H.E. Wamkele Mene was elected by the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of States & Government of the African Union, to the position of Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

Prior to being elected Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, he served as Chief Director: Africa Economic Relations, at the Department of Trade & Industry of South Africa. In this role, he was South Africa’s chief trade negotiator in the AfCFTA and Tripartite FTA negotiations. During his tenure as chief negotiator, South Africa ratified both the AfCFTA and Tripartite FTAs agreements.

Prior to assuming this position, H.E. Wamkele Mene occupied the position of Director: International Trade Law & Investment Law at the Department of Trade & Industry, a role in which he was principal legal counsel on international trade law and international investment law.

From 2010 until 2015, H.E. Wamkele Mene represented South Africa at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. He was elected to the position of Chairman of the WTO’s Committee on International Trade in Financial Services.

Prior to joining the Department of Trade & Industry of South Africa, H.E. Wamkele Mene worked for Wall Street based law firms in the London and Hong Kong offices.

H.E. Wamkele Mene has written and lectured internationally on international trade law, international investment law and international business law. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Law) degree from Rhodes University in South Africa, a Master of Arts in International Studies & Diplomacy (with specialization in International Economics) from the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London and a LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Banking Law & Financial Regulation from the Law Department of the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE).

H.E. Elias M. Magosi is a national of the Republic of Botswana who was sworn in on 18th August, 2021 as the Seventh SADC Executive Secretary at the 41^st SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Lilongwe, Republic of Malawi. He assumed his position on 1 September, 2021.

H.E. Magosi started his career in public service as Management Analyst in the Directorate of Public Service Management of Botswana in 1989 and rose through the ranks to become Permanent Secretary in different ministries before his appointment as the Principal Secretary to the President in February 2020, effectively becoming the head of Public Service in Botswana. In this role, he coordinated and facilitated delivery linkages for ministries and parastatals to achieve national and international obligations; and provided advisory support to the President, Vice President, Cabinet, Permanent Secretaries, Private Sector and regional bodies.

In the private sector, H.E. Magosi has served in senior human resources portfolios, having served as Cluster Head of Human Resources-Consumer Banking, Southern Africa at Standard Chartered Bank from 2013 to 2014. There, he managed and drove overall human resource strategy and provided appropriate human resource solutions for the Consumer Banking businesses in the cluster comprising Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

H.E. Magosi was Head of Human Resources for Botswana Life Insurance Limited from 2007 to 2010 before assuming a group role in Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited, of which Botswana Life Insurance is a subsidiary, and where he served as Group Head of Human Resources from 2010 to 2012.

H.E. Magosi has an in-depth understanding of the role of SADC in promoting and deepening regional integration, cooperation and development having served as Director of Human Resources and Administration at the SADC Secretariat where in addition to the development and execution of Secretariat’s human resource strategy, he was instrumental in engaging and coordinating with SADC Member States and other stakeholders as a member of the Secretariat Management.

With an extensive experience and a proven track record of service in the public and private sectors spanning over a period of more than 30 years, H.E. Magosi understands that achieving SADC goals and objectives requires collective and collaborative efforts of all Member States, partners and stakeholders, and has an unwavering commitment to working closely with relevant structures in the SADC Member States, the Private Sector, International Cooperating Partners as well as regional and international bodies in the promotion and furtherance of SADC objectives.

As head of the SADC Secretariat, a principal executive institution of SADC, H.E. Magosi, among other strategic functions, oversees and coordinates the implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and SADC Vision 2050 which envision a peaceful, inclusive, competitive, middle-to-high-income industrialised region, where all citizens enjoy sustainable economic well-being, justice and freedom., com, middle- to high-income.

H.E. Magosi holds a Master’s Degree in Organisation Development from Bowling Green State University, USA, Graduate Diploma in Management Services from the University of Bolton, United Kingdom and Bachelor of Arts Economics/Statistics from the University of Botswana.

Vera Kamtukule is a Malawian author, writer, publisher, activist and politician, who holds a ministerial position in the Cabinet of Malawi. Vera Kamtukule was appointed minister of Tourism on 31 January 2023.

Until her appointment Vera served as the Minister Labour since 26 January 2022[2] and as deputy Minister of Labour following the 2020 Malawian presidential election. In 2021 Vera Kamtukule assumed her role as Chair of the SADC Employment and Labour Sector.

Honourable Peggy Onkutlwile Serame was appointed Minister of Finance and Economic Development on 16 April, 2021. Before then she served as the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry from 6 November, 2019 to the 16 April, 2021. Honourable Serame was the immediate past Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary to the President from September to November 2019. Prior to her appointment as Minister she was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Investment Trade and Industry from January 2015 to November 2019.

Honourable Serame has served in various positions in the public service. Upon graduating she was employed as an Economist II in the then Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Division of Economic and Financial Policy. She has over the years served in various portfolios amongst others, she was Director for Macroeconomic Policy where she coordinated the preparation and implementation of National Development Plans, economic modelling and related research.

The Honourable Minister has served on a number of Boards, including SPEDU, Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS), Botswana Privatisation Asset Holdings and Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency Venture Capital Fund (CVCF), Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) and Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA).

Honourable Serame is an economist by profession with a Master’s Degree in Economics and Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Statistics, from the University of Botswana. Her goal remains making significant contribution to the development and transformation of Botswana’s economy ultimately changing the lives of Batswana.

Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili is Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) since 1 January 2018 after being elected by the 22^nd Session of UNWTO General Assembly. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain, the Principality of Andorra, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and the Kingdom of Morocco and Permanent Representative of Georgia to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) up to December 2017.

Between 2009 and 2010, he was Minister of Economic Development of Georgia. As a Minister of Economic Development of Georgia, Mr Pololikashvili was responsible for overseeing the country’s long-term fiscal growth strategies, advancing foreign trade and investment policy initiatives as well as for promoting the development of the tourism, infrastructure and transportation sectors.

He was instrumental in launching an innovative policy for the development of tourism in Georgia, prioritizing the sphere on both the government and private sector agendas. During Mr Pololikashvili’s tenure as Minister of Economic Development, through key policy reforms, marketing activities, improvement of infrastructure and visa liberalization initiatives, Georgia nearly doubled the number of international tourist arrivals, from 1.5 million (2009) to exceeding the 2.8 million mark by 2011.

Those reforms paved the way for sustainable tourism practices in Georgia and poverty alleviation initiatives, placing Georgia among the top tourism destinations in the region. Minister Pololikashvili successfully led the economic liberalization processes, introducing supportive policies for SMEs, and incentive programmes to attract foreign investment for the development of hard and soft infrastructure.

• 2006 – 2009 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain.
• 2005 – 2006 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In this capacity as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, he supervised the departments for administrative, budgetary, financial and consular affairs, as well as the Department for Human Resources Management. Mr. Pololikashvili was responsible for ushering in a new phase of more liberal and secure visa regimes, facilitation of processes to ease border crossing procedures, and deepening relations with various international organizations, including UNWTO.

As the Regional Director for Southern Africa at IFC – International Finance Corporation, Cláudia leads the strategy and operations of the world’s largest development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.

With over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Cláudia has a proven track record of delivering innovative and impactful solutions for clients across various sectors and geographies, especially in the energy and natural resources sector.

Her core competencies include financial risk management, corporate finance, financial planning, and debt restructuring and insolvency. Cláudia also has a keen interest in emerging technologies and their applications in the financial sector, such as blockchain and digital currencies. Cláudia recently completed the Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme, which enhanced my knowledge and skills in this exciting and rapidly evolving field.

Her mission is to leverage my expertise and network to support the development and growth of sustainable and inclusive businesses and economies in Southern Africa and beyond.

Keitumetse Setlang has been part of the tourism industry in the marketing and public relations field since 1998 when she joined the industry as a Public Relations Manager.

Currently sitting in the Executive Manager – Marketing position in Botswana Tourism Organisation; she has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the Botswana Tourism Strategy focusing on Global Destination Marketing, Brand Management and Public Relations for Botswana Tourism as well as resuscitating travel and tourism following continuous COVID-19 implications through highlighting and availing linkages to the tourism industry to increase its impact on the local economy, ‘it is important to strengthen these linkages to create business opportunities across tourism value chains’.

Keitumetse is also instrumental in the stimulation of the MICE or business tourism sector.

His Excellency Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi is the fifth and current President of the Republic of Botswana, an office he assumed in April 2018.

Prior to this, President Masisi served as Botswana’s eighth Vice President from 2014-2018 and, before that, held a number of ministerial positions, including the Minister of Education and Skills Development and Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration. He also served as the Member of Parliament for the Moshupa-Manyana Constituency and between 1995 and 2003 was an Education Project Officer with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

President Masisi holds a Master of Science Degree from Florida State University and a Diploma in Secondary Education from the University of Botswana. He also undertook graduate studies in Economics and Social Policy at Manchester University, under the Commonwealth Chevening Scholarship programme.

Hans Shrader has worked on Private Sector Development in emerging economies countries for the last 25 years. Originally with the World Bank from 1998, he joined IFC in 2000 to work specifically on the implementation of private sector policy reforms that increase investment, improve competitiveness and support economic growth.

From 2003, Hans worked in Asia and led teams to develop and implement Investment Climate growth strategies and related regulatory reform in partnership with Asian governments and private sector institutions.

From 2015, he has working in Eastern and Southern African countries with a focus on Agribusiness investment and development. His expertise lies in legal and policy reform that rationalizes regulation and improves competitiveness. Hans has an MBA and an MA in International Affairs and is based in Johannesburg.

Nuzhat Anwar is responsible for implementing IFC’s country strategy in Botswana, promoting economic diversification and increasing private sector participation in key sectors such as energy, tourism, water and sanitation and financial institutions. She will also the lead for business development and government relations. Before moving to this role, she was covering Bangladesh.

Prior to her current role, she was the Financial Institutions Head, Citibank NA Bangladesh where she was the Business Credit Officer and responsible for business strategy, coverage, and performance of the portfolio as well as the capital and credit deployed. During 16 years with Citi, she worked in different capacities from product to sales to relationship management.  She also led the Investment and Intermediaries Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh responsible for the capital market infrastructural business.

She has expertise on various topics such as Capital Management, Liquidity, Transaction Services as well as Portfolio Optimization and Market Advocacy for the introduction of new products, regulations, and governance structure. She has been significantly involved in number of highly sensitive client situations and experienced in Risk Management. She has a master’s in commerce (major in finance) from Dhaka University, Bangladesh.