Scientific Advisory Board and as Chairperson of Cities Alliance. She also serves on the International Anticorruption Advisory Council and Global Justice Leaders.
The former Public Protector of South Africa and full-time Commissioner in the South African Law Reform Commission, Prof. Madonsela was one of the 11 technical experts who helped draft the South African Constitution. She co-authored laws such as the Equality Act, Employment Equity Act, and Promotion of Administrative Justice Act. She has an extensive background in constitutional, social justice, and administrative law, shaped by her years in public service investigating improper conduct in state affairs.
Prof. Madonsela has written, taught, and presented widely on these topics and on ethical leadership, good governance, and gender mainstreaming. She contributed to international human rights instruments at UN, AU, and SADC levels. She currently teaches Constitutional Law, Social Justice Law, Administrative Law, and Constitutional Governance and Ethical Leadership.
She holds eight honorary law doctorates, two law degrees, a Harvard Advanced Leadership Certificate, and other postgraduate qualifications. Named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2014, she has received over 70 awards including the Rotary’s Paul Harris, Commonwealth Lawyers Truth and Justice, and ACFE Cressy Award.
A mother of two and avid mountaineer, she has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro twice under #Trek4Mandela-#Caring4Girls and hikes for the #Action4Inclusion campaign to end student debt.