Biographies of the guest speakers
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism & Hospitality Industry, Zimbabwe
Director, Africa Department, UNWTO, Spain
Director, Innovation, Education and Investments, UNWTO, Spain
Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Deputy Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service, Namibia
Director of Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Executive Director of Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Deputy Executive Director Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
UNDP Representative, Namibia
Executive Head, Marketing, Botswana Tourism Organisation, Botswana
CEO and Chairperson of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), Namibia
Executive Director of Investment and New Ventures, Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, Namibia
Acting Head of the Graduate Centre for Management & Head of Centre for Business Innovation and Incubation (BIIC), Cape Peninsula of University of Technology, South Africa
Associate Professor, University of South Africa, South Africa
Regional Director, Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana
CEO, Millvest Advisory, South Africa
CEO, Airline Association of Southern Africa (AASA), South Africa
Acting CEO, South African Tourism, South Africa
CEO, Africa Tourism Partners, South Africa
Founder and Former Dual Vocational |TVET Director, Namibia
Founder and CEO, Nyitiso Consulting Group, South Africa
Principal Consultant, BDO, South Africa
The DBN Head: SME Finance, Namibia, Development Bank, Namibia
Academic Head of Hospitality, University of Johannesburg School of Tourism and Hospitality, South Africa
Department Head, Senior lecturer, Department of Tourism and Hospitality, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Fortunatus Advisory LLC, Dubai
Founder & CEO, Toolboksi, Tanzania
Senior Manager, Intrapreneurship, United Kingdom
CEO, Hospitality EQ, Kenya
Director of Professional Marketing Services (PMS) Group, Kenya
Founder and CEO of Direx, Nigeria
Co-founder & CEO, Saturated Africa, South Africa
Deputy Operations Coordinator, AI Solutions, Kenya
Founder, Fredina Trading CC, Namibia
Founder, Agelvipa Online, Namibia
Co-founder & COO, Saturated Africa, South Africa
CEO & Co-founder, Aeropaye, Nigeria
Managing Director, Makeeda Hospitality & Wellness, South Africa
CEO, Kardinal Technologies Inc, Nigeria
Chairman, Start-up Tribe, Switzerland
Project Manager, Global Expo Botswana BITC, Botswana
Lecturer, Coordinator and Learning Development Facilitator, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Founder, Nene-Uwa Hub Ltd, Nigeria
CEO, AirStudent, South Africa
Lecturer and Head of Events Department, National College of Tourism; Former Managing Director of Tanzania Tourist Board, Tanzania
Deputy Director-General for Environment and Tourism in the Limpopo Economic Development Environment and Tourism Department, South Africa
Women and Youth in Trade Expert | Directorate of Institutional Matters and Programme Coordination (DIMPC), AfCFTA Secretariat, Ghana
Founder and Executive Director of BFS Group, Namibia
Vice President: Tourism Advisory, JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group, South Africa
Ethiopian Airlines Regional Manager Southern Africa, South Africa
Digital & Communications Consultant, TV3 & 3FM, Ghana
Senior Manager, Marketing & Tourism, Robben Island Museum, South Africa
Hollywood Actor/Producer & Co-Founder of Khumo Studios, Botswana
CEO, The Shaba, Kenya
Director - International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), Ghana
Key Account Manager, Airlines and Government Agencies Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), South Africa
CEO & Founder, Wylde International, Kenya
Founder of Spree, Rwanda
Senior Lecturer, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa
Director, Directorate of Institutional Matters and Programmes Coordination (DIMPC), AFCFTA, Ghana
Chairperson and Executive Member, Hospitality Association of Namibia
Deputy Director for International Marketing and Head of Digital Marketing, Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana
Chief Operations Officer The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA), South Africa
Executive Member, Conference Link, Namibia
Chief Executive Officer Small Tourism Enterprise Association, South Africa
CEO, Environmental Investment Fund, Namibia
Managing Director & Founder, Kelsi Investment Pty Ltd, Botswana
PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich, physics
Co-Founder & CEO, Purple Elephant Ventures, Kenya
Founder, SMEs Compete, Namibia
Corporate Communication & Business Development Head, Millat Investments, South Africa
Executive Director, Domestic Tourism and Strategic Research, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Zimbabwe
Founder, Kalinasho Trading cc, Namibia
Head Blockchain Centre of Excellence, Regional Director Blockchain Research Institute Africa and Board member of Hedera Hashgraph, Switzerland
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Pohamba Penomwenyo Shifeta (born 27 March 1968) is a politician figure and a legal practitioner who is serving as Minister of Environment and Tourism in the Cabinet of Namibia since 2015.
Shifeta was born at Ongenga in Ohangwena Region. He has been active in the SWAPO-led National Union of Namibian Workers and Namibia National Students Organisation since 1988. Shifeta has a Diploma in Public Administration. He has a BA degree in Political Sciences and he holds an LLB Honours. He has also been involved in the SWAPO Party Youth League.
Shifeta was first elected to the National Assembly of Namibia in 2004 as a SWAPO candidate. He was appointed as Deputy Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture in March 2005, and he retained his position after the 2009 general election. In a December 2012 Cabinet reshuffle, after the fifth SWAPO congress, Shifeta was moved to the post of Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism.
In President Hage Geingob’s Cabinet, appointed in March 2015, Shifeta was promoted to the post of Minister of Environment and Tourism.
Originally from the Seychelles, Elcia Grandcourt joined the World Tourism Organisation, a United Nations specialised Agency for Tourism in 2013 as Director, of the Regional Department for Africa. Elcia began her tourism career studying Hotel Management in Singapore at the Singapore Hotel Association and Education Centre (SHATEC). Thereafter, she occupied various positions in operations, reservations and sales mainly in hotels, including leading international brands such as Le Meridien and Hilton Worldwide Resorts. She was part of the rebranding team when Hilton Worldwide Resorts took over the management of the then Northolme hotel in Seychelles. She worked with the Seychelles national airline and destination management companies before joining the public sector to Seychelles Tourism Board as deputy CEO before being promoted to Chief Executive Officer, a position she occupied prior to joining UNWTO. Passionate about tourism, Elcia is honoured to be able to contribute towards sustainable tourism development in Africa.
Elcia also holds a Master in Dynamics of Cooperation, Conflicts and Negotiation in International Relations and Diplomacy.
Director - Innovation, Education And Investments UN World Tourism Organisation
Natalia Bayona leads the innovation, education and investments strategy of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations specialized agency for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism worldwide.
With a diverse background on politics, destination management and business, she has become the first innovation director at UNWTO, has introduced entrepreneurship and education as key factors for tourism and development, and has positioned UNWTO as an innovation benchmark within the wider United Nations system as recognized in the UN 2020 Mapping of Innovation, Data and Digital Capacities. Furthermore, she has joined the UN Executive Leadership Programme for Sustainable Development led by the UN System Staff College (UNSSC).
Her work consists of identifying the most disruptive startups and investment projects and matching them with Member States and leading corporations. As an advocate of youth and technology, she seeks to make entrepreneurs grow for a promising future in all regions.
During the last 4 years, Natalia has developed 20 UNWTO Startup Competitions and Innovation Challenges with outcomes such as more than 214 million USD in support for entrepreneurs and pilots for safe travel. Moreover, she has designed the Tourism Tech Adventures innovation forums and co-created the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, the pioneer platform for advancing skill development for the sector in collaboration with the most prestigious universities such as IE University, Sommet Education, Swiss Education Group, the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Externado de Colombia University, currently with over 15.000 students from 191 countries. Furthermore, she has created the UNWTO Technical Committee on Tourism Online Education and acts as its Secretary to ensure education is at the forefront of the global agenda.
She has also opened the Multilateral Investment Cooperation area for tourism and has built a network of more than 290 investors interested in the sector and is currently working on high-impact projects to recover tourism, including the Investment Readiness for Green Finance Mechanisms in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) from the World Bank Group. In this same vein, she has been a coordination member of the Global Tourism Crisis Committee (GTCC) where UNWTO Member States, UN Agencies and Private Sector Associations – IATA, ACI, CLIA, among others – gather to discuss actions to address current issues. Within this framework, Natalia has led the UNWTO Healing Solutions for Tourism Challenge, the UNWTO Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Global Startup Competition and the UNWTO Jobs Factory as specific projects to support destinations and employment.
On 2022, she has launched the first series of tourism investment guidelines: UNWTO Tourism Doing Business, starting with the Dominican Republic and Colombia, and moving on with countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uruguay. Also, she has developed the brand-new UNWTO Digital Futures for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Programme which aims to provide digital training on connectivity, business growth, e-commerce, big data and analytics, payments, and security to 1 million beneficiaries by partnering with the largest technology companies.
Furthermore, her short-term goals include a variety of high-impact projects such as (1) co-creating the first Tourism International Academy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (2) opening of the UNWTO Tourism Innovation Lab in collaboration with IE University as a world-ranked institution on online education and entrepreneurship by QS Rankings, (3) positioning women leadership in tourism through supporting innovation and startups, and (4) supporting countries to advance their investment promotion strategies in order to facilitate business creation in tourism, hospitality and food & beverage with tools such as the above-mentioned guidelines.
As recognition for her work, Natalia has been awarded the IIPT (International Institute For Peace Through Tourism)’s 5th “Celebrating Her” prize for “Innovation & the Empowerment of Women Through Tourism” at ITB Berlin 2021, an acknowledgement that is only given to 3 women from all over the world each year. Natalia is also a part of the “100 de COTEC” network which gathers experts who speak Spanish from multiple areas of knowledge for analyzing social, economic and technological challenges that innovation faces.
Recently, she has also been recognized as one of the 10 Colombian nationals in Spain contributing the most to the country’s positive image, as one of the 150 most influential people in tourism in Spain by Sergestur, and as part of the women-led think tank The Club G100 as Colombia Country Chair for Smart and Sustainable Cities.
Natalia graduated in Government and International Relations from Universidad Externado de Colombia and holds an Executive MBA from the IE Business School. Nowadays, she is part of the World Economic Forum (WEF) network as a European Digital Leader and is an Eisenhower Fellow as the first Colombian on the Women Leadership Program for creating the first Tourism for Tomorrow Programme: a high-level network focused on joining public-private efforts for high-impact investments in digital education and innovation for tourism’s sustainable development and post Covid-19 recovery. Additionally, she enjoys sharing knowledge by teaching at universities – Harvard (USA), Cornell (USA), Externado (Colombia) and Bilkent (Turkey) – and public schools in Colombia as part of her give back to youth and her country.
In 2017, she served as the Vice President of International Development for the Spain Startup – South Summit and organized the first South Summit Pacific Alliance, connecting the main stakeholders of the entrepreneurship ecosystem of Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru.
Having worked in ProColombia for ten years, she has lived in six countries where has developed strategies to boost exports, foreign investment and tourism for Colombia. Her career started in 2006 as part of the team that created the first international tourism campaign for Colombia: “Colombia, the risk is wanting to stay”, which sought to change the image of the country abroad. The successful execution of this campaign in more than 15 countries was possible thanks to her work.
Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism
Legislative Profile: Member of the National Assembly (2015-present) and appointed as the Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in March 2021 till present.
Personal:Born on 19 January 1978, Zambezi Region
Education: Student: Diploma in Business Administration, Business Management College (2014 ) Certificate: Executive Office Assistant, Business Management College (2013-2014); Certificate: Computer Literacy, Business Management College (1999); Certificate: Typing Skills, City Commercial College (1996).
Career: Kongola Pioneer Band (1989); Member: Interim Swapo Party Youth League Committee (1993); Branch Executive Member of NANSO, St Kizito College (1992); Student Representative Council Chairperson, St Kizito College (1993-1995); Regional Executive Member of Representative SPYL (1994); Regional Chairperson, Caprivi Regional Youth Forum (1994); Board Member of National Youth Council (2001-2010); Regional Pioneer Representative, SPYL (2001-2007); District Secretary: Katima Urban SPYL (2007 to date); Regional Protocol Chairperson Swapo Party (2012 to date); Member of Local Authority Tender Board of Katima Mulilo Town Council (2011- 2014); Administrative Officer: Ministry of Education, Zambezi Region (1996-2013); Acting Accountant: Ministry of Education, Zambezi Region (2013-2015).
In March 2021, Hon. Heather Mwiza Sibungo was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. Hon.Sibungo is passionate about Forestry and Tourism.
Legislative Interests: Politics
Director, Tourism and Gaming, Ministry Of Environment, Forestry And Tourism, Namibia
Business Strategist, Travel and Tourism Industry Expert, Product innovation and development Expert, Presenter, Negotiator, Speaker, Moderator, GALLUP Certified Strengths & Talent Development Coach, Mentor and Employee Engagement Expert. His talent DNA are Responsibility, Strategic, Futuristic, Focus, Self – Assurance.
He is a Director of Tourism and Gaming in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. He has over the years developed and launched many hospitality, tourism services & products and events. He has vast executive management and Board experience having worked as a Senior Manager and Board of Director in the travel, tourism, hospitality sector and medical fund industries in both private and public sector over the past 25 years.
He is experienced in pragmatic strategic and tactical business management in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry, strategic human capital, operations management, strategic marketing, product innovation and development, tactical corporate leadership, policy design & development, strategy formulation & implementation, employee relations and engagement, strength coaching and talent development, etc. He holds a Masters of Business Administration (MsM), Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Advanced Diploma in Business Administration and Diploma in Marketing Management. He is certified in Corporate Governance and Certified GALLUP Clifton-Strengths Coach.
Ms. Alka Bhatia is the UNDP Resident Representative to the Namibia country office.
Ms. Bhatia has been with UNDP since 2010. Prior to her post in Namibia, she worked in the Lesotho and Malawi country office respectively, as an Economics Advisor where she provided strategic policy advisory services to the UN Country Team and Government.
Ms. Bhatia is a national of India and has over 30 years of experience in poverty alleviation, trade, and sustainable development. She has vast experience in providing strategic policy advice on sustainable development to Governments and UN Country Teams.
Prior to joining the UNDP, Ms. Bhatia was a civil servant in her country, working on trade policy formulation, implementation, and regulation. She represented India in the WTO in Geneva during the DOHA Round of multilateral trade negotiations for 4 years. Thereafter she also served as the Economic Affairs Officer for the World Trade Organization in Geneva, where she worked on Enhanced Integrated Framework for LDCs as well as trade related development issues.
Ms. Bhatia holds a Master of Arts from the Panjab University, in Chandigarh India as well as training in International Economics and International Trade from the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland.
She loves music, flowers, and cooking. Ms. Bhatia can be reached at alka.bhatia@undp.org
Acting CEO, Botswana Tourism Organisation, Botswana
Keitumetse Setlang has been part of the tourism industry in the marketing and public relations field since 1998 when she joined the industry as a Public Relations Manager. Currently sitting in the Executive Manager- Marketing position in Botswana Tourism Organisation; she has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the Botswana Tourism Strategy focusing on Global Destination Marketing, Brand Management and Public Relations for Botswana Tourism as well as resuscitating travel and tourism following continuous COVID-19 implications through highlighting and availing linkages to the tourism industry to increase its impact on the local economy, ‘it is important to strengthen these linkages to create business opportunities across tourism value chains’. Keitumetse is also instrumental in the stimulation of the MICE or business tourism sector.
CEO and Chairperson of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB)
Nangula, a Chartered Accountant by profession is the CEO and Chairperson of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB). NIPDB, a Public Entity in the Presidency is tasked with the mandate of promotion and facilitating foreign and domestic investments as well as promotion the development of SMEs.
Until December 2020, Nangula served as a Partner at PwC Namibia, with over 20 years’ experience in auditing and has served as lead partner on audits of organizations across various sectors and industries. She has also been involved in non-audit work such as business advisory services, fraud investigation, presentations on the roles and responsibilities of directors and a host of other related topics.
Nangula was named Namibia’s Businesswoman of the year in 2011. Besides playing a role on the Accounting/Auditing Professional Bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Public Accountants and Auditors Board, she also served as a member of the Tax Court Appeal and was appointed as a member of the first Public Office Bearers’ Remuneration and Benefits Committee by the President of the Republic of Namibia from 2006 to 2009.
There are many firsts in Nangula’s life – she was the first black female Namibian to qualify as a Chartered Accountant and the first female and first black Namibian to occupy the position of PwC Managing Partner as well as that of President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia.
Over the years Nangula has grown a burden concerning the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty that are facing Namibia. It is this burden that led her to pursue further studies (first the Master in Business Leadership and now Doctor in Business Leadership) with focus on the collaborative role required between the public and private sectors to drive inclusive economic growth and find common solutions to these challenges. It is also this burden that led to her resignation as the CEO of PwC Namibia in December 2020 and acceptance of the President’s appointment to the role of first CEO and Chairperson of NIPDB.
Relevant Experience:
PwC Namibia: Started career at PwC in 1997 where she has served 24 years, of which 18 has been a Partner and 10 years the Managing Partner.
PwC Africa: Represented the Namibian Firm at the PwC Southern Africa Governing Board for 5 years
South Market Area Leadership Team: Appointed of by PwC Africa CEO to the 8-team, PwC South Market Area Leadership Team with oversight/regional representation for Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
Vice Chairperson HLPNE: Appointed by the President of the Republic of Namibia in 2019 as an advisor on the High-Level Panel on the Namibian Economy (HLPNE) where she served as the Vice Chairperson.
Namibia Green Hydrogen Council: Appointed by the President to serve alongside 6 Ministers and the Economic Adviser to the President as a member of Namibia’s first GH2 Council which serves as the inter-ministerial political committee responsible to overseeing GH2 implementation in Namibia.
PhD Candidate: PhD candidate at UNISA, with a topic: An integrated Public-Private Collaboration (PPC) Framework to enhance a country’s resources: A Case for Namibia
Executive Director of Investment and New Ventures, Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, Namibia
Acting Head of the Graduate Centre for Management and the founder and Head of Centre for Business Innovation and Incubation (BIIC) in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at Cape Peninsula of University of Technology, South Africa
Prof Michael Twum-Darko, Ghanaian-South African, obtained his PhD in Information Systems from University of Cape Town (RSA), Masters in Computer Science from American Institute for Computer Sciences in Birmingham, Alabama (USA) and Honours Degree in Computer Science from now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana).
Michael spent thirty-two (32) years as a lecturer Computer Science, Business Information Systems, strategic management in Ghana, Botswana, and South Africa. He has also spent 13 years out of the 32 years as an IT Project Management and Software Development consultant and IT/Business strategist in South Africa.
Michael is a Fellow of the Institute of Analysts and Programmers (UK) and has served on many high-profile committees in Botswana and South Africa as an academic, and IT/Business strategist
He is currently the acting Head of the Graduate Centre for Management and the founder and Head of Centre for Business Innovation and Incubation (BIIC) in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at Cape Peninsula of University of Technology.
Associate Professor: Tourism Management, University Of South Africa, South Africa
Magdalena Petronella (Nellie) Swart holds a DCom in Leadership Performance and Change, is an Associate Professor in Tourism at the University of South Africa, and a Certified Meeting Professional. Nellie has authored and co-authored accredited journal articles, book chapters and conference proceedings related to business tourism and tourism education. The training of tourism teachers is amongst her community engagement projects. She is an executive committee member of a number of tourism committees and serves on the editorial board of the IJTC. Nellie has organised national and international conferences and is often an invited speaker at business events.
Miller Mulamule Matola has more than 25 years of management experience within the global travel, tourism, hospitality, convention industry and investment facilitation environments.
His competencies range from executive management, business administration, project management, destination marketing, nation branding to strategic planning and execution. With demonstrated business management skills, at both operational and strategic levels,
Miller has managed several large non-profit and for – profit organisations during his management career; having been CEO of Tourism KwaZulu Natal, Durban ICC and Brand South Africa respectively. Uniquely, he possesses unprecedented knowledge and networks amongst global decision makers in the Tourism, Business Events, Trade, Investment and Development sectors, both in business and government. Miller has proven stakeholder relationship management skills, having worked at executive management level with various Business, Government and Civil society stakeholders globally.
At present, Miller is Founder and CEO of Millvest (Pty) Ltd, a South African advisory and project management company focusing on the tourism, hospitality, energy and convention industries. He is a non-executive director of the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum and a member of the Premier’s Economic Growth Advisory Council and Tourism and Agriculture Work Group of the Limpopo Province.
Chief Executive Officer, Airline Association of South Africa, South Africa
Aaron Munetsi currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at AASA. Prior to joining AASA, he held several commercial management positions at South African Airways, including Regional Manager for Africa and the Middle East and as its Acting Chief Commercial Officer. For 10 years, he served on the board of Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Business, and after leaving SAA in 2018 he joined the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) for a stint as its Director: Government, Legal and Industry Affairs. For the past year he has been working as an aeropolitical and business strategy advisor to airlines.
Aaron holds diplomas and certificates in marketing, strategic management and leadership from the University of Zimbabwe, University of Witwatersrand Graduate Business School and the Gordon Institute for Business Studies.
Nomasonto Ndlovu is South African Tourism’s (SA Tourism) Chief Operations Officer. She was recently employed by Transnet in the capacity of Executive Manager: Tourism, Heritage and Hospitality, a role she has occupied since November 2020 where she was responsible for heading up the newly established Tourism, Heritage & Hospitality Business unit. She left Transnet at the end of June 2022.
Prior to joining Transnet, Nomasonto was at the helm of the Limpopo Tourism Agency in the position of Chief Executive Officer. She has held various other leadership positions in the tourism sector including her role as Global Manager: Business Tourism when she was previously at SA Tourism between 2008 and 2012, before joining the City of Tshwane as Strategic Executive Director Communications, Marketing & Events. She is a seasoned Marketing and Tourism Expert with a diverse experience gained from both private and public sector organisations including Unilever, Standard Bank, Kwa Zulu-Natal Tourism Authority.
She has gained extensive experience in Marketing Operations, Brand Management, Communications, Stakeholder Management and Media Relations. A well respected public speaker, content creator and opinion leader in the tourism industry, Nomasonto also mentors young upcoming tourism professionals.
Kwakye Donkor is the CEO of Africa Tourism Partners (ATP), a Pan African tourism advisory firm and a UNWTO award-winning firm. He is a renowned Pan-African strategist and expert in areas of tourism development, strategic and destination marketing, destination brand management and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition/Events). He is a recognised and highly respected personality in Africa tourism space, and speaks at global conferences, seminars and think tank fora.
Kwakye has demonstrated expertise in destination master planning as well as strategy formulation and execution, business transactional advisory and leadership development worldwide across education, finance, and hotel development. His expertise and experience have earned him the privilege to regularly serve on expert panels and think tank fora facilitated by international organizations including UNWTO, AU, SADC, The World Bank Group, GIZ, BBC, CNBC Africa, Channel Africa, ENCA, SABC and others across Africa.
He is the convener of the annual Africa Tourism Leadership Forum & Awards, Africa MICE Masterclass, Africa Youth in Tourism Summit and Africa Women in Tourism Summit series.
Founder and Former Dual Vocational |TVET Director, Namibia
Mr. Simon N William is a passionate experienced Namibian Hotelier with passion and proven purposeful servant leadership for: hospitality | tourism management operations | gifted in Talent Development | Cultural Intelligence and Corporate Culture Training | Hospitality Management Consultancy | Dual Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) | Dual Apprenticeship in TVET | TVET Assessment | Hospitality Online Platform | TVET Accreditation | TVET Regulations | TVET Quality Assurance & Auditing | TVET Compliance and Research | Entrepreneurship and Strategic Intrapreneurial innovation | Hospitality Business Plan (Strategic Business Model Innovation & Facilities Utilization since 2010 – present) | Ecotourism | Cultural-tourism | Purposeful Leadership | Mentoring of Trainers | Mentors | Train-The-Trainers Lectures | Coaching Teams and Ensuring Nurturing of Diversity Equity Inclusion Empowerment (DEIE) for Young People | Highly experienced with Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) and Orphaned Youth Care in Namibia, 14 Regions | International hospitality leadership experiences (UK 2003 – 2008 | Switzerland 2015 and USA 2015 – 2016) and a certified Global Hospitality Education Internship Program (GHEIP) / Global Recruiting Partner (GRP) with American Hospitality Academy (AHA) for J1-Visa Internship Program for USA in Namibia. He is in hospitality industry since 1998 till present.
Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer at Ntiyiso Consulting Group
Alex Mabunda is the Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer at Ntiyiso Consulting Group, an authentically African and Globally wired management consulting firm, whose purpose is to “empower institutions that enable Africa’s development”.
Alex leads the development and implementation of the business strategy for the Group. He has over 22 years of Industrialisation and Management Consulting experience, with skills in Feasibility Studies, IT Strategy, Strategic Management, Corporate Governance, Strategic Planning and Thought Leadership.
Before spending eight years with a multinational FMCG company as an IT Business Analyst, Alex graduated with a BSc in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from the University of Witwatersrand. Alex has also completed the Seed Transformation Program Certificate with the University of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Alex is a thought leader and regular contributor on topical issues pertaining industrialisation and local government and is a social activist with membership of such social cohesion structures as Rixaka Heritage Forum. He also supports several community development initiatives in his home village of Bungeni in Limpopo province.
Jabulani is a Senior Consultant with public and private sector experience in tourism and hospitality, property, infrastructure advisory, and economic development planning. Jabulani conducts feasibility studies, strategies, economic impact studies, financial assessments, business evaluations and general market research assignments.
Project experience
Some of Jabulani’s work involves conducting tourism product feasibility studies, business plans, business cases and transaction advisory in South Africa and a number of African countries. Most recently, Jabulani has been a lead consultant in the NDT’s Development of a Budget Resort Network, the CSIR ICC Accommodation PPP, feasibility study for a hotel development in Kigali, and the Commercialisation of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve.
Jabulani will present a workshop on “Business Advisory Expert Perspective – Understanding critical steps in financially modelling for SME funding in a post-Covid era”.
The DBN Head: SME Finance, Namibia, Development Bank, Namibia
Short Profile
Banking qualifications culminating in C.A.I.B – SA. Obtained Masters in Business Administration through UNAM/Maastricht School of Management
Career:
A career spanning more than 20 years with experience in Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Corporate Banking and Development Financing. Previous roles include Retail, Commercial, Corporate Manager in FNB Namibia, Head of SME Financing with FNB Namibia and currently Head of SME Financing at the Development Bank of Namibia.
Other milestones:
Deputy chairman and Chairman for the Namibia Chamber of Commerce Windhoek Branch until 2015. Regular Panelist for Global Business Labs in Namibia and Industry Expert for various organizations including Social Security Commission.
Academic Head: Hospitality School of Tourism and Hospitality College of Business & Economics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Tracy Daniels is the Academic Head of Hospitality at the University of Johannesburg School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH). Tracy holds an MTech in Tourism and Hospitality Management from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). With a combined 15 years of industry and academic experience in the fields of tourism, events and hospitality management, Tracy is a passionate teacher and researcher, lecturing a number of modules in these disciplines. Her research interests are in sports tourism, event management and graduate – industry alignment within the fields of tourism, hospitality and event management. Tracy is actively engaged in work integrated education (WIE) activities at the STH, liaising with the tourism and hospitality industries to create opportunities for student engagement and exposure to industry practices, ensuring graduate readiness and supporting student entrepreneurship. Tracy’s vision is to contribute to the development of innovative tourism, event management and hospitality teaching and learning practices, promote student engagement with industry and add to the growing body of knowledge of sport event tourism, hospitality and events by conducting cutting edge research activities.
Department Head, Senior lecturer, Department of Tourism and Hospitality at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia
Dr Isobel Manuel holds a PhD in Tourism and Hospitality, a Postgraduate Diploma in Heritage Conservation and Management, a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Cum Laude) and a Master in Leisure Project Management. She is at present employed as a senior lecturer in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek. She is also the Head of Department which oversees both the academic department and commercial NUST Hotel School.
She is currently the Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors at the Windhoek Country Club and Deputy Chair of the Council on the National Arts Council of Namibia. Her involvement in local community projects and activities speaks to her portfolios on the various government boards and of which she takes great pride to be able to share skills and knowledge for the upliftment of the respective entities which in turn benefits the community at large.
As a seasoned academic her research interests are of cultural, creative, heritage, and sustainable tourism management which seeks to empower local communities more specifically women, and which she has published in various journals and book chapters.
In her spare time, she is an avid reader of novels and biographies and enjoys spending time with her husband and four kids.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Fortunatus Advisory LLC, Safiyya Akoojee is an astute legal & private advisor based in Dubai. She is a qualified South African Attorney maintaining her status on the High Court Bar in South Africa. She has
worked as an advisory professional, completing transactions on Foreign Direct Investments into Africa, offshore corporate strategy, legal counsel, UAE company establishment and a complete suite of advisory services.
Safiyya serves as the International Director for Thomson Wilks Inc., where she has practiced for 14 years, focusing on Middle East strategy & legal consulting. She advises a multitude of international clients both in the Middle East and the African continent. She has also served as President of the South African Business Council,
Dubai U.A.E and represented South Africa in procuring foreign direct investment.
Having held leadership posts in multiple businesses and providing global expertise with legal insights to advise corporations, companies, and executives alike. Safiyya has an acute business acumen and foresight allowing her to advise her clients on the intricacies of cross border transactions whilst providing access to laws and regulations. Safiyya has mandates representing clients across various businesses &
industry sectors, including oil, gas & energy; travel, tourism & hospitality; food manufacturing; real estate & construction, automotive and technology sectors.
She speaks regularly at conferences on international investments and the international legal environment providing insights to regulations and supporting business opportunities, whilst overcoming cross border and governmental challenges.
Safiyya holds degrees in Bachelor of Arts (Law, International Relations, English), University of Witwatersrand; Bachelor of Laws (LLB), University of South Africa; Post Graduate Certificate, Commercial & Corporate Law, University of London (awarded merit*); Post Graduate Diploma, Banking & Finance Law, University of London (awarded merit*); Masters of Law (LLM), Banking, Finance & Corporate Law,
University of London.
Founder & CEO, Toolboksi, Tanzania
Julius is a technology entrepreneur who has a demonstrated history of working in the technology industry and social entrepreneurship, with extensive competence in building innovative technology products that address challenges in the emerging markets.
He has been involved in different social activities across Tanzania and globally involving innovation, entrepreneurship, and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) with different organizations such as UNDP, JICA, Deloitte Tanzania, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, Swiss Embassy, ICT Commission, and the African Union (AU) just to name a few.
Julius enjoys travelling, reading, playing basketball or tennis, and usually spends his time on various community service projects, or mentoring aspiring tech entrepreneurs.
Dan is a leader in corporate innovation and startup acceleration. With a proven track record of developing startup ventures and driving innovation for renowned clients like Sumitomo Corporation, Lloyd’s of London, and Metro Bank etc. Dan is passionate about delivering impact and positioning clients as industry leaders in innovation. Developing 9 Ventures that collectively raised $12 million in seed funding, generating a remarkable commercial value of $170 million across both developed and emerging markets.
Dan collaborates closely with C-Suite and high-performing teams to implement innovation best practices. He’s confident across diverse sectors, including Finance, Agriculture, Healthcare, Education, and Energy. Dan excels in identifying promising opportunities, shaping business models, assessing commercial viability, and setting up for early-stage investment readiness.
Being deeply immersed in all aspects of corporate innovation and startup acceleration, Dan has a genuine passion for sharing new ideas and enjoys giving back to others as a startup mentor, thought leader, and speaker.
Chairperson, Innovation Challenge and Africa Tourism Innovation Hub, Kenya
With over 25 years of experience in the international Hospitality & Tourism industry, he has been a prominent presence in the field. He is currently leading the commercial activities for Portier Technologies, a company that provides the industry with technology which enhances the guest experience and enhances engagement with the hotel.
Barry was chosen as one of the Global 100 most influential leaders in the industry during the Global Mice Congress in Mumbai this year and has been a regular invited speaker at several international Hospitality & Tourism conferences around the world.
With proven commercial understanding, product, and business development skills, he has also been appointed to the adjudication panel for the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation competition. And will act as a mentor to one of the winners.
Manager of Business Development @ Mastercard | Grading Assessor Accreditation CATHSETA, South Africa
I am a Business Development Manager at Mastercard, where I leverage my 20+ years of experience and expertise in the leisure and travel industry to drive growth and innovation across the African continent. I create and execute strategies that increase market share, revenue, and customer satisfaction for Mastercard and its partners in the hospitality sector.
A proven track record of generating over $300 million USD in sales revenue, developing and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, and identifying and capitalizing on new business opportunities. I am passionate about delivering high-quality services and solutions that meet the needs and expectations of my clients and partners. I am also a seasoned speaker, leader, mentor, and coach, who enjoys sharing my insights and knowledge with diverse audiences and inspiring others to achieve their goals.
Ibukunoluwa Salau is the Founder and CEO of Direx (getdirex.com), a travel-tech startup dedicated to helping travel and hospitality providers in Africa grow their businesses through digitalization. Direx oers a range of cloud-based solutions, including a payment and booking engine, a fully integrated back-oce system, a website builder, and many more.
Ibukunoluwa, a technologist, has extensive experience in the development of digital products, having been involved in the tech startup ecosystem since 2017 in a wide range of capacities.
Prior to launching Direx in 2022, he founded and built Afriktrip, one of the leading online travel marketplaces for booking local tours, activities, and things to do across 28 African countries. His work has been featured in a variety of tech and media outlets both locally and abroad, including Disrupt Africa, ProductHunt, Startup.info, BenjaminDada, TechBuild Africa, and Web in Travel.
Ibukunoluwa, a Nigerian, is a passionate advocate of using technology to tackle Africa’s challenges. He strongly believes that technology and entrepreneurship have a vital role in the long-term success and advancement of the African continent, especially for the younger generation. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and currently lives in the United Kingdom.
Co-founder & CEO, Saturated Africa
Mamello Mofokeng is a Krugersdorp born and Vaal raised mover and shaker who is an entrepreneur, data scientist and change-maker who lives by the mantra: everyday is another day to impact the world positively. Having been raised by parents who were entrepreneurs, the entrepreneurial bug bit her when she was studying towards a BSc in Human Physiology and Biochemistry at the University of Free State. She quickly up-skilled herself with all things entrepreneurship such as sales, marketing and technology and.
In 2019, Mamello was accepted into AlphaCode Explore, a data science focused financial technology entrepreneurship programme, where her fintech business, Asiyesonke, was selected as a top 4 business to be incubated by Rand Merchant Investment backed incubation programme — AlphaCode Incubate. As the co-founder and CEO of Saturated Africa, she leads a team of six digital consultants who specialize in fields such as SAP consulting, eCommerce, digital marketing, cloud computing, digital product design and development.
She is passionate about business, youth advancement, women empowerment, child development, science, wellness and technology. With all that she does, she aims to fuse all her interests to deliver value to the world and most importantly — the people of the world. She is a qualified data scientist, cloud practitioner, cybersecurity professional and is currently pursuing a BSc of Life Sciences majoring in Business Management & Microbiology at the University of South Africa.
My name is Caroline Wairimu, but most people know me as Carol, which was my childhood name. I am a Deputy Operations Coordinator at INUA AI Solutions, where I mainly focus on product development and research and team management. INUA AI Solutions is a social enterprise company that strives to achieve excellence in social outcomes.
The company’s mission is to equip individuals with technology-driven skills and knowledge that align with the dynamic job market and connect them with employment opportunities in the era of AI. In addition to this, we (INUA AI) intend to maximize opportunities on the digital space in highlighting tourism not only in Kenya but globally. We use the platforms like the Youtube, to tell the beautiful tourism stories thus enlightening the societies, besides encouraging job creation opportunities especially to the talented and less fortunate.
My journey at INUA AI Solutions has been an interesting one, as it has given me an opportunity to learn, unlearn, and relearn. I joined the company in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak in the country. This was a hard time for sure, especially as many companies had downsized due to tough economic times, which I had also fallen victim to. However, I was fortunate to get a referral from a previous interviewer to my current boss, where I got invited for an interview that turned out to be successful.
I am currently working towards learning new skills and competencies that will enable me to manage a bigger team in the company or earn a higher position in the near future. Overall, working with INUA AI Solutions has been a great opportunity, allowing me to grow both professionally and personally, and I am excited about what the future holds.
Paulina Nangula Alfeus was Born and Raised in Oniipa! Founder of Fredina Trading cc (that manufacture and sells the unique furniture, made from upcycling the steel oil barrels.), qualified Boilermaker Artisan by profession and fulltime Enterprenure. She is The Total startupper Challenge of the year, champion of 2022, the Africa Youth in Tourism innovation challenge National Champion of 2022.
Passionate about uplifting other upcoming entrepreneurs.
Victoria Haihambo is a Tech Entrepreneur, a Business Coach and an Author. With over ten years of experience in Local Economic Development and Business Support, acquired over the years whilst working on a full-time job and running a startup business. She is the Founder of Agelvipa Online, a Multi-vendor Ecommerce Platform linking local products to the market and provides capacity building for micro-vendors.
Agelvipa brand’s aim is to ensure that micro vendors in Namibia and the rest of Africa, expose their products to a wider market, grow and sustain their businesses. Agelvipa , was founded in 2019 and to date has offered support to over two hundred micro-businesses through training, mentorship and helping them to create business linkages.
Victoria has received several start-up entrepreneurship awards, both nationally and internationally;
In addition, Victoria is a published author and has published two books ;the highly sought after ‘’A Women’s Persistence (2019) and ‘’The Journey To and From Wealth’’ (2022).
Furthermore, Victoria coaches startups on how to pitch for funding and she is currently writing her third book titled ‘’Pitch like a Pro’’, an entrepreneur self-help book that will serve as a pitch guide for entrepreneurs. Victoria believes that anything is possible with passion and hard work.
Nkululeko Ndumiso Nkosi is a 28 year old entrepreneur, writer, strategist and technology innovator who hails from Lekwa (formerly known as Standerton) in the Mpumalanga province. Nkululeko Nkosi fulfills his professional and leadership duties from South Africa’s city of gold — Johannesburg, South Africa.
He started out as a digital marketing professional with skills in digital data analysis, digital strategy, social media and community management. He later grew to be one of the most edgy, most insightful and forward thinking creative strategists with a finger on the pulse of South African popular culture.
His passion for research and his understanding of African culture both urban and rural makes his strategic work not only relevant but also come with a very high degree of authenticity. Nkululeko Nkosi was employed at an award-winning agency, MetropolitanRepublic, he has played a key role in unpacking creative strategies for world-class brands such Danone, Sony Mobile ZA, LEGiT Fashion, Leroy Merlin, Aquafresh, Med-Lemon, Ithuba National Lottery, KOO Brands and Discovery. When you ask him what keeps him going, Nkululeko Nkosi would tell you it is the diversity in our cultures that makes our country the coolest place to be right now. He is now focused on building the future of Africa in the entrepreneurial space where his focus is merging technology, creativity and strategy to develop solutions.
He has represented South Africa through his marketing, media and entertainment consultancy work at the ONGEA Summit in Kenya, 4th Africa Youth In Tourism Summit Innovation & Challenge in Namibia and the Financial Security Olympiad in Russia competing against youth in BRICS nations. Nkululeko is currently the co-founder of Saturated, a digital agency startup which has developed an innovative tourism digital product titled Etela Africa for the African continent. Etela Africa translates to ‘Visit Africa’ in the Sotho languages of Southern Africa.
Mustapha Tijjani, an entrepreneur with a passion for technology, has been at the forefront of adopting and advancing emerging technologies throughout his career. He has a particular interest in blockchain technology and artificial intelligence, recognizing their disruptive potential. Drawing on his experience in travel tech, Mustapha CEO and cofounder, founded Aeropaye, an automated on-demand smart flight ticket payment and refund infrastructure for airlines and travelers on delayed or cancelled flights.
Aeropaye has gained recognition as the first African startup to showcase at the World Aviation Festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2022. Additionally, it was selected by PhocusWire as one of the “Hot 25 Startups of 2023” out of a list of 150 global travel tech startups in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Currently, Mustapha and his team in Abuja, Nigeria, are advancing on building the refund rail connected to fintechs to automate the refund process for passengers, regardless of how they paid for their flight. They are also developing a Consolidated Distribution System for African lowcost carrier airlines to facilitate faster ticket sales.
Mustapha’s unwavering commitment to innovation and his dedication to the travel tech industry have earned him and Aeropaye well-deserved recognition in the global arena, paving the way for advancements in the aviation and travel industry.
Ms. Ntshabo Lehong is the managing director of Makeeda Hospitality Tourism and Wellness with an International Hotel School – Hospitality Management Diploma. She has a strong hospitality and training sector background, however in the last 3 years has found her desire and passion to work within the technology sector. In her previous role she worked as an assistant training manager for a hospitality temporary employment services company wherein she saw an opportunity to improve the way skilled and unskilled workers access opportunities.
Identifying this challenge is how the idea for m-Temp came about. m-Temp is an on-demand, managed Hospitality Staffing WhatsApp Chatbot and Web platform used by two types of users: the temporary or short-term work seeker, and the hospitality enterprise client. The job seeker applies for jobs throughthe web platform, and the recruiter utilises only the web platform to post an available job vacancy.
Cornelius is a driven and innovative individual with a passion for using technology and its ability to transform the world. With 5 years of experience working with top-tier travel companies, I have honed my leadership and strategic management skills and have a proven track record of success in developing strategies for consistent business growth.
As a tech entrepreneur, I have cultivated key skills that I consider to be instrumental to my success. These include leadership, strategic planning, business and product development/management; I also strongly value inquisitiveness and a culture of reading.
My vision is to see a world where African countries can compete and achieve dominance globally, and believe that this can only occur when they have the right tools to do business from around the world. This is why we are building Kardinal: because we believe travel remains the key instrument for business growth. We are building a travel solution that caters specifically for African businesses, bringing ease, transparency and easy access to financial support.
Hi. I’m York Zucchi. I chair an initiative tasked with helping 50 million individuals to start and grow their businesses.
As of Feb 2022 we are active in 27 countries supporting 312 communities.
Julius is a highly qualified and competent customer service champion and project manager who has led various projects or been part of project teams in the years that he has been in the project management field. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences majoring in Economics and Demography in 1999. Furthermore, he read for his Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a minor in Project Management through the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) based in Chennai, India in 2015. Julius is also a fully qualified Prince2 Practitioner in Project Management and also possesses a Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) in Long Term Insurance from the Insurance Institute of Zimbabwe (IIZ).
Julius started his career as a Trainee Underwriter in August 1999 at the then Botswana Eagle Insurance Company. He then left the insurance industry in the year 2000 to join the University of Botswana as a Staff Development Fellow (SDF) within the University of Botswana Library. He later worked as a Sales Executive at Standard Chartered Bank Botswana Limited where his duties included preparation and submission of sales propositions to prospective clients, acquisition of new business, especially liabilities, and direct selling of both assets & liabilities to prospective clients. Julius’ next stop was at Metropolitan Life Insurance Botswana, where the insurance bug attracted him once again, to work as a Direct Writer. From Metropolitan, Julius joined Barclays Bank of Botswana Limited as a Personal Banker, Insurance. As one of the pioneers of bancassurance within Barclays, Julius performed amongst others, the following duties: recruited new customers to the Bank, advised customers on risk & insurance, assessing their insurable interest, pioneered “Montshegetsi” Whole Life Cover policy at Barclays Bank, and sold other assets & liabilities to existing Barclays Bank clientele.
After a short stint at Barclays, Julius left the bank to join the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) in March 2010 as a Market Access Specialist. The following year in 2011, Julius was promoted to the position of Market Access Manager, where he also helped to develop the “Market Access Operational Strategy for LEA” in 2012. During his tenure at LEA he also represented the Authority in a number of Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry (MITI) technical committees that included the Technical Committee on Market Access (TCMA), Technical Committee on Export Development & Investment Promotion (TCEDIP), Technical Committee on Services (TCS) and Technical Committee on Agriculture (TCA). All these technical committees reported to the main National Committee on Trade Policy & Negotiations (NCTPN). Julius also represented the CEO of LEA on various occasions at the NCTPN chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry (MITI).
Julius has proven to be a customer service champion par excellence who was voted as a “Superstar” for the entire Department of Export Development and Promotion at Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) during the organization’s 2019
Christmas Awards. He also recently won the Mogaka Service Leadership Award as well as The WOW (Winner of Winners) Zebra Stripes Award during the 2020 Diamond Service Awards hosted by Service Bridges Consulting (SBC). The latter award is awarded to customer service champions that have consistently displayed leadership traits, are focused on service execution excellence and more importantly are a true cultural fit for their organization.
Lecturer, Coordinator & Learning Development Facilitator, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Maipato Caroline Mmako is a lecturer, Coordinator and Learning Development Facilitator at the University of Johannesburg. Passionate about student success and student development, she has worked on an initiative called Africa by bus where she planned, organized, and facilitated 3 trips across 3 African countries with more than 250 students by bus. She presented at the South African National Resource Center (SANRC) on how the Africa by bus initiative encourages experiential learning and affords young people the opportunity to experience the different cultures in Africa while exploring the beautiful continent.
She forms part of the first cohort of fellows who were part of the Tennessee State University Research programme with a focus on student learning and adaptation; looking at the Nashville Next Plan. She loves working with young people and that saw her working in collaboration with a youth organization in Soweto where she led, collected, and donated over 250 books for the Nelson Mandela Day book drive.
She is also an avid reader and loves traveling.
Popularly known as Ajala Nene, Nnenna Fakoya-Smith is a Tourism Promoter and Visibility Strategist.
She is the Founder of Nene-Uwa Hub Ltd, a tourism company that promotes tourist destinations in Africa and sustainability for Tourism businesses and organizations through visibility strategies.
As a Visibility Strategist, she helps small business owners build a visible and sustainable brand through her signature program called the Audience Builder Process.
Nnenna was recognized as the Top 30 Tourism and Hospitality Influencers in Nigeria (2020) and Africa (2021). In 2022, she was recognized as the Top 30 Women in Tourism Nigeria.
Nnenna made the Top 3 Winner for the Nene-Uwa Tourism Academy (2019) and Top 5 Nominee for the Tourism Crowdfunding Project (2021) at the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge organized by Africa Tourism Partners in collaboration with UNWTO.
Nnenna has been recognized as one of the “Young Tourism Personalities of the Year” by the Nigeria Tourism Awards for hosting the first-ever Tourism Virtual Summit. She was nominated for the “Rising Star of the Year (Tourism)” and “Best Tourism Innovation Through Technology (Tourism Virtual Summit)” by the Pyne Awards.
She has a first degree in Sociology from Covenant University, Ogun State, and a Post-Graduate degree in Community Relations from Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos State both in Nigeria.
Her hobbies include collecting postcards, stamps, coins, and banknotes, which got her featured on Forbes Africa as one of Africa’s Aficionado Collectors. She enjoys traveling and exploring cultures; sporting activities, arts, and singing. She is also an Afrocentric Enthusiast who loves to display her African roots.
Ndabenhle is a driven entrepreneur with a background in Economics and System Design. He has strong leadership skills demonstrated from a young age with a clear development route.
While completing his BCom Economics with Law degree at the University of Cape Town, he demonstrated excellence in his studies focused on statistics and model building in economics and was recognised as the top EDU student for the History of Economics course. His academic excellence saw him graduate as an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellow – joining an exclusive and extensive network of responsible entrepreneurs under the tutelage and support of the esteemed Allan Gray Orbis Foundation and Allan Gray group of companies.
Ndabenhle approaches life with a problem-solving mindset which has allowed him to overcome great obstacles and show excellence in his endeavours. Testament to this, he founded Air Student Travels Pty (Ltd) from recognition of a problem he personally experienced as a traveling student at the time. With the understanding that it was not an isolated problem but one that had great opportunity if solved at scale for all students.
Ndabenhle has often taken various opportunities to widen his perspective and knowledge through short study stints abroad. He spent a term in Germany studying at St Ottilien High School in Munich. This was followed by the completion of an entrepreneurship course course in New Delhi, India which saw him join a rich global network of young business leaders as an Ingenious Face alumni.
These various experiences have equipped Ndabenhle with the necessary tools to successfully lead in his role as CEO and grow an impactful company.
Lecturer and Head of Events Department, National College of Tourism; Former Managing Director of Tanzania Tourist Board, Tanzania
Devota Kasanda Mdachi is a name which is well known in Tanzania, especially in the Tourism Industry for the role she played in seeing that Tanzania is placed high on the list of the world’s best African destinations.
With more than 28 years experience of working in the Tourism industry, Ms. Mdachi has held a number of positions both in the Public and Private sectors.
She started working with Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) in 1994 and was first employed as a Tourist Information Officer. Over the period of 10 years she rose high up the organisation’s ladder to the positions of Senior Tourist Information Officer ; Principal Tourist Information Officer and Head of the Tourist Information Centre , Dar-es-salaam and Principal Marketing Officer. In June 2011,Ms.Mdachi was appointed Director of Marketing of the Tanzania Tourist Board and later was appointed as the Managing Director of the Tanzania Tourist Board in 2015. Ms. Mdachi is the first Tanzania woman to hold the positions of Director of Marketing (2011-2015) and Managing Director of the Tanzania Tourist Board (2015-2021).
Ms. Mdachi worked with Abercrombie and Kent (Arusha) as a Tour Manager (1993-1994)) and at The College of African Wildlife Management (CAWM,Moshi, Mweka) as a Lecturer in Tourism Marketing and Events Management (2021-2023). Currently, Ms. Mdachi is teaching at the National College of Tourism, Dar –es-salaam and the Ag. Head of Department of the Events Department.
Ms. Mdachi has also worked as an Intern at the Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa (RETOSA), under the Marketing and Communications Department.
Ms. Mdachi has also been a Board member of The Tanzania Women’s Bank, Tanzania National Parks and Tan Roads.
Through her position and undertakings over the years, Ms. Mdachi has been able to be a great role model to young girls and women in Tanzania , especially in the tourism sector. She is a member of The Association of Women In Tourism in Tanzania (AWOTTA) and Guardian and Advisor of the newly formed Tanzania Association of Women Tour Operators (TAWTO).
She has received a number of awards and was nominated as one of the recipients of the ‘Nyerere Golden Awards’ by The Mwl. J.K Nyerere Golden Awards in Science and Technology Achievements (2014 and 2015).
In 2016 , the CEO Global (Pty) LTD a South African based company, awarded Ms.Mdachi an award as Tanzania’s Country winner in the category of “Government Employed Official Sector of CEO Global’s Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government”
Women in Management Tanzania, recognized her as one of the Top 50 Women in Management in Tanzania in 2019 and was also recognized by the AKWAABA African Travel Market and ATQ News as one of the recipients of the African Travel 100 Women Awards in 2019. In 2021 she was recognized by Coca Cola Beverages Africa and awarded as one of the recipients of the The Mwanamke Shujaa Leadership Award.
Ms. Mdachi holds a BA degree in International Relations and Advanced French Language from the University of Dar-es-salaam (1991); M.A in Tourism from the Open University of Tanzania (2008) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Tourism from the International School of Tourism, Rome Italy (2000).
Deputy Director-General for Environment and Tourism in the Limpopo Economic Development Environment and Tourism Department
Ms. Keleabetswe Tlouane is currently serving as Deputy Director-General for Environment and Tourism in the Limpopo Economic Development Environment and Tourism Department. (LEDET). She holds various qualifications in field of Education from University of North-West ie. Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A Ed) and Bachelor of Education (B. Ed) with the highest being Masters in Environmental Education (M. Ed) from University of Johannesburg (previously known and RAU).
Awards of Recognition
Maryam Babanginda Award – Best Female Student in 1996- University of the North-West
In her current portfolio at LEDET she is responsible to oversee the regulation and management of environment and natural resources in a manner that facilitate sustainable economic growth and development in Limpopo province. Facilitate key stakeholder engagements to ensure provision of environmental empowerment support services. Oversee the development, promotion, and regulation of tourism in the province through tourism policy and regulation. Support transformation and capacity building in the tourism sector.
She currently serves as a Board Member in the Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) representing the Shareholder department LEDET. She is the Patron for Limpopo Women in Tourism (LimWiT)
Women and Youth in Trade Expert | Directorate of Institutional Matters and Programme Coordination (DIMPC), AfCFTA Secretariat, Ghana
Gonaya Monei Sethora is the Women and Youth in Trade Expert at the AfCFTA Secretariat Headquarters in Accra Ghana. One of her main responsibilities in her current position is to create an Action plan for the integration of women and youth in trade issues in the AfCFTA , as well as negotiating for the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade
Prior to joining the AfCFTA Secretariat, Ms. Gonaya Sethora was the President and Founder of Business Woman Africa, a social enterprise whose mission was to develop strategies, frameworks, and supportive policies that empower young African women in business. During the pandemic of 2020, Business Woman Africa (BUWA) developed a mobile application in Botswana called buwamarket that provided a secure, free online trading market. Business Woman Africa was endorsed by the African Union Ecossoc and received funding and support from international institutions such as the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, the AU APRM Secretariat, and the UNDP. In 2019 Ms Gonaya was awarded Best Youth in Leadership and Best Female Youth of the Year at the Botswana Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Annual Awards following positive contribution of her Organization Business Woman Africa in fostering women economic empowerment. Gonaya is also the Managing Director of NQ apparel store , an African fabric print shop retailing imported African prints from Ghana, Nigeria and Togolese Kente in Botswana ,Gaborone.
Prior to joining the AfCFTA Secretariat, Gonaya worked as a Youth Policy Development Consultant for the African Peer Review Mechanism.
She has also served as Botswana – Ghana Trade Representative at the Botswana Honorary Consulate in Accra, Ghana. Her primary responsibility as Honorary Consul was to lead commercial diplomacy between Ghana and Botswana.
Gonaya possesses a Master of Business Administration from Kwame Nkurumah University of Science and Technology and is presently a candidate for an MSc in International Relations at the same institution.
Kauna Ndilula, a Development Finance Specialist, is the Founder and Executive Director of BFS Group of companies. Passionate about the development of financial ecosystems that support the growth of SMEs, Kauna has pioneered and developed financial and nonfinancial interventions that have manifested as the cornerstones of her business and contributed to positive influence of policy in Namibia. Her interventions have focused on creating functional products and programs that enable enterprise formation and growth in a scalable manner that is need responsive.
Her demonstrable leadership skills in the social and investment space have impacted sustainable economic development across industries and structures in Namibia. She is an invested corporate citizen and key influencer on public policy and economic affairs. Her corporate profile cuts across the Public and Private Sector and in this regard, she served as the Chairperson of Sanlam Namibia Holdings and Nampower Boards and is a former member of the Presidential High-Level Panel and Planning Commissioner. Served on boards of NSX, NAMMIC, Namdeb Holdings and a founding member of the National youth Council. She is currently an Advisory Member of the Namibia Investment Promotional Development Board. Socially she serves as Director of the First Lady’s Foundation, One Economy Foundation and is the past Patron of an orphanage and vulnerable children program (ToV).
She holds a Master of Development Finance (Massachusetts, USA) and an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch (SA).
We are a Safari Tours company which sells tour packages and recreational activities to international and inbound tourists as well offering shuttle/transport services, vehicle hire, accommodation and flight booking services. This services are as stipulated on our business registration documents.
Takeuto Africa Safaris cc is a new locally owned business that aims at providing services to local and international tourists. Take-U-To Africa Safaris will provide a variety of tour packages in and around Namibia and other city and township activities. Please take time to browse our packages
on offer on our following website link: www.takeu2africa.com
Our signature tour, Redefined Travel focuses on travel that brings about community aid. This is designed for Travelers who seek for purpose on their travel journey, and this is one package close to our hearts because we wish to develop our Namibian communities countrywide and thereafter
broaden to the rest of Africa. We firstly aim to target the international tourists because they are commonly known for travel vacations to Africa.
Namibia, being in the top 10 of Africa’s tourist attractions, and with its popularity increasing due to the hydrogen gas project, we expect large numbers of tourists flying into Namibia. Hence, this becomes our market as we get to propose attractive tour packages which provide entertainment and the preferable Safari vacations.
Take-U2-Africa Safaris is owned by Tinashe Ncube and Emilia Ambondo, a couple who are also qualified professionals in the field of travel, tourism and hospitality. Tinashe is our Chief Guide with the highest tour guide certificate level 4 that can only be attained in Namibia and has extensive tour guide experience in field guiding, toured the 14 regions of Namibia and cross-bordered South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Emilia with an Honors degree in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality from the International University of Management, has experience in guest relations and reservations. Together, this couple structured their tour packages to meet the diverse travelers they come across. Being a very young company registered only recently in the year 2020, we strongly believe in the potential it has to become one of the most recognized and preferred tour companies amongst other best.
Ethiopian Airlines Regional Manager Southern Africa, South Africa
Mr. Abel Yifru is an accomplished Aviation professional with 13 years of experience in the aviation industry. He has a rich background in airline Revenue Management, Airline Pricing, Sales & Marketing, and other Commercial Activities including
E-commerce. Mr Abel served as Area Manager Zimbabwe for two years.
And currently Mr. Abel is serving as Ethiopian Airlines Regional Manager Southern Africa.
His experience includes working with different Ethiopian Airline’s strategic and commercial stakeholders to assist them succeed by mobilizing the necessary resource and assistances.
Mr. Abel Yifru holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) Degree in Marketing Management, Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Political Science and International Relations and master’s in Business Administration (MBA).
Francis Doku is a consummate communications professional with over two decades’ experience and currently the General Manager of 3 Group, responsible for TV3 and 3 FM, both owned and operated by Media General Limited. Before this role, he served as General Manager for MG Digital Limited and MG Radio Limited respectively.
His experience spans across the marketing communications and media value chain, including journalism, public relations, media planning, advertising, event management, digital marketing, tourism marketing with veritable know-how in each of these areas.
Between July 2009 and July 2014, he served as General Manager of Adams Media Limited (Carat Ghana). He left Carat to take up the role of Group CEO of The Rave Group, a multi-specialized communications services holding company with interests in media planning, creative development and production, content production, marketing and syndication, events and experiential marketing as well as digital marketing. He later established Maestro Africa Group Limited, a media planning and buying, experiential marketing, public relations and digital marketing company before joining Media General in 2017.
For over two decades he has been writing the Listening and Watching with Francis Doku column in the Graphic Showbiz, a column which critically reviews and previews radio and television programmes and presenters’ performances as well as other happenings in the entertainment, tourism, arts and culture space.
He has worked with global blue-chip media and communications companies such as MediaCom (Vizeum) and Carat. The global brands that he has had the privilege of working on over the years include Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Guinness, Gulder, MTN, Tigo, Vodafone, Nokia, Ariel, Pampers, Duracell, Gillette, Vicks, Always, Vlisco, South Africa Tourism, to name a few.
Doku has been hosting Travel Pass, the tourism show on Accra-based 3FM since 2019 and has over the years been one of the most sought-after pundits on tourism, entertainment and showbiz on radio and television. Francis Doku has a bachelor’s degree in BSc Administration (banking and finance option) and an Executive MBA (marketing option) both from the University of Ghana (UGBS), Legon, Accra.
His interests include travel, watching football, reading, listening to the radio and playing scrabble.
Senior Manager, Marketing & Tourism, Robben Island Museum, South Africa
Siphuxolo affectionately known as Siphu is a driven, proactive and credible visionary leader. She did her tertiary education in Durban University of Technology undertaking a bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management and she was awarded a scholarship to go and Study in United States of America for one year where she obtained an International Certificate in Events Management from Highline College, in the City of Seattle in Washington State. She obtained an honours degree in Marketing Management and she also obtained her Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) with MANCOSA.
She has worked in the tourism, events, and biodiversity sector during her tenure at SANBI (South African National Biodiversity Institute) she was part of the team that represented South Africa in the Chelsea flower show in London showcasing South Africa’s biodiversity to the world and received a gold award for exceptionally representing the country. She has worked as a Marketing and Communication specialist within the agriculture industry in KZN, currently she is a HOD for marketing and tourism at Robben Island Museum in Cape Town; where she has successfully developed a turnaround business development strategy that has significantly contributed to the economic recovery of the organisation post COVID-19.
She is well groomed, versatile, ambitious, firm, enthusiastic, confident and hardworking visionary leader. She aspires to be a meaningful contributor towards the upliftment of rural communities through education, she is also a certified life coach specialising in career guidance and goal setting as well as a seasoned inspirational speaker. Siphu was one of the top 16 finalists for Miss Bachelorette South Africa 2020, a women empowerment pageant for unmarried, mature and independent woman. Siphu is also a volunteer for an organization based in Ivory coast called Seed4Africa and she is a coordinator of the African youth virtual summit, wherein youth across the continent share challenges and solutions to the challenges they face in the 21st century. Siphu Also volunteers as a mentor through Womandla Foundation for the upliftment of the highschool learners in Nyanga township in Cape Town.
Hollywood Actor/Producer & Co-Founder of Khumo Studios, Botswana
Denim Richards has been performing for over two decades with 20+ musical theater productions as well as numerous TV and film credits under his belt. He can currently be seen starring in the role of ‘Colby’ opposite Kevin Costner in the hit Paramount Network series “Yellowstone,” which is cable’s #1 show in America! Currently, Denim plays the role of “Elijah” on the hit Freeform show, “Good Trouble”, and he appears as ‘Jack Brown’ in the feature film, “The Chickasaw Rancher,” which tells the remarkable story inspired by the life of renowned Chickasaw cattleman Montford T. Johnson. In 2006, Denim took first place in acting and singing in the Los Angeles NAACP competition. He went on to take fourth place at nationals. For those who knew him well, the accolades came as no surprise.
Denim has always had a burning desire to own and create, so in 2021, he co-founded Khumo Studios with two Batswana media professionals, Ona Ranyere and Kay Chapi. Khumo studios is a multi- ethnic Botswana-based company that takes pride in telling original stories of quality while providing opportunities for professionals in the entertainment industry. With over 50 years of combined experience amongst the three founders, Khumo Studios has the expertise to impart knowledge and skills into the development of African film and television. Denim believes that there is amazing talent everywhere, and Khumo Studios is the platform that is needed to showcase that talent.
Director, International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA)
Luc Armand Hegesiste Bodea is the Director of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) and the Coordinator of the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) custodian of ICASA. Since 2006 when he joined the organization as SAA coordinator, he has revamped its governance system to increase accountability and good governance and to improve its leading role as the unique platform for Africa in terms of advocacy and knowledge sharing on AIDS, TB, Malaria and new emerging viral infection.
Milestone achievements have been recorded under his stewardship with his background in Business Management and incredible experience of over 20 years in high level managerial positions working with for-Profit and Not-for-Profit Organizations in Benin Republic, Nigeria, and Ghana. The most significant achievement is the establishment of the Permanent Secretariat of the Society for AIDS in Africa in Ghana since 2009, with outstanding success of organizing ICASA 2011 Ethiopia, ICASA 2013 Cape town, ICASA 2015 Zimbabwe, ICASA 2017 Cote d’Ivoire, ICASA 2019 Rwanda and the first fully virtual ICASA in Durban, ICASA Durban 6 to 11 December 2021.
In charge of the organization of the prestigious ICASA and steering the affairs of the society that organize ICASA with 7000 to 11,000 delegates every two years from 132 countries, Luc is member of Meeting Professional Industry (MPI) a Certified Meeting Manager (CMM) Indiana university USA, one time Secretary General of African Society of Association Executive (AfSAE). As Certified Professional Strategic Health Planning (ICPS, London), he believes that the ICASA platform is one of the efficient tools of the HIV and AIDS response in Africa.
Key Account Manager, Airlines and Government Agencies Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), South Africa
Fondly referred to as the chief entrepreneur in East Africa, with over 15 years of experience. Mr. Mwinamo has constantly been involved in policy development and championing for a better SME growth environment. His high entrepreneurial empathy and strategic mind has seen him inspire the success of many businesses. His rhetoric constantly challenges the status quo and seeks to initiate new ideas on how entrepreneurs can receive the support they need to grow their businesses.
He is the co-founder and CEO of SNDBX. He serves as a board member of Amnesty International, member of the Steering Committee at Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs and recently appointed by the Nairobi Governor as a board member of Mbagathi Hospital in Kenya”
Aline Murekatete is Destination management specialist and certified Project manager. With 3+ years of experience in destination (Rwanda) marketing and destination consultancy, she takes pride in bringing the destination management services to the destination management services next level.
She has been selected as one of Rwanda’s top 12 Tourism Incubation women-only cohorts and was the winner of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Competition 2020.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Travel and Tourism Management from Kenya Utalli College, in collaboration with the University of Nairobi.one of the world’s most prestigious hospitality schools.
Senior Lecturer, Department of Tourism Management, Tshwane University of Technology
Dr PPS Sifolo has wealth of experience and prodigious knowledge in the tourism sector and higher education. She is a senior lecturer focusing on Management, Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship subjects in the Department of Tourism Management at Tshwane University of Technology. She is a National Research Foundation rated researcher and the Future Professors Program candidate by the Department of Higher Education & Training. Portia completed her Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) which focused on the nexus between supply chain management and stakeholder management for the optimum growth of the tourism sector. She has a Master of Business Leadership from UNISA, her research project focused on marketing strategies for major economic regional players in Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa). She is the Editorial Board of the International Journal on Tourism & Sustainability in 2022 as well as Tourism Planning and Development (TPD) 2022 -2024. She serves as Africa Tourism Partners (ATP) expert for Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit & Challenge as a representative for British Council’s Innovation for African Universities programme in 2021-2022. She was an adjudicator for the National Tourism awards in South Africa from 2015-2019. She served as a Board member at LARASA (Leisure and Recreation Association of Southern Africa) from 2017-2018. She has passion for tourism leadership and tourism supply chains in Africa as economic development initiatives due to her international exposure, particularly in the African continent. She is a research supervisor and an examiner for various institutions. Her scientific interests include digital procurement of tourism establishments in Africa. She has co-authored in different books, published research papers in academic journals and participated in both domestic and international conferences.
Director, Institutional Matters and Programmes Coordination, AfCFTA Secretariat, Accra, Ghana
Prudence Sebahizi is the Director for Institutional Matters and Programmes Coordination at the AfCFTA Secretariat. He provides technical and strategic advice to the Secretary General and to the AfCFTA Institutions by supporting all technical directorates. His priority is to develop and strengthen AfCFTA Institutional Capacity required to ensure full implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement. He was the Chief Technical Advisor on AfCFTA and Head of the AfCFTA Unit/Interim Secretariat, from August 2016 where he provided technical and Strategic advice to the AfCFTA Negotiating Institutions.
As the overall coordinator of AfCFTA negotiations, he led a team of experts who provided technical assistance and strategic guidance to strengthen the capacity of the African Union Commission (AUC), to more effectively drive the AfCFTA preparatory process since 2015.
Prudence worked with the Government of Rwanda for more than 10 years in the areas of International Trade and Regional Integration and as Rwanda’s Chief Negotiator to the negotiations of the EAC Common Market Protocol since 2006. He was at the center of Rwanda’s accession to the East African Community (EAC) and he advised the government of Rwanda on Regional Integration while working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Office of the President and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation respectively.
Prudence was a member of the team of Experts appointed by EAC Summit to advise Heads of State on the way forward for EAC Political Integration. He was also awarded a Certificate of Recognition by EAC Heads of State for contributing to the successful negotiations and conclusion of the East African Community Common Market Protocol. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Development Policy from Seoul National University, South Korea.
Chairperson and Executive Member, Hospitality Association of Namibia
Ally Karaerua is a qualified hotelier beside being a specialist in tour operation. He has over 20 years of experience at executive management level in Hotels, Resorts, and Tour Operations in East Africa, Germany, and Namibia.
He has a master’s in business administration (MBA) combined with earlier qualifications in
hospitality management from the prestigious Kenya Utalii College. His other qualifications are in Sales and Marketing, Law, and Digital marketing from the University of Cape Town.
Ally is currently the Managing Director of Natural Selection Safaris in Namibia. Natural
Selection Safaris is a conservation-based tourism company which manages boutique lodges in Namibia, Botswana, and Sour Africa.
Deputy Director for International Marketing and Head of Digital Marketing at the Ghana Tourism Authority
Collins Ackwerh has over 15 years of experience in the tourism industry holding different roles in his career. He is the Deputy Director for International Marketing and Head of Digital Marketing at the Ghana Tourism Authority.
He is a passionate and solution-driven team player who led the successful digital marketing of the ‘Year of Return’ campaign and its successor ‘Beyond The Return’ in Ghana. He crafted several hands-on campaigns and online strategies to put Ghana’s tourism on the global tourism map.
His career started in 2002 with Ghana Computers Limited as a Laptop technician and Sales/Marketing Executive where he gained first-hand experience as a marketer for computers while pursuing his B.A. Hons. degree in Geography and Resource Development. After his education, he joined the Ghana Tourism Authority in 2006 where he has worked in various roles including Administration, Research, and Quality Assurance.
His dynamic nature has seen him play pivotal roles in a lot of events targeted at positioning Ghana as a preferred tourism destination in West Africa. He coordinated the team to re-brand the flagship Ghana Paragliding Festival. He also Coordinated the organisation of the African Choral Festival which brought in several choral groups to Ghana from the diaspora.
Collins has worked on several international events such as Africa Tourism Leadership Forum, UNWTO’s Women In Tourism Summit, Africa Youth In Tourism Innovation Summit (AYTIS), and the Ghana Chocolate Day at The Dubai Expo 2020.
He also served a s General manager for Accessworld Broadcasting
He holds an MBA in Information Systems Management from the Sikkim Manipal University (DL), India and a Bachelors degree in Geography and Resource Development from the University of Ghana. He has a certificate in Web-design and is an enthusiastic researcher.
Chief Executive Officer Small Tourism Enterprise Association, South Africa
Sonto Mbonambi is a professional in the international, local travel business and leisure market.
She boasts over a decade and a half experience in the tourism industry.
She is the current Chief Executive Officer for the Small Tourism Enterprise Association which is commonly known as STEA. This is a non–profit company whose primary mission is to empower SMME’s through engagement and participation in the tourism industry. It’s an Association that advocates for change that will advance and elevate its members within the industry.
She is also the Founder and Director of Nano Travel and Tours. A tour operator with head office in Johannesburg but with a national presence and footprint. Prior to this, she was with a tourism organization that grew tremendously whilst at its helm. It received numerous industry accolades as a recognition of its contribution to the industry. This included Finalists of the Lilizela Awards, Winners of the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award for two years, the Mayoral Awards and the Tourism Excellence Award.
Prior to joining the Tourism field, Sonto worked for various industries both in private and public sector in senior and executive positions with a main focus in sales and marketing. She worked in major retail companies of South Africa, Agriculture and Oil industries.
She holds a junior degree in Psychology, a Diploma in Advanced Business Programme, The Bachelor
of Technology in Business Management and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Wales. She recently graduated in Advanced Ministry Studies from the CFC International Bible College. In 2017, ATQ News awarded her one of the Top 100 Women in Africa Travel.
Managing Director & Founder, Kelsi Investment Pty Ltd, Botswana
Keletso Tladi Known as Kelsi’, of 44 years old , The Managing Director and Founder of Kelsi Investment pty ltd, picked a market in security industry which is regarded as male oriented business as her introduction to business. The company has been in full operation for 11 years. It was formed in January 2005, and became operational in 2010. It is fully registered with the Register of Companies;. A young and dynamic Motswana woman, Ms Keletso Tladi, whose business management style is innovative. I work for the company on a fulltime basis. The company has been in full operation rendering services for Security and Events Management. The company that also offers training for starters in events industry. The business passion started as a mitigation to unemployment when she was a youth officer, realising that more youth are unemployed.
Kelsi did not only paved the way for many businesswomen, she always demonstrates how to apply entrepreneurial skills always and also her passion for learning more business skills leads her to pursue her Executive Masters in Business Administration.
PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich, Physics
Digital innovator, entrepreneur focusing on Disruptive Digital Media and Blockchain.
Urs is the founder of DISEO – a decentralized Social Media, Commerce and Finance Ecosystem – a next generation system that offers brands and even governments to integrate their complete ecosystem into their own social platform to make them independent of the large centralized platforms. It’s a paradigm change, it’s a new Internet of Social Profiles.
All brand platforms are interconnected, enabling them to share users and content globally. This empowers each brand to achieve a critical mass of users it could not achieve alone – but all interconnected brands jointly can. Brands can easier access and interact with their audience. Interconnection adds richness of users, content and services which makes users to return daily. This massively increases income with higher sales and new revenues.
The system of DISEO has integrated user wallets and integrating banking services operated by regulatory compliant financial partners. It has a fair and transparent revenue share mechanism that allows each value contributor to create income, directly and instantly into their integrated wallet. In particular users and influencers earn for their data, engagement with brands and recommendation of their products. This leads to prolific digital activities and strong user growth while significantly reducing cost of service operations.
While brand platforms control the display algorithm – users exclusively and unconditionally control their data – countries gain legal, fiscal and monetary control on residents of their territory.
It’s a self-governed system of balanced interests with democratic and ethical values. Since users are verified to receive a wallet it even eliminates fake users, improves content quality and reduces hate speech and racism. The system can be applied to any industry, from sports and entertainment, travel to fashion, consumer goods, retail, publishing, insurance and even to govern-ment to include the entire ecosystem of the entire country.
DISEO is a truly innovative and worldwide unique system. It turns the existing Silicon Valley model of data exploitation upside down by transferring control to all stakeholder – in particular enabling countries to keep a bigger portion of the digital value chain inside the country.
Urs earned a PhD in physics from ETH Zurich – one of the top 10 universities worldwide. Physics made him experience technology long before the mass adoption of Internet. He has been pioneer in several new developments including VoIP, Mobile Marketing, Social Media, AI, Blockchain working with companies such as Adidas, Sony Playstation, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Red Bull, Diners Club, Helly Hanson, Gillette, UBS, CSS, AXA, Volvo and more.
He became entrepreneur in 1998 by co-founding one of Europe’s first Internet Telephony provider which became a unicorn, operating in 80 countries. He then moved from telecommunications to Social Media and Commerce that later on resulted in the foundation and development of DISEO. Urswas born and raised in Switzerland and is fluent in German, English, French and Spanish.
