Author: Rowena Quinan

Prof. Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende is a Ugandan computer scientist and senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at Makerere University’s School of Computing and Informatics Technology. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, a Master of Science in Computer Science from Makerere University, and a Bachelor of Computer Science from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Dr. Nakatumba-Nabende currently heads the Makerere Artificial Intelligence Lab, where she leads research and capacity-building in artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, and business process management. Her work emphasizes inclusive and responsible AI approaches, and she is devoted to increasing diversity and gender equity within data science research. She is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Educational Advisory Committee, the Responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAIN) Africa Network, a board member of Data Science Africa, and a founding member of the Open for Good Alliance Inclusive AI Commons. She also serves as a research scientist within the ARUA–The Guild Cluster of Research Excellence focused on global and African challenges in AI and data science. 

Dr. Rachid Serraj is Director of the Africa Initiative and Associate Dean of Strategy at UM6P. An agronomist with a PhD from Montpellier University, his international career spans senior roles at CGIAR, (ICRISAT, ICARDA, IRRI), and FAO. His research focuses on dryland agriculture and resilience, crop stress tolerance, and agri-food systems innovation. With over 250 publications, he has supervised dozens of students and is a member of several international boards, including the HLPE-FSN Steering Committee.

Professor Sanjeev K. Sobhee was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mauritius on 19 September 2022. Before this substantive appointment, he served as Acting Vice-Chancellor starting March 2022. He held the role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academia) from April 2017 until his Vice-Chancellorship in September 2022. Prior to these senior administrative roles, Professor Sobhee was Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies and Humanities from 2008 to 2011 and headed the Department of Economics and Statistics from 2004 to 2006. He has extensive consultancy experience, having worked on several projects for international organizations including The World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). His academic expertise spans applied economics, public policy, and sustainable development, underpinned by a strong record in teaching and research at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Professor Margaret Jesang Hutchinson is the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi. She is a Professor of Horticulture with over 40 years’ experience in teaching, research, and outreach in the agriculture sector. As the first female Vice-Chancellor at the university, she has demonstrated strong leadership and management skills. She has been a long-serving Board Member of the Horticultural Crops Development Authority and has published widely in refereed journals and conferences. Professor Hutchinson is a member of several professional bodies and is passionate about economic, social, spiritual, and societal transformation in Kenya and Africa.

Jim Kaketch is a Senior Programme Officer in charge of PASGR’s Utafiti Sera project (Urban Governance, Kenya and Rwanda; Youth Employment Creation, Kenya; Universal Health Coverage, Zambia); Policy Cultures Study in Nigeria, Kenya and Rwanda; and Food Systems Transformation project, Kenya. Kaketch also coordinate African Youth Pathways to Resilience and Systems Change (AYPReS) project in 10 African countries. He holds an MSc in Public Policy & Administration, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK (Chevening Scholarship) and an MA in Political Science & Public Administration, University of Nairobi, Kenya (UoN Merit Scholarship). Kaketch has over 10 years of progressive experience gained through working on multi-year regional and country-level programmes on diverse thematic areas.

Prof. Anthony Egeru is the Manager Skilling, Engagement for Community Development, a 10-year project funded by The MasterCard Foundation to strengthen the effectiveness of university contribution to development through skills development particularly entrepreneurship of talented, motivated and disadvantaged youth in Africa. He previously served as Assistant Grants Manager at RUFORUM Secretariat, Lecturer at Makerere University and a secondary school teacher at Merryland High School, Entebbe. Anthony is a distinguished academic with a Research Gate Score of 10.34 and h-index of 4 and 13,710 reads and reviews in Academia. Anthony has multi-faceted experience in research including in systems ecology with a focus on management of dryland ecosystems, early warning system, rangeland health monitoring, land use planning, pastoral livelihoods, agro-forestry systems, climate change, adaptation and resilience programming and analysis, development processes-especially participatory analysis and curriculum design and development.

Sharon Fonn (MBBCh, PhD, MASSAf) is a founding and current co-director of the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa. The consortium brings together African Universities and Research Centres and Non-African partners. It has been active for the past 17 years. CARTA has produced 188 PhD graduates to date, supports early career researchers, trained over 600 faculty members in various aspects of research training and management among other achievements. CARTA is building a vibrant multidisciplinary African Academy that leads world-class research. Sharon is a Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and a Visiting Professor at the University of Gothenburg Sweden.

Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale is a Nigerian academic and scientist who currently serves as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. He assumed office in October 2021, having previously contributed significantly to university administration and policy as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) from June 2018 to October 2021. Professor Adebowale began his distinguished academic career at the University of Ibadan as a Graduate Assistant and advanced through the ranks, ultimately being conferred with the title of Professor of Industrial Chemistry in 2006. His scholarly impact extends beyond Ibadan, having served as a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, before returning to Ibadan in 1999 as a Senior Lecturer. Notably, he has held several key administrative positions, including Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Ibadan, where he played a central role in nurturing academic programs, research initiatives, and faculty development, thereby strengthening the institution’s reputation for scientific excellence.

Professor Mosa Moshabela is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Cape Town (UCT) and he also serves as the Chairperson of the Governing Board at the National Research Foundation (NRF). He is Chair of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) until 2026. IARU is a network of eleven international research-intensive universities from nine countries across the globe.

His vision as Vice-Chancellor is to consolidate UCT’s three missions – teaching, research and societal impact – while building a fourth mission to position the university as a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship for Africa, while living and embracing the values of ubuntu.

Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didace has been serving as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Rwanda since July 2022, appointed by the President of Rwanda. In this role, he provides strategic leadership to advance the university’s academic, research, and institutional development. Prior to this appointment, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the former National University of Rwanda from 2007 to 2009 and served as the Rector of the Institute for Legal Practice and Development (ILPD) from 2016 to 2017. He also held the position of Acting Principal of the University of Rwanda’s College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS). Dr. Didace holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the National University of Rwanda, an LL.M in International Business Law, and a Ph.D. in Law from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where his research focused on corporate governance and directors’ liability in Rwanda.