Speaker Category: Co-Chair

Mamadou Biteye is currently the Executive Secretary for The African Capacity Building Foundation. He has a wealth of expertise in the development sector in Africa. An agricultural economist by training, he has over twenty-five years’ experience in strategic leadership, program development and implementation, public policy analysis, advocacy, campaigning and community participatory development. He has held various leadership positions over the years at companies such as Vice President at VISA and Managing Director at the Rockefeller Foundation.

Ziaad Suleman is the Chief Commercial Officer and an Exco Member of EOH. Prior to this role, Ziaad was a Director and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for IBM  Southern Africa, a business he served and grew over his 13-year stay. In his current role as CCO, Ziaad is responsible for the overall Go To Market proposition which  includes sales, consulting, commercial constructs, investments, solutioning and marketing. Over and above EOH, Ziaad represents South Africa as the SA Chair of 4IR on BRICS, Chair of the  ICT 4IR Public Private Growth Initiative (PPGI), ICT Lead on the Digital Work Accelerator (DWA)  Presidential Programme, Independent Non – Executive Chairperson of Qode, Non – Executive  Director of Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa and Executive Member of D1GIT NPO.

Dr Vera Songwe is a Cameroonian economist and banking executive who has a long history working in leadership positions for the World Bank and International Finance Corporation. She is also the first woman to head the UN’s Economic Commission for Africa at the level of Under Secretary-General. She is currently the chairwoman of the liquidity and sustainability facility. She also serves as a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Africa Growth Initiative.

Nduka Obaigbena is the Duke of Owa Kingdom and is the founding Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the THISDAY-ARISE Media Group. He is a regular attendee and sessions moderator for the World Economic Forum and has served as a member of the Nominating Committee of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum. He is Chairman of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) as well as Chairman of the Nigerian Press Organisation – comprising the NPAN, the National Union of Journalists and the Nigerian Guild of Editors where he is a fellow.