Speakers 2023 – Africa Youth In Tourism Summit

SPEAKERS DETAILS 2023 Event Speakers

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

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

My name is Amanda and I’m a highly motivated and experienced key account manager with over a decade of experience in the tourism, operations, learning and development as well as quality assurance fields. My passion includes building customer relationships and successfully closing sales whilst delivering exceptional customer service across different industries. My experience includes facilitation of strategy meetings, negotiation facilitation, market research and analysis, product development, branding and advertising. I have worked for both small start-ups and large corporations including airlines, government agents, and the public sector; and have developed a deep understanding of what it takes to create a successful business and high-performing teams. My motto in life is, Be Creative, Impactful and Drive the Change in our communities for the best chance that we have to drive the change. For this reason, I participated in key events that helped me further my life’s quest to be purposeful and make a difference. Over the past 4 years I have served as a panelist for the Africa Tourism Day; The African Tourism Approach – by Jon Howell & Kojo Bentum-Williams. I was also a moderator panellist for the World Travel Market in 2020, the World Travel Market 2023 – Women in Tourism as well as the Global Travel South Africa (GBTA Conference) – Aviation and the Future. I serve as a GBTA Board Member and an entrepreneur who has a conviction that Tourism has a pivotal role to play in changing our communities and our lives. And if we create an environment for every brand to tell its story by creating compelling stories that resonate with the target audience; the audience will be inspired to engage and a plethora of benefits realised like job creation. I have a Bachelors of Commerce degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The University of South Africa in Johannesburg. And being part of the Ekurhuleni Water Project, Human Resources Disbursement and Talent Planning Committee, App Creation for Zebra Cabs, Negotiating fees and contracts to reach mutually beneficial agreements with clients, creating and managing project plans, timelines and budgets, crafting dynamic content marketing pieces for broad client base to drive consumer awareness of brands, wrote quality content for clients, enabling site visitors to quickly obtain information; are some of my additional proud moments. I also enjoy volunteering in my community and mentoring young entrepreneurs as a lifelong learner and am always seeking new ideas and ways to innovate.

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.

2023 Event Speakers

SPEAKERS DETAILS 2023 Event Speakers

Hon. Pohamba Shifeta, MP

Hon. Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu​

Ms. Elcia Grandcourt

Natalia Bayona

Hon. Heather Sibungo

Hon. Emma Kantema-Gaomas

Sebulon Chicalu

Teofilus Nghitila

Seimy Shidute

Alka Bhatia

Keitumetse Setlang

Nangula Uaandja

Francois van Schalkwyk

Prof. Michael Twum-Darko

Prof. Nellie Swart

Henry Yeledour​

Miller Matola

Aaron Munetsi

Nomasonto Ndlovu

Kwakye Donkor

Simon Williams

Alex Mabunda

Jabulani Debedu

Mr. Robert Eiman

Tracy Daniels

Dr. Isobel Green

Safiyya Akoojee

Julius Mbungo

Dan D'souza

Barry Clemens

Joanne Mwangi-Yelbert

Ibukunoluwa Salau

Mamello Mofokeng

Caroline Wairimu

Paulina Nangula Alfeus

Victoria Haihambo

Nkululeko Nkosi

Mustapha Tijjani

Ntshabo Lehong

Cornelius Ugwunwa

York Zucchi

Dipopego Julius Tsheko

Maipato Mmako

Nnenna Fakoya-Smith

Ndabenhle Ntshangase

Devota Mdachi

Keleabetswe Tlouane

Gonaya Monei E. Sethora

Kauna Ndilula

Bernadine Galliver

Abel Yifru

Francis Doku

Siphuxolo (Siphu) Mazwi

Denim Richards

Gloria Kisilu

Luc Armand Bodea

Amanda Michelle Mvinjelwa

Joram Mwinamo

Aline Murekatete

Dr. Portia Pearl Siyanda Sifolo

Prudence Sebahizi

Ally Karearua

Collins Ackwerh

Hannelie Du Toit

Marelise Serfontein

Sonto Mbonambi

Benedict Libanda

Keletso Tladi

Dr. Urs Aebischer

Mikul Shah

Hon. Neville Andre Itope

Danny Meyer

Altaaf Kazi

Sophie Zirebwa

Raina Augustus

Ian Putter

summit registration

Elcia Grandcourt

Hon. Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu

Henry Yeledour