Skip to content

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Youtube

Flickr

Meet the team

African Leadership Academy seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact, and accelerate the continent’s growth trajectory.
African Leadership Academy seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact, and accelerate the continent’s growth trajectory.

Josh Adler

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Josh is a is a self-proclaimed social impact explorer working towards leveraging the nexus of business, technology, education and social development to create new and meaningful public value. His extensive skills and experience makes Josh nothing short of an exceptional leader.

African Leadership Academy seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact, and accelerate the continent’s growth trajectory.

Melissa Mbazo

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Melissa manages the Anzisha Prize with the mission of celebrating very young entrepreneurs and actively sharing their stories, to increase the likelihood that others will choose to emulate their success.

African Leadership Academy seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact, and accelerate the continent’s growth trajectory.

Nhlawulo Shikwambane

COORDINATOR

Nhlawulo is committed to transforming the African narrative through story telling. She runs her own project to empower marginalised groups and lives by her self-established philosophy: what becomes of you is the time you put into what you want to become.

African Leadership Academy seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact, and accelerate the continent’s growth trajectory.

Didi Onwu

COMMUNICATIONS AND STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS ASSOCIATE

Didi is a cultural hybrid that is passionate about producing and designing stories that push readers to go beyond the page fold. As an assiduous multi-platform journalist, she is well versed in print, online, radio and digital communications.

African Leadership Academy seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact, and accelerate the continent’s growth trajectory.

Thokoza Mjo

PROGRAM LEAD, VERY YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS ACCELERATION

 

Thokoza offers support to the Anzisha fellows and is driven by her vision to live in an Africa with an economically active youth and is compelled to develop a generation that not only believes in their dreams but pursue them too.

African Leadership Academy seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of over 6,000 leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinary social impact, and accelerate the continent’s growth trajectory.

Nolizwe Mhlaba

COMMUNITY AND PROJECT MANAGER

Nolizwe  is an educator boasting nearly a decade of experience. She is well recognised for her experience in curriculum & instruction, youth development, and non-formal education in sub-Saharan Africa and the United States.

Tanya Mutepfa

Tanya Mutepfa

ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORT ASSOCIATE
 Facebook

Tanya has experience in Agribusiness, Human Resource Management, Entrepreneurship and Education in Emergencies. She is committed to being part of solutions that drive and enable continued socio-economic growth for young people on the African continent. Upon returning to Zimbabwe from Australia she co-founded a start-up business that partners with local artisans to create bespoke soft furnishings.

Patrice

Patrice Mirindi

ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORT ASSOCIATE
 Facebook

Patrice is an Agricultural Economist, African Research Economic Consortium (AERC) Alumni and member of the African Association of Agricultural Economist with expertise in project planning and management as well as policy analysis. With over 5 years of experience as an Entrepreneur, Researcher and Independent Consultant; he is passionate about research, youth empowerment and entrepreneurship.

Mfundo1

Mfundo Mbanze

VIDEOGRAPHER
 Facebook

Mfundo is a cinematographer/photographer who captures moments we can never relive. Catching those special stories that otherwise would have been lost through a poor recollection of events. He is a custodian of time gone by.

Amir

Amir Rezaei

ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORT ASSOCIATE
 Facebook

Amir has experience in economic development advisory in South Africa's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer space and has worked on business development projects in South Africa's private education and start-up spaces. He is passionate about leadership development training sessions, mentoring young leaders, working on community development and entrepreneurial initiatives.

Merridy

Merridy Wilson-Strydom

RESEARCHER
 Facebook

Merridy is a senior researcher and project manager at Neil Butcher and Associates (NBA) with 18 years’ experience doing social and educational research in academic and applied environments in Africa and other developing countries. She leads NBA’s work with the Anzisha Prize team to build and implement cutting edge monitoring and evaluation systems and approaches to support on-going program improvements and share key learnings with the wider community.

.