Webinars

Priscilla Chitimwango is a Junior Trade Policy Advisor at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) – under the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) African Union. She specializes in trade policy analysis, regional integration, and economic development, with a focus on the role of the AfCFTA framework. In her role, she supports policy formulation, stakeholder engagement, and capacity-building initiatives to enhance Zambia’s trade competitiveness within the AfCFTA.

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Alberto Lemma is a research fellow at the International Economic Development Group, he specialises in private sector development, specifically in access to finance, business partnership programmes and the interplay between the private sector and climate change adaptation and mitigation. His work on finance focuses on Development Finance Institution impact assessment, SME finance and access to innovative sources of finance such as crowdfunding or alternative financial mechanisms to SMEs.

Charles Tembo is a humanitarian, human rights advocate, and social development programs expert with over a decade of experience advancing youth empowerment and gender equality across Africa. He has played a leading role in shaping local, regional, and international frameworks that promote human rights, skills development, and employability, particularly for youth and women. Recognized by the African Union as one of Africa’s emerging leaders, Charles has been a strong voice in continental policy dialogues focused on addressing human rights matters.

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Fahad Abubakar Longman is an IT Consultant and Public Servant driving legislative efficiency and youth inclusion in Nigeria through his work at NILDS. A Mandela Washington Fellow and former Special Assistant to the Kaduna State Governor, he has led policy implementation, capacity building, and community engagement initiatives. Recognized among the 100 Most Impactful Young Nigerians, Fahad actively advances democratic governance and human rights through technology and legislative reform.

Esther Chilala is an accomplished research and policy analyst who has actively worked at the Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research, where she has established herself as a formidable force in the field of research and policy under the emerging themes unit. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Lusaka, which has provided her with a strong analytical foundation to approach complex challenges with precision.

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Dr. Lauren Johnston is a consultant senior researcher in the Foreign Policy Programme of the South African Institute of International Affairs. She holds a PhD in economics from Peking University. She has expertise in and is widely published on the economics and political economy of China-Africa relations, the Belt and Road Initiative, and how population aging impacts China’s economy.

Dr. Gavaza Maluleke works as a senior lecturer in the department of political studies at the University of Cape Town and obtained her PhD at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. Her most recent postdoctoral work was in the democracy, governance and service delivery unit at the Human Science Research Council. She also worked as a consultant at United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility. Her research interests are in digital activism, transnational feminisms, migration, gendered violence, masculinities and media studies in Africa.

Faith Nimineh is the senior advisor of humanitarian affairs at ChildFund Alliance in New York. For more than twenty years, she has worked in humanitarian development, implementing child protection programs in conflict and post-conflict settings and championing the rights of children and people affected by conflicts and disasters. She has advocated for the protection of children from abuse, exploitation, and violence, including in her native country, Liberia, where she witnessed and experienced the impact of armed conflict on children and their families.

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Ruhamah Ifere is a tech innovator and peacebuilder with over five years of experience advancing human rights, gender equality, and youth inclusion in African peacebuilding. She is the founder of Trully Verify Africa, a social enterprise promoting digital literacy to combat disinformation, and leads the Sexual Offences Watch Observers Project, which has impacted over 5,000 young people in addressing gender-based violence. Ruhamah also hosts “Vantage Point,” a platform focused on gender equality and information integrity.

Dr. Sven Grimm is a political scientist who has worked on external partners’ cooperation with Africa since 1999. His research has focused on the role of emerging economies in Africa, with particular attention to China-Africa relations since 2006. Dr. Grimm studied in Hamburg, Germany; Accra, Ghana; and Dakar, Senegal. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Hamburg in 2002 with a thesis on EU-Africa relations. He has previously worked with the London-based Overseas Development Institute and the German Development Institute.