Meet the Team
Good Governance Africa is made up of a diverse team of academics, advisors and experts in their respective professions. Meet them all here.Global Chairman
Robert Rose
GGA Global Chairman
Chairman, GGA
Chairmen
Prof Bahru Zwede
GGA Chairmen
Bahru Zewde, currently Emeritus Professor of History at Addis Ababa University, is Founding Fellow and founding Principal Vice President of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. He was formerly Chair of the Department of History and Director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University and Executive Director of the Forum for Social Studies, a think tank based in Addis Ababa. He has also served as Vice President of the Association of African Historians and Resident Vice President of the sub-regional research network, Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA), and as Editor of its journal, Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review. In addition to serving as Editor of the Journal of Ethiopian Studies for 15 years, he was member of the International Advisory Board of the Journal of African History and founding Editor of the Africa Review of Books. He is the recipient of numerous awards and Fellowships, including ones from the British Academy, Japan Foundation, the Institute of Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) in Berlin and Humboldt University. His major publications in English include: Bringing Africa Together: The Story of Ethiopian Airlines (1988); A History of Modern Ethiopia 1855-1991 (2001); Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia: The Reformist Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century (2002); Society, State and History: Selected Essays (2008); and The Quest for Socialist Utopia: The Ethiopian Student Movement c. 1960-1974 (2014). He has also served as a Consultant for a number of organizations, including Carnegie Corporation of New York, the African Union and African Child Policy Forum.
Nana Osei-Bonsu
GGA Chairmen
Nana has over 40 years of experience spanning the private and public sectors. He is currently the CEO of the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF) of Ghana. The PEF is the most powerful and autonomous apex institution of all private businesses and trade associations in Ghana. Nana is an economist and financial expert with an extensive banking career in the USA. He worked with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the New York State Banking Department, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York and Alliance Capital where he obtained a Broker/Dealer License during that period. Nana also served as the Managing Partner of a private investment firm, Manoff Associates of New York. Nana later joined the investment banking division of JP Morgan Chase where he held senior management level positions. On his return to Ghana, Nana served as one of three Technical Advisors of the Economic Management Team of the Government of Ghana. At the same time, he doubled as a Technical Advisor to the Minister of State for Economic Planning. Nana was later appointed the first Chief Executive Officer of the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF) where he leveraged Government’s endowment to partner private sector investors, including some European Equity firms to create five Venture Capital Funds with the private partners contributing huge capital amounts. During his tenure, Nana increased Accumulated Capital of the Trust Fund immensely and attained great success. Following this, he was appointed the CEO of the Private Enterprise Federation, a position he currently holds. Nana also serves as a board or steering committee member of numerous public and private institutions including the following: Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement system (GHIPSS), DANIDA SPSD, National Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), Ghana Anti-corruption Coalition, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ghana Union life Assurance Company. Nana has had extensive interaction with the World Bank, the African development Bank, Donor Agencies and their respective consulates. He has also been actively involved other internationally sponsored programmes and activities across Africa.
Mark Adogah
GGA Chairmen
Mr Mark Adogah was appointed Chairman GGA-Nigeria in 2021. Mark is a Director at Citibank Nigeria’s Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory (BCMA) business. He is responsible for driving and supervising Citi Nigeria’s strategy for multinational Branded Consumer Goods, Aviation and Oil Services clients. He has been involved in several landmark lending and financing transactions in the industry. Mark has over 23 years’ experience in the areas of financial statements audit and assurance, business advisory and corporate and investment banking. He started his career with Arthur Andersen in Nigeria (now KPMG Professional Services) and worked in the Corporate Bank of Zenith Bank Plc and the Corporate Finance desk of FCMB Capital Markets Limited before joining Citibank. He has been in a senior management role since joining Citibank as an Assistant General Manager in October 2008. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and The Chartered Institutes of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). Mark holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Accounting and a Master's degree focused in Finance and Investments from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. Mark has extensive local and international training on leadership, negotiation, derivatives, risk management, advanced credit skills and other areas of accounting, finance and banking. He is happily married with children.
Global Advisor
Chris Maroleng
Author
Chris Maroleng is Global Advisor and the SADC Executive Director of Good Governance Africa. He is an accomplished public and corporate affairs practitioner with close to 20 years working experience, specialising in strategy, research, media, communication, security, corporate governance and public affairs. Prior to his GGA appointment, Chris was the Chief Operations Officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), where he was responsible for the organisation’s turnaround strategy, improving the SABC’s cash balance, enforcing governance and driving efficiencies within the operations cluster, as well as promoting a performance culture for optimal outcomes. With a sound understanding of what drives a successful business, as Group Executive for Corporate Affairs at Africa’s largest mobile operator, MTN, he assisted the company through a tumultuous period during which it was faced with a huge penalty that could have placed the organisation in an untenable situation. Chris also spent six years at eNews Channel Africa (eNCA), where he was Africa Editor, and head of department for the Africa division. As an integral member of the eNews founding management team, key among his successes during his tenure was the establishment of the eNews Africa division. Prior to joining eNews, Chris worked at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in the African Security Analysis Programme (ASAP), as a senior researcher in peace and security issues in Africa, and where he published extensive reports related to African affairs. Chris holds a MA in International and Comparative Politics from the University of Cape Town. He was also a Menell Media Fellow, at Duke University’s Dewitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy.
GGA SADC Board of Directors
Linda Vilakazi
GGA Board Members
Daniel Ngwepe
GGA Board Members
Daniel has an extensive background of over 25 years working in the public and the private sectors, managing diverse issues and leading teams across various sectors and geographies. He has built a record of achievement in the fields of payments technology, mining, public affairs and diplomacy. He was in the foreign service for 13 years, contributing to the advancement of bilateral economic and political relations between South Africa and the United States. Until 2020, Daniel led Visa’s relations with policy makers and Central Bank regulators in Sub-Saharan Africa for nearly a decade. Daniel supports various social causes and serves on the boards of several organisations. He is a graduate of the University of the North, the Gordon Institute of Business Science and has a Master’s degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Chris Maroleng
Author
Chris Maroleng is Global Advisor and the SADC Executive Director of Good Governance Africa. He is an accomplished public and corporate affairs practitioner with close to 20 years working experience, specialising in strategy, research, media, communication, security, corporate governance and public affairs. Prior to his GGA appointment, Chris was the Chief Operations Officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), where he was responsible for the organisation’s turnaround strategy, improving the SABC’s cash balance, enforcing governance and driving efficiencies within the operations cluster, as well as promoting a performance culture for optimal outcomes. With a sound understanding of what drives a successful business, as Group Executive for Corporate Affairs at Africa’s largest mobile operator, MTN, he assisted the company through a tumultuous period during which it was faced with a huge penalty that could have placed the organisation in an untenable situation. Chris also spent six years at eNews Channel Africa (eNCA), where he was Africa Editor, and head of department for the Africa division. As an integral member of the eNews founding management team, key among his successes during his tenure was the establishment of the eNews Africa division. Prior to joining eNews, Chris worked at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in the African Security Analysis Programme (ASAP), as a senior researcher in peace and security issues in Africa, and where he published extensive reports related to African affairs. Chris holds a MA in International and Comparative Politics from the University of Cape Town. He was also a Menell Media Fellow, at Duke University’s Dewitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy.
Peter Leon
GGA Board Members
Peter Leon is a partner and global Africa chair at international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. During the last decade, the international who's who directories of mining lawyers, Best Lawyers, The Legal 500 (EMEA), Chambers and Partners, and other peer-reviewed global legal directories, have consistently identified him as one of the world's pre-eminent mining lawyers. In 2021, he was named "one of the top mining lawyers in the world" (Who's Who Legal: Mining 2021) and recently, Chambers Global Guide: Energy & Natural Resources: Mining 2022 ranked Peter in Band 1, with sources stating that, "He brings solutions to issues you wouldn't think of, bringing to bear relevant experience from right across Africa." Peter excels in helping resolve contentious issues arising from mining projects and related developments in Africa. His areas of expertise include crisis management, resource nationalism, mineral and petroleum regulation in developing countries (including international best practice), black economic empowerment and indigenisation law, international investment law, and investment protection. Owing to Peter's expertise, he has significant experience in resource regulatory issues across Anglophone Africa. Consequently, he regularly advises clients on an array of contentious matters involving states in sub-Saharan Africa, including disputes arising from the negotiation and implementation of major mine development agreements. He is also well versed in the sub-Saharan African geopolitical climate and accordingly provides strategic advice not only on issues related to the mineral regulatory framework, but also on how to navigate the framework within the prevailing economic and political conditions in key African mining jurisdictions. He is particularly skilled in crisis management, and has provided expert advice on an urgent basis to clients to assist them in managing and mitigating significant country risks. Peter’s experience also includes the Middle East, where he has recently represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as international legal counsel on the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources’ mineral law reform project. Peter is an accomplished speaker and a regular presenter and panellist at conferences, courses and parliamentary hearings in South Africa and internationally. He has also written extensively on the topics of mining, resource nationalism, the regulation of foreign direct investment, and black economic empowerment and indigenisation law. He was a council member of the Legal Practice Division of the International Bar Association responsible for the Africa Regional Forum, the chair of the International Bar Association’s mining law committee advisory board, and is an honorary lecturer at the University of Dundee in Scotland's Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy.
Dr Ross Harvey
Author
Dr Ross Harvey is a natural resource economist and policy analyst, and he has been dealing with governance issues in various forms across this sector since 2007. He has a PhD in economics from the University of Cape Town, and his thesis research focused on the political economy of oil and institutional development in Angola and Nigeria. While completing his PhD, Ross worked as a senior researcher on extractive industries and wildlife governance at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), and in May 2019 became an independent conservation consultant. Ross’s task at GGA is to establish a non-renewable natural resources project (extractive industries) to ensure that the industry becomes genuinely sustainable and contributes to Africa achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ross was appointed Director of Research and Programmes at GGA in May 2020.
Deji Haastrup
Resource Curse Authors
Deji Haastrup has occupied several positions of increasing responsibility at global oil multinational Chevron, working with the team that developed Chevron’s human rights policy for its global operations. He also led the team that developed Chevron’s Global MoU, a community-led, multi-stakeholder sustainable development model credited for its effectiveness in conflict management and sustainable development in the Niger Delta communities. Deji served as Chevron’s General Manager for policy, government, and public affairs until November, 2016. He is now the Chief Consultant and CEO of Strategic Communications Solutions.
Executive Directors
Chris Maroleng
Author
Chris Maroleng is Global Advisor and the SADC Executive Director of Good Governance Africa. He is an accomplished public and corporate affairs practitioner with close to 20 years working experience, specialising in strategy, research, media, communication, security, corporate governance and public affairs. Prior to his GGA appointment, Chris was the Chief Operations Officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), where he was responsible for the organisation’s turnaround strategy, improving the SABC’s cash balance, enforcing governance and driving efficiencies within the operations cluster, as well as promoting a performance culture for optimal outcomes. With a sound understanding of what drives a successful business, as Group Executive for Corporate Affairs at Africa’s largest mobile operator, MTN, he assisted the company through a tumultuous period during which it was faced with a huge penalty that could have placed the organisation in an untenable situation. Chris also spent six years at eNews Channel Africa (eNCA), where he was Africa Editor, and head of department for the Africa division. As an integral member of the eNews founding management team, key among his successes during his tenure was the establishment of the eNews Africa division. Prior to joining eNews, Chris worked at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in the African Security Analysis Programme (ASAP), as a senior researcher in peace and security issues in Africa, and where he published extensive reports related to African affairs. Chris holds a MA in International and Comparative Politics from the University of Cape Town. He was also a Menell Media Fellow, at Duke University’s Dewitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy.
Dr Ola Bello
GGA Executive Directors
Oladiran (Ola) Bello obtained both his MPhil and PhD degrees in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and also holds a First Class BSc degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has worked for organisations including the United Nations (New York) and Management Systems International (Washington DC), Merchant International Group (London) and Arthur Andersen (later KPMG). Dr Ola Bello has more than 10 years of experience in research and policy advisory, including on governance and extractive sector reform; sustainable development; and international development cooperation (including in EU-Africa relations). He spent three years with FRIDE (Spain) managing a donor-funded programme on the EU’s role in managing fragility and resource governance in select African countries. In 2012-2015, he was Head, Governance of Africa’s Resource Programme (GARP) at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and also functioned as head of SAIIA’s Cape Town office. Ola is spearheading GGA's technical support to Nigerian reform, including delivering ethics training for senior Nigerian judicial officers and change-makers (2017-2019). He's also working to expand GGA's role as in-country resource centre for multilateral consultative missions to Nigeria's ministries and parastatals. These missions include the UNECA/AU mineral sector governance team.
Dr Zerihun Mohammed
GGA Executive Directors
Zerihun Mohammed holds a PhD from University of Cambridge in Human Geography. He accumulated extensive experience working for more than three decades at various academic, governmental and non-governmental organizations as expert, practitioner and researcher. As a practitioner, Zerihun worked for different local and international NGOs, including SOS-Sahel (UK) and ACORD (UK) in Ethiopia. He also thought at Hawassa University, Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources. Before joining GGA, Zerihun was working at Forum for Social Studies (FSS), a leading Think-tank in Ethiopia, as a Senior Researcher, where he published and edited a number of research works. Currently, Zerihun is serving as an Executive Director of Good Governance Africa-Eastern Africa Regional office at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Tina Asante-Apeatu
GGA Executive Directors
Tina Asante-Apeatu is the executive director of GGA-West Africa Centre. She holds a BA in psychology and politics and eMBA in project management. She manages various projects, including research and advocacy in the areas of land governance, property rights and early childhood education. She is also currently the president of the Police Wives’ Association of Ghana. Tina is married with two children and loves travelling to new places.
GGA SADC Executive
Chris Maroleng
Author
Chris Maroleng is Global Advisor and the SADC Executive Director of Good Governance Africa. He is an accomplished public and corporate affairs practitioner with close to 20 years working experience, specialising in strategy, research, media, communication, security, corporate governance and public affairs. Prior to his GGA appointment, Chris was the Chief Operations Officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), where he was responsible for the organisation’s turnaround strategy, improving the SABC’s cash balance, enforcing governance and driving efficiencies within the operations cluster, as well as promoting a performance culture for optimal outcomes. With a sound understanding of what drives a successful business, as Group Executive for Corporate Affairs at Africa’s largest mobile operator, MTN, he assisted the company through a tumultuous period during which it was faced with a huge penalty that could have placed the organisation in an untenable situation. Chris also spent six years at eNews Channel Africa (eNCA), where he was Africa Editor, and head of department for the Africa division. As an integral member of the eNews founding management team, key among his successes during his tenure was the establishment of the eNews Africa division. Prior to joining eNews, Chris worked at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in the African Security Analysis Programme (ASAP), as a senior researcher in peace and security issues in Africa, and where he published extensive reports related to African affairs. Chris holds a MA in International and Comparative Politics from the University of Cape Town. He was also a Menell Media Fellow, at Duke University’s Dewitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy.
Chrissy Dube
Author
Chrissy Dube is the Chairperson of the GGA Management Committee and also a member of the GGA Executive Committee. She is Head of Governance Insights and Analytics at Good Governance Africa. She completed her Master of Commerce Degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2013. She also has qualifications in Advanced Project Management, Data Analysis, Ethics, and Compliance. With her experience in interrogating data, Chrissy specialises in analysing and interpreting data for informed decision-making in both the private and public sectors. Chrissy is a registered member of the Institute of Risk Management South Africa. Her interests include monitoring economic and social developments.
Dr Ross Harvey
Author
Dr Ross Harvey is a natural resource economist and policy analyst, and he has been dealing with governance issues in various forms across this sector since 2007. He has a PhD in economics from the University of Cape Town, and his thesis research focused on the political economy of oil and institutional development in Angola and Nigeria. While completing his PhD, Ross worked as a senior researcher on extractive industries and wildlife governance at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), and in May 2019 became an independent conservation consultant. Ross’s task at GGA is to establish a non-renewable natural resources project (extractive industries) to ensure that the industry becomes genuinely sustainable and contributes to Africa achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ross was appointed Director of Research and Programmes at GGA in May 2020.
Jean Mboulè
Author
Jean Mboulè is a seasoned sales and finance professional, with over 13 years of experience working for multinational companies on the African continent. He graduated from the University of Johannesburg with a BCom Economics, and holds a MA in Business and Administration (MBA) from Regent Business School. He also has a Certificate in Governance and Ethics from the University of Pretoria and is a certified ISO 9001 auditor. Jean started his career in finance before developing a passion for business development and sales. He is the recipient of the MERCER IMETA region Bestseller award (2019 edition). Jean considers himself a son of the soil, having lived, worked and visited a total of 27 countries on the continent.
Lloyd Coutts
GGA Executive Members
Lloyd Coutts has an extensive background in journalism and media spanning 40 years. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Media Studies (Hons) from the University of the Witwatersrand and has worked as a reporter, sub-editor, news editor, assistant editor and acting editor for publications such as Business Day, The Star, Business Report and Sunday World. Lloyd also has experience in wire services, notably the German Press Agency (dpa), and radio (Network Radio News and Classic FM). He also worked in television news at eNCA.
Marc Toussaint
Site Member
Marc Toussaint oversees the development of strategies, policies, procedures and the long-term financial goals of GGA through effective and efficient financial management within the organisation.
GGA SADC Associates
Bob Wekesa
Site Member
Dr Bob Wekesa is acting director and research and communications coordinator at the African Centre for the Study of the United States based at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi and Master’s and doctoral degrees from the Communication University of China, Beijing. His area of teaching, research and public engagement is the intersection of journalism, media, and communications on the one hand and geopolitics, diplomacy and foreign policy on the other. He supervises post-graduate projects in these fields. His current research work includes international communication; diplomacy with a focus digital and public diplomacy; African diaspora; the internationalisation of African cities; the geopolitics of Africa and established and emerging powers. Prof Wekesa is well published in academic and popular platforms.
Prof Anthoni van Nieuwkerk
GGA Associates
Prof Anthoni van Nieuwkerk holds an MA in political science from the University of Johannesburg and a PhD in international relations from University of the Witwatersrand. He has been research-active from the early 1990s and has pursued an academic career in teaching, supervision, and policy analysis since 2000. Anthoni is based at the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Governance, where he participates in peace and security studies. In 2015, the South African government appointed him to the South African Council on International Relations and in 2018, to the Presidential High-level Review Panel into Intelligence. Anthoni is a skilled institutional architect and experienced academic manager and facilitator. He publishes widely on African foreign and security policy, has participated in several scenarios development exercises, and has broad experience with advising African policymakers including the Secretariats of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). He is a Senior Research Associate at Good Governance Africa (GGA) and serves as an editorial board member of the accredited journals African Security, Administratio Publica, South African Journal of International Affairs, European Journal of International Studies, and coordinates the biannual Southern African Security Review.
Prof Adriano Nuvungo
GGA Associates
Prof. Adriano Alfredo Nuvunga, Ph.D. is the Director of the Centro para Democracia e Desenvolvimento (CDD), a Democracy, Governance and Human Rights Organization in Mozambique. Prof. Nuvunga teaches political science and governance at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. He is the Chair of the Forum de Monitoria do Orçamento (FMO), a platform of coalitions and organizations focusing on Budget transparency and Public Finance Management. Prof. Nuvunga Chairs the Mozambique Network of Human Rights Defenders. He is Board member of the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SAHRDN). Prof. Nuvunga is also Board member of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), based in Accra, Ghana. Prof. Nuvunga is also a member of INCLUDE, the Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prof. Nuvunga is the co-founder and former director of Centro de Integridade Publica, Mozambique’s Transparency International Chapter. His next book examines the Political Economy of Mozambique’s Gas Development and Nation building.
Dr William Jethro Mpofu
GGA Associates
Dr William Mpofu is a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Centre for Diversity Studies (WICDS), under the faculty of humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Critical Diversity Studies (IJCDS) that is published by Pluto Journals. Dr Mpofu is a founding member of the Africa Decolonial Research Network (ADERN).
Prof Mtende Mhango
Author
Mtende Mhango is a full professor and current Dean of the Faculty of Law at the National University of Lesotho, where he also serves as the inaugural Metropolitan Professorial Research Chair in Pension Law Studies. Mhango is also a Research Associate at the University of Limpopo, School of Law, and a rated researcher by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. Mhango holds a Bachelor of Arts from Morehead States University, Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University, Master of Laws from Wayne State University, and Doctor of Laws from the University of South Africa, which focused on the political question theory in South Africa’s jurisprudence. For the last decade, he has been engaged in research in public law. Notable among his publications in this regard are his series on “separation of powers, justiciability and constitutional adjudication”, published in leading South African and international law journals. One of his recent books is Justiciability of Political Questions in South Africa: A Comparative Analysis (Eleven International Publishing 2019), which examines the role of politics in constitutional adjudication and its effects on the political governance of a country. Mhango’s other research interests are pension fund regulation, where he focuses on emerging pension jurisprudence and recent pension reforms in the South African Development Community (SADC). Through his research, he has contributed to pension reforms in Lesotho, Malawi, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Botswana. His recent book in this area is Pension Law and Death Benefits: Law and Policy Harmonisation in the Southern African Development Community, published by Juta in March 2022. Mhango’s experience as a pension lawyer has enabled him to serve as an Independent Board Member of some of the largest pension funds in the SADC region, including the Municipal Employees Pension Fund (with assets over $1.3 billion) and the Debswana Pension Fund (with assets over $700 million).
Dr Ibbo Mandaza
Site Member
Ibbo Mandaza is a Zimbabwean academic, author and publisher. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil) in Political Economy from the University of York in England (1979) and taught at the Universities of Botswana, Zambia, Dar re Salaam and Zimbabwe (part-time). He has researched and written extensively on issues of governance, international relations and public policy; and was one of the first senior African Civil Servants in post-independent Zimbabwe (1980-1990), having been a member of the (Zimbabwe) National Liberation Movement, in the Department of Research, Education and Manpower, ZANU Headquarters, Maputo, Mozambique. He served as Director of the National Manpower Survey and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Manpower Planning and Development; as Deputy Chairman of the Public Service Commission and Member of the Defence Forces Commission; and finally as Chairman of the Parastatals Commission, before his early retirement from the Civil Service in July 1990 at the age of 42. Ibbo Mandaza was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the second largest tourism and hotel group (Rainbow Tourism Group) in Zimbabwe from 1992 to 2009 Ibbo Mandaza is currently Executive Chairman of the Southern African Political Economy Series (SAPES) Trust, a regional Think Tank and Convenor of the Policy Dialogue Forum.
Prof Rod Alence
GGA Associates
Prof Rod Alence is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg. He is a specialist in the political economy of governance and development in Africa. His work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Democracy, the Journal of Modern African Studies, and the Journal of African History. Much of his research focuses on elections and governance in Africa, including a multi-year project on determinants of election-related violence. He developed and coordinates the MA program in e-Science at Wits, which provides training in statistical computing and applied data science methods for researchers in the social sciences and humanities. He earned his PhD in political science from Stanford University in 2001, and his dissertation won the American Political Science Association’s annual prize for best in the field of political economy.
Editorial Advisory Board for the Africa Governance Papers
Bob Wekesa
Site Member
Dr Bob Wekesa is acting director and research and communications coordinator at the African Centre for the Study of the United States based at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi and Master’s and doctoral degrees from the Communication University of China, Beijing. His area of teaching, research and public engagement is the intersection of journalism, media, and communications on the one hand and geopolitics, diplomacy and foreign policy on the other. He supervises post-graduate projects in these fields. His current research work includes international communication; diplomacy with a focus digital and public diplomacy; African diaspora; the internationalisation of African cities; the geopolitics of Africa and established and emerging powers. Prof Wekesa is well published in academic and popular platforms.
Prof Anthoni van Nieuwkerk
GGA Associates
Prof Anthoni van Nieuwkerk holds an MA in political science from the University of Johannesburg and a PhD in international relations from University of the Witwatersrand. He has been research-active from the early 1990s and has pursued an academic career in teaching, supervision, and policy analysis since 2000. Anthoni is based at the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Governance, where he participates in peace and security studies. In 2015, the South African government appointed him to the South African Council on International Relations and in 2018, to the Presidential High-level Review Panel into Intelligence. Anthoni is a skilled institutional architect and experienced academic manager and facilitator. He publishes widely on African foreign and security policy, has participated in several scenarios development exercises, and has broad experience with advising African policymakers including the Secretariats of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). He is a Senior Research Associate at Good Governance Africa (GGA) and serves as an editorial board member of the accredited journals African Security, Administratio Publica, South African Journal of International Affairs, European Journal of International Studies, and coordinates the biannual Southern African Security Review.
Prof Pundy Pillay
GGA Advisory Board
Prof Pundy Pillay is Professor of Economics and Public Finance, and Research Director, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand. He has also been Visiting Professor at the Berlin School of Economics and the Universities of Johannesburg, Oslo, and the Western Cape. His academic qualifications are: PhD (Economics, Cape Town); M.A. (Economics, Cape Town); B.A Hons (Wits); B.A. (South Africa); B.Sc (Durban-Westville). Previous positions include: Senior Economist, RTI International; Head of the Policy Unit, Office of the President, South Africa; Director, Financial and Fiscal Commission, South Africa, and Senior Lecturer, Economics, University of Cape Town. Other than South Africa, he has worked in Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, Iran, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia, and other countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). His research interests are in the Economics of Education; Governance and Development; Public Finance, Inequality and Poverty; and Economics and Public policy.
Dr William Jethro Mpofu
GGA Associates
Dr William Mpofu is a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Centre for Diversity Studies (WICDS), under the faculty of humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Critical Diversity Studies (IJCDS) that is published by Pluto Journals. Dr Mpofu is a founding member of the Africa Decolonial Research Network (ADERN).
Prof Erin McCandless
GGA Advisory Board
Erin McCandless is an Associate Professor in the School of Governance at Witwatersrand University in South Africa and a Research Associate with the German Development Institute. A widely published scholar and policy advisor, she has near three decades of experience working on and in conflict affected settings, broadly on issues of peacebuilding, statebuilding, development and resilience - and their intersections. Her current research is focused on forging resilient social contracts, and the role of social cohesion, in countries affected by conflict, fragility and fraught transition, building upon a multi-country research and policy dialogue project that she directed from 2015-2018. Professor McCandless is author of more than 100 publications, including several influential, policy-shifting United Nations reports, and she is a founder and former Chief Editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.
Dr Nathanial Matthews
Site Member
Dr Nathanial Matthews is a political and environmental scientist whose principal interests lie in understanding and mitigating the impacts of political and economic change on people and the environment in developing countries. He has 15+ years of professional and fieldwork experience spanning 30 countries around the globe, primarily focused in Asia and Africa. Nate is currently the Program Director of the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP). In this role, he is responsible for defining and executing the overall strategy related to GRP’s technical work streams and leading the teams implementing these streams including markets and innovative financing, technology and infrastructure, and policy and influence. Previously to this role, Nate was Global Research Coordinator and Flagship Leader of the US$36 million Integrating Ecosystems into Policy and Solutions Flagship for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) programme on water, land and ecosystems (WLE). Nate has published two books and over 40 peer-reviewed publications covering environmental justice, forestry, agriculture, irrigation, hydropower, ecosystems services, resilience and the water-energy-food nexus. He has given dozens of senior-level international talks.
Prof Frank Matose
GGA Advisory Board
Prof Frank Matose is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and a Co-Director of the Environmental Humanities South Centre at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His research interests are in environmental sociology with a particular focus on Southern Africa, placing emphasis on the intersection of local people, the state, capital, forest and resource conservation, and the political economy of protected areas. Interests in these areas are informed by intellectual projects around environmental governance, social justice, and commons in Africa. He is a past board member of the International Association for the Study of Commons (IASC, 2006-2012) and a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of the Commons. Frank is also a member of International Sociological Association (ISA), in which he is active in the Environment and Society Committee (RC24). He has a forthcoming monograph titled Politics of Chronic Liminality: Forests and the power of the marginalised in Southern Africa and an edited volume titled The violence of conservation in Africa: State, militarisation and alternatives (with Maano Ramutsindela and Tafadzwa Mushonga, Edward Elgar Publishing).
Dr Ibbo Mandaza
Site Member
Ibbo Mandaza is a Zimbabwean academic, author and publisher. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil) in Political Economy from the University of York in England (1979) and taught at the Universities of Botswana, Zambia, Dar re Salaam and Zimbabwe (part-time). He has researched and written extensively on issues of governance, international relations and public policy; and was one of the first senior African Civil Servants in post-independent Zimbabwe (1980-1990), having been a member of the (Zimbabwe) National Liberation Movement, in the Department of Research, Education and Manpower, ZANU Headquarters, Maputo, Mozambique. He served as Director of the National Manpower Survey and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Manpower Planning and Development; as Deputy Chairman of the Public Service Commission and Member of the Defence Forces Commission; and finally as Chairman of the Parastatals Commission, before his early retirement from the Civil Service in July 1990 at the age of 42. Ibbo Mandaza was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the second largest tourism and hotel group (Rainbow Tourism Group) in Zimbabwe from 1992 to 2009 Ibbo Mandaza is currently Executive Chairman of the Southern African Political Economy Series (SAPES) Trust, a regional Think Tank and Convenor of the Policy Dialogue Forum.
Dr Aikende Kwayu
GGA Advisory Board
Aikande Clement Kwayu is a social scientist with experience in both academia and practice. Her work includes development and management consulting as well as academic research. She consults with Bumaco Limited (Tanzania) on management, political economy analysis, policy analysis and evaluation of development projects. Akande’s areas of research interest are party politics, religion and politics, and development politics. She has published two books: (i) “Religion and British Development Policy”- Palgrave (2020); and (ii) Co-authored with Amy Stambach “Pragmatic Faith and the Lutheran Church in Tanzania: Erasto N. Kweka’s Life and Work” – Lexington (2020). Aikande is a honorary research affiliate fellow of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also a part-time lecturer at the University of Tumaini Makumira. From 2013 to 2015, she was a research affiliate of the University of Oxford (UK). Aikande has a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham (UK).
Prof Horman Chitonge
GGA Advisory Board
Prof Horman Chitonge is a Professor of African Studies at the Centre for African Studies, University of Cape Town (UCT). He is a visiting research fellow in the Global Justice Programme, Yale University, a research associate at PRISM, School of Economics (UCT), and a vising fellow at the African Studies Centre, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. His research interests include agrarian political economy, hydro-politics, and alternative strategies for economic growth in Africa. His most recent books include: Industrial Policy and the Transforming the Colonial Economy in Africa: The Zambian Experience (Routledge, 2021). Industrialising Africa: Unlocking the Economic Potential of the Continent (Peter Lang, 2019); Social Welfare Policy in South Africa: From the Poor White Problem to a Digitised Social Contract (Peter Lang, 2018); Economic Growth and Development in Africa: Understanding Trends and Prospects (Routledge, 2015).
Dr Grieve Chelwa
GGA Advisory Board
Dr Grieve Chelwa is the Inaugural Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute on Race and Political Economy at the New School. Prior to this, he was a Senior Lecturer in economics at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business. Dr Chelwa was an Inaugural Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for African Studies at Harvard University, and has previously been a visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER) at the University of the Witwatersrand. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Zambia and advanced degrees in economics, including a PhD, from the University of Cape Town.
Prof Stephen Chan
GGA Advisory Board
Prof Stephen Chan OBE is Professor of World Politics at SOAS where he was also Foundation Dean of Law and Social Sciences. He has recently also been the George Soros Chair of Public Policy at the Central European University, and Konrad Adenauer Foundation Chair of Academic Excellence at Bir Zeit University. He won the 2010 International Studies Association prize, 'Eminent Scholar in Global Development’. A former international civil servant, still involved on a pro bono basis in African and Middle Eastern diplomacy, he helped pioneer modern election observation at the 1980 Zimbabwe independence elections. He chairs the Kwok Meil Wah Foundation, a philanthropic group and, as a recognised martial arts master, teaches on a pro bono basis in several African locations. He has published 35 scholarly books, five volumes of poetry – with his work continuing to be anthologised, and three novels.
Prof William Beinart
GGA Advisory Board
Prof William Beinart is Emeritus Professor at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. He was a student at the University of Cape Town and did his doctoral work in history at SOAS, University of London, in the 1970s. He taught at the University of Bristol (1983-1997) and at the University of Oxford (1997 to 2015). He has been chair of the Board of the Journal of Southern African Studies, Director of the African Studies Centre at Oxford, President of the African Studies Association of the UK (2008-10) and in 2009, he was elected to the British Academy. Publications include Twentieth-Century South Africa (2001), The Rise of Conservation in South Africa (OUP, 2003), Environment and Empire (2007, with Lotte Hughes); Prickly Pear: the Social History of a Plant in the Eastern Cape ( 2011 with Luvuyo Wotshela) and African Local Knowledge (2013 with Karen Brown); The Scientific Imagination in South Africa, 1700 to the Present (2021 with Saul Dubow). He researched for the Eastern Cape land reform programme in the 1990s, and also on land restitution cases in that province. He has recently been writing on these issues: Rights to Land (Jacana, 2017 with Peter Delius and Michelle Hay); ‘Smallholders and Land Reform: A Realistic Perspective’ (CDE, 2018), ‘Next Steps Towards Land Reform’ (CDE, 2019 both with Peter Delius); and is involved in a project on land reform and agrarian change with Sonwabile Mnwana and Luvuyo Wotshela of the University of Fort Hare.
Prof Rod Alence
GGA Associates
Prof Rod Alence is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg. He is a specialist in the political economy of governance and development in Africa. His work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Democracy, the Journal of Modern African Studies, and the Journal of African History. Much of his research focuses on elections and governance in Africa, including a multi-year project on determinants of election-related violence. He developed and coordinates the MA program in e-Science at Wits, which provides training in statistical computing and applied data science methods for researchers in the social sciences and humanities. He earned his PhD in political science from Stanford University in 2001, and his dissertation won the American Political Science Association’s annual prize for best in the field of political economy.
Prof Chris Alden
GGA Advisory Board
Prof Chris Alden is Professor in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Director of LSE IDEAS. He is author or editor of New Directions in Africa-China Studies (Routledge 2018), China and Africa – Building Peace and Security Cooperation on the Continent (Palgrave 2017), China and Mozambique: From Comrades to Capitalist (Johannesburg: Jacana 2014), Returns to Africa (Hurst 2008), China in Africa (Zed 2007). He regularly teaches courses at University of Cape Town and Peking University and was a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, 1990-2000.
Governance Insights & Analytics Programme
Nnaemeka Ohamadike
Author
Nnaemeka is pursuing his Master’s degree in e-Science (Data Science) at the University of the Witwatersrand, supported by the DSI-NICIS NEPTTP scholarship. Much of his research focuses on quantitative social analysis, human development, governance, and migration. He has published research in journals such as The Africa Governance Papers and Africanus: Journal of Development Studies. He has experience working as a Data Consultant at DataEQ Consulting and teaching at the Federal University of Lafia in Nigeria and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
Stuart Morrison
Author
Stuart Morrison is a Data Analyst Intern within the Governance Insights and Analytics Team. He is currently completing his Master’s degree in e-Science at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His thesis is focused on exploring the relationship between early elections and the propensity for political violence. Stuart also has a keen interest in applied data science and aspires to use his skills as a data scientist and researcher to help address some of the key security and governance issues across the African continent.
Mmabatho Mongae
Author
Mmabatho Mongae is a Data Analyst within the Governance Insights & Analyst Programme. She is a PhD candidate in International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, and her thesis research focuses on how governance quality influences popular support for and satisfaction with democracy in Africa. While completing her PhD, Mmabatho worked as Sessional lecturer in the International Relations Department at the University of the Witwatersrand and as a research fellow at the Centre for Africa-China Studies (CACS) at the University of Johannesburg. Her research interests include democracy, governance, Africa’s political economy, and quantitative social analysis. Mmabatho has published research for Routledge, EISA, and The Thinker.
Chrissy Dube
Author
Chrissy Dube is the Chairperson of the GGA Management Committee and also a member of the GGA Executive Committee. She is Head of Governance Insights and Analytics at Good Governance Africa. She completed her Master of Commerce Degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2013. She also has qualifications in Advanced Project Management, Data Analysis, Ethics, and Compliance. With her experience in interrogating data, Chrissy specialises in analysing and interpreting data for informed decision-making in both the private and public sectors. Chrissy is a registered member of the Institute of Risk Management South Africa. Her interests include monitoring economic and social developments.
Pranish Desai
GGA GIA Programme
Pranish is a Senior Data Analyst within the Governance Insights & Analytics programme. He holds a Master of Arts in-Science obtained with distinction from the University of the Witwatersrand. This degree formed part of the Department of Science and Innovation's National e-Science Postgraduate Teaching and Training Platform. His research interests include comparative politics, local governance, quantitative social analysis and political geography.
Governance Delivery & Impact Programme
Mxolisi Zondo
Author
Mxolisi Zondo is a Researcher in the Governance Delivery and Impact programme at Good Governance Africa. He holds a BA Honours in International Relations and a Bachelor of Political Science from the University of Pretoria (UP). He is currently pursuing his Master of Arts Degree in Diplomatic Studies at UP. His dissertation looks at the extent to which South Africa’s involvement in peace missions on the African continent serves the country’s national interest. Before joining Good Governance Africa, he worked as a Public Policy Intern at Frontline Africa Advisory. He has also worked as an Assistant Lecturer and Research Assistant at the University of Pretoria.
Dr Craig Moffat
Site Member
Craig Moffat, PhD is the Head of Programme: Governance Delivery and Impact for Good Governance Africa. He has more than 17 years of practical experience working for government institutions and multilateral organisations. He was previously employed by the South African Foreign Service, where he worked extensively at identifying and analysing security threats towards South Africa as well as the southern Africa region. Previously, he was the political advisor for the Pretoria Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Stellenbosch University.
Human Security & Climate Change Programme
Leleti Maluleke
Author
Leleti Maluleke is a Researcher for our Human Security and Climate Change programme. She completed her Bachelor of Political Science in Political Studies in 2017, and her Honours in International Relations in 2018 at the University of Pretoria. She started her career at International SOS in the Security Services department as a Political Risk and Security Intern. Socially, her countries of interests include Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
Stephen Buchanan-Clarke
Site Member
Stephen Buchanan-Clarke is a security analyst with several years' experience working in both conflict and post-conflict settings in Africa, primarily on issues of peace and security; transitional justice and reconciliation; democratisation and governance; and preventing and countering violent extremism. He currently serves as head of the Human Security and Climate Change (HSCC) project at Good Governance Africa and is a co-editor of the Extremisms in Africa anthology series.
Natural Resource Governance Programme
Busisipho Siyobi
Editor
Busisipho Siyobi is the Programme Head of the Natural Resource Governance Programme at GGA. Prior to joining GGA, she headed up the Corporate Intelligence Monitor desk at S-RM Intelligence and Risk Consulting. Busisipho holds an MPhil in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Cape Town with a research focus on CSR within the South African mining industry. During her Masters, she worked as a research scholar at the South African Institute of International Affairs.
Vincent Obisie-Orlu
GGA NRG Programme
Vincent Obisie-Orlu is a Natural Resource Governance researcher at Good Governance Africa. He holds a BA in International Relations and Political Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand. His work focuses on natural resource governance of critical minerals, Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) issues, sustainable finance, and energy policy in light of the energy transition.
The Africa Governance Papers
Richard Jurgens
Site Member
Richard Jurgens is a former editor of GGA’s flagship publication, Africa in Fact, and has been appointed as editor of GGA’s peer-reviewed academic journal, The Africa Governance Papers. He spent 10 years in exile with the ANC in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as the Netherlands. He has worked in mainstream media, alternative media, the corporate world and for NGOs internationally and in South Africa. A published author with a memoir, a novel and several books of poetry to his name, he has a BA (Hons) in philosophy and is currently completing a Research Master’s degree in public policy studies at the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Governance.
Africa in Fact Journal
Susan Russell
Editor
Susan Russell is the editor of Good Governance Africa’s quarterly journal, Africa in Fact. She has worked in the media industry for more than 30 years as a journalist, editor, publisher, and as a general manager. Career highlights include several years working for Business Day and more than a decade as a reporter, editor and General Manager at the Sunday Times in Johannesburg.
Media and Marketing
Amanda Chetty
GGA Media and Marketing
Amanda is a media professional with over 15 years of experience specialising in subscription marketing and sales, and audience development. Her core expertise is in identifying new business opportunities, networking with stakeholders, and managing audience focused projects. Amanda has led successful subscription campaigns and driven digital subscription strategies on multiple titles.
Helen Grange
GGA Media and Marketing
Helen Grange is a seasoned journalist and editor, with a career spanning over 30 years writing and editing for newspapers and magazines in South Africa. Her work appears primarily on Independent Online (IOL), as well as The Citizen and Business Day newspapers, focussing on business trends, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and travel. Magazines she has written for include Noseweek, Acumen, Forbes Africa, Wits Business Journal and UJ Alumni magazine. Among NGOs she has written or edited for are Gender Links and INMED, a global humanitarian development organisation.
Brandon Janse van Rensburg
GGA Media and Marketing
Brandon Janse van Rensburg is a layout artist and graphic designer with two decades experience producing content in the marketing, advertising and print publication industries – both full-time and as a self-employed freelancer – producing B2B, in-house communications and bespoke marketing collateral for small businesses and blue chip corporate clients.
Nsika Maseko
Editor
Tshepang Molefe
Administrator
Tshepang Molefe is the Chief Technology Officer for Good Governance Africa, a self–taught software developer with more than seven years of CMS development and a passion for working on web focused technologies. Throughout his education and career, he has thrived in projects that require critical problem solving skills. His work experience spans several domains, and in each of these he has demonstrated a good work ethic, and an ability to collaborate with others and work independently. Tshepang started his career in tech as an IT support and operations practitioner for small corporate firms, and eventually evolved into a software developer working with start-ups to create world class software. He is also an amateur drone pilot and involved in local community farming projects for sustainable organic farming and he is also focused on advancing his knowledge with the latest cloud technologies such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and he is already a Certified Microsoft Azure Associate.
Mischka Moosa
GGA Media and Marketing
Mischka Moosa is a data journalist at GGA. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science with majors in Gender Studies and Political Science that she obtained from the University of Cape Town. Her focus of interest is on decolonial approaches to justice, development and transformation in Africa.
Khobone Ntsoaole
Author
Khobone Ntsoaole excels as a marketing professional, seamlessly merging the roles of digital strategist and designer. With extensive experience, he crafts impactful marketing campaigns. His expertise spans digital media, branding, CRM, and design, making him versatile in achieving results. Khobone's career is defined by innovation and a dedication to creating compelling experiences. Whether shaping strategies or crafting designs, his work consistently delivers excellence in marketing, digital strategy, and design.
Administration
Mabel Nhlabathi
Site Member
Mabel Nhlabathi is administrator and receptionist at GGA. She has extensive experience in the contact centre and training industry, having worked closely with the Services Seta on grants and learnership allocations. Mabel keeps everyone connected and is a true problem solver for all who come to GGA.
Gail Nel
GGA Office Admin
After completing a year at finishing school doing secretarial and accounting diplomas, and then working for her father’s medical aid organisation, Gail Nel spent two years in Los Angeles, California, performing typesetting and graphic design on two weekly Catholic Newspapers. Upon her return to SA, Gail worked for Douglas & Barry printing company where she ran the design studio, whilst completing her Marketing Diploma at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Business School. She then started her own small design studio, Le Projet, which she ran for eight years before being bought out by Young & Rubicam SA. She was MD of Wunderman Cato Johnson for five years before she gave birth to twin daughters, Ashleigh and Brittany. Gail then started a second design company, Two Fold Marketing, which she ran for 12 years, before joining Times Media, where she was marketing manager, working across The Sunday Times, Business Day, Financial Mail, Sowetan and Sunday World newspapers and online platforms for 10 years. Gail joined GGA in 2018 after five years as an independent marketing consultant, and was appointed Director of Operations in 2020.
Shoni Mabutha
Site Member
Shoni is an office assistant and cleaner at GGA and has been at GGA for over four years. Her confidence, personality, and ability to work with people makes her a very valuable member of staff. Her good communication skills and punctuality go a long way to keeping the office organised.
GGA Eastern Africa
Prof Bahru Zwede
GGA Chairmen
Bahru Zewde, currently Emeritus Professor of History at Addis Ababa University, is Founding Fellow and founding Principal Vice President of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. He was formerly Chair of the Department of History and Director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University and Executive Director of the Forum for Social Studies, a think tank based in Addis Ababa. He has also served as Vice President of the Association of African Historians and Resident Vice President of the sub-regional research network, Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA), and as Editor of its journal, Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review. In addition to serving as Editor of the Journal of Ethiopian Studies for 15 years, he was member of the International Advisory Board of the Journal of African History and founding Editor of the Africa Review of Books. He is the recipient of numerous awards and Fellowships, including ones from the British Academy, Japan Foundation, the Institute of Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) in Berlin and Humboldt University. His major publications in English include: Bringing Africa Together: The Story of Ethiopian Airlines (1988); A History of Modern Ethiopia 1855-1991 (2001); Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia: The Reformist Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century (2002); Society, State and History: Selected Essays (2008); and The Quest for Socialist Utopia: The Ethiopian Student Movement c. 1960-1974 (2014). He has also served as a Consultant for a number of organizations, including Carnegie Corporation of New York, the African Union and African Child Policy Forum.
Dr Zerihun Mohammed
GGA Executive Directors
Zerihun Mohammed holds a PhD from University of Cambridge in Human Geography. He accumulated extensive experience working for more than three decades at various academic, governmental and non-governmental organizations as expert, practitioner and researcher. As a practitioner, Zerihun worked for different local and international NGOs, including SOS-Sahel (UK) and ACORD (UK) in Ethiopia. He also thought at Hawassa University, Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources. Before joining GGA, Zerihun was working at Forum for Social Studies (FSS), a leading Think-tank in Ethiopia, as a Senior Researcher, where he published and edited a number of research works. Currently, Zerihun is serving as an Executive Director of Good Governance Africa-Eastern Africa Regional office at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Bethlhem Zewdu
Author
Bethlhem Zewdu is an Ethiopian young professional. She has been working in different positions as office manager, quality control and executive assistant manager. She obtained her Bachelors and MSc degrees from Addis Ababa University in Management and Quality Management and Organisational Excellence respectively.
GGA Nigeria
Dr Ola Bello
GGA Executive Directors
Oladiran (Ola) Bello obtained both his MPhil and PhD degrees in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and also holds a First Class BSc degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has worked for organisations including the United Nations (New York) and Management Systems International (Washington DC), Merchant International Group (London) and Arthur Andersen (later KPMG). Dr Ola Bello has more than 10 years of experience in research and policy advisory, including on governance and extractive sector reform; sustainable development; and international development cooperation (including in EU-Africa relations). He spent three years with FRIDE (Spain) managing a donor-funded programme on the EU’s role in managing fragility and resource governance in select African countries. In 2012-2015, he was Head, Governance of Africa’s Resource Programme (GARP) at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and also functioned as head of SAIIA’s Cape Town office. Ola is spearheading GGA's technical support to Nigerian reform, including delivering ethics training for senior Nigerian judicial officers and change-makers (2017-2019). He's also working to expand GGA's role as in-country resource centre for multilateral consultative missions to Nigeria's ministries and parastatals. These missions include the UNECA/AU mineral sector governance team.
Fisayo Alo
Author
Fisayo Alo is a Senior Researcher at Good Governance Africa Nigeria where he coordinates and supports research efforts. Fisayo has fifteen years of experience working in the development consulting, research, quality control, and community engagement. His interests include citizen participation in governance, policy analysis, economic development, and sustainable community development. Fisayo holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration (University of Lagos), a Post Graduate Diploma (PDG) in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development (Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta), a Certificate in Ethical Circular Economy (Arizona State University), and a B Sc. degree in Microbiology from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). He has managed a number of development projects and agricultural value chain studies for International donor agencies, such as USAID, FCDO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and GTZ.
Eniayo Ibirogba
Author
Eniayo Ibirogba is a law graduate from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom. Before studying law he got a degree in international law and diplomacy from Babcock university, Ogun state, Nigeria. His core interests are policy advisory, community development and human rights.
Julia Bello-Schunemann
Author
Dr Julia Bello-Schünemann is a multilingual research consultant. She is versed in integrated forecasting across sectors (including demographics, infrastructure, economics, conflict and violence, etc.), trend and risk analysis, data analysis, policy advice for governments and international organisations. Her expertise straddles Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the European Union. She possesses vast experience in project management, fundraising, strategic planning, multi-stakeholder consultations, training and facilitation. She is currently an Associate Senior Research Consultant with Good Governance Africa-Nigeria. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the Complutense University Madrid, Spain and an MA in Communication, Political Science and Economics from Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich in Germany.
Mark Adogah
GGA Chairmen
Mr Mark Adogah was appointed Chairman GGA-Nigeria in 2021. Mark is a Director at Citibank Nigeria’s Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory (BCMA) business. He is responsible for driving and supervising Citi Nigeria’s strategy for multinational Branded Consumer Goods, Aviation and Oil Services clients. He has been involved in several landmark lending and financing transactions in the industry. Mark has over 23 years’ experience in the areas of financial statements audit and assurance, business advisory and corporate and investment banking. He started his career with Arthur Andersen in Nigeria (now KPMG Professional Services) and worked in the Corporate Bank of Zenith Bank Plc and the Corporate Finance desk of FCMB Capital Markets Limited before joining Citibank. He has been in a senior management role since joining Citibank as an Assistant General Manager in October 2008. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and The Chartered Institutes of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). Mark holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Accounting and a Master's degree focused in Finance and Investments from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. Mark has extensive local and international training on leadership, negotiation, derivatives, risk management, advanced credit skills and other areas of accounting, finance and banking. He is happily married with children.
Kabir Hassan
Author
Kabir Hassan's core interest includes sustainable transport planning systems, community development and policy analysis. Kabir has a degree in Transport Planning and Policy from the Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria. His hobbies include reading, watching football and movies, and playing video games.
GGA West Africa
Tina Asante-Apeatu
GGA Executive Directors
Tina Asante-Apeatu is the executive director of GGA-West Africa Centre. She holds a BA in psychology and politics and eMBA in project management. She manages various projects, including research and advocacy in the areas of land governance, property rights and early childhood education. She is also currently the president of the Police Wives’ Association of Ghana. Tina is married with two children and loves travelling to new places.
Nana Osei-Bonsu
GGA Chairmen
Nana has over 40 years of experience spanning the private and public sectors. He is currently the CEO of the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF) of Ghana. The PEF is the most powerful and autonomous apex institution of all private businesses and trade associations in Ghana. Nana is an economist and financial expert with an extensive banking career in the USA. He worked with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the New York State Banking Department, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York and Alliance Capital where he obtained a Broker/Dealer License during that period. Nana also served as the Managing Partner of a private investment firm, Manoff Associates of New York. Nana later joined the investment banking division of JP Morgan Chase where he held senior management level positions. On his return to Ghana, Nana served as one of three Technical Advisors of the Economic Management Team of the Government of Ghana. At the same time, he doubled as a Technical Advisor to the Minister of State for Economic Planning. Nana was later appointed the first Chief Executive Officer of the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF) where he leveraged Government’s endowment to partner private sector investors, including some European Equity firms to create five Venture Capital Funds with the private partners contributing huge capital amounts. During his tenure, Nana increased Accumulated Capital of the Trust Fund immensely and attained great success. Following this, he was appointed the CEO of the Private Enterprise Federation, a position he currently holds. Nana also serves as a board or steering committee member of numerous public and private institutions including the following: Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement system (GHIPSS), DANIDA SPSD, National Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), Ghana Anti-corruption Coalition, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ghana Union life Assurance Company. Nana has had extensive interaction with the World Bank, the African development Bank, Donor Agencies and their respective consulates. He has also been actively involved other internationally sponsored programmes and activities across Africa.
Gifty Obeng
Author
Gifty Obeng is a monitoring and evaluation specialist with over 19 years’ experience in various fields of work. With an international training background (Masters level) in sustainable environmental practices, Gifty specialises in designing programmes and projects that protect the environment and thus limit the negative environmental footprint of human activities. She has been at the forefront of advising agencies like the B-Bovid (agro-processing social enterprise) on sustainable agricultural practices and climate change adaptative measures for farming communities. Gifty’s commitment to the use of best planning practices in all initiatives she has supported stems from her training as a development planning professional at undergraduate level (see CV). A trained school teacher with more than 10 years’ experience, Gifty is also skilled in training and mobilising stakeholders with various needs, and in designing content to suit various categories of clients. Gifty currently occupies the position of Programmes, Monitoring and Evaluations Manager at the Good Governance Africa Centre, where she uses her strong professional training background in business administration (Big Data), Quick Books and ComCare to steer programmes and activities.
Edward Sarpong
Author
Edward is a development planning professional with over 10 years working experience in development cooperation, research and training. For six years, Edward worked as a technical development advisor working at all levels of the decentralised system in Ghana. At the local level, he has been directly involved in community mobilisations and engagements to document the needs of the people mostly in deprived districts. These engagements were further used to enrich national policy discourse and in the formulation of policies and programmes. Edward also coordinated interventions with the then 10 Regional Coordinating Councils (RCC) to support selected districts in the implementation of their development programmes. Over the last five years Edward has been engaged in trainings and research, working both in the private and non-governmental sectors. With a strong planning background both at the masters’ and undergraduate levels, Edward is a passionate advocate of inclusive planning and decision making, particularly on matters that could reduce poverty amongst marginalised segments of society. Edward also holds a practitioner certificate in organisational and systems development; a background that positively influences his engagement with stakeholders at all levels of society. Currently, Edward occupies the position of Senior Research Officer at the Good Governance Africa – West Africa Centre (see CV).
