Biography

I was introduced to the KSAL programme through my former boss. As an intern in the Office of the Deputy President in South Africa, I came to learn about the programme and I was encouraged to apply to the University of London. This was in 2008. A few months earlier, I finished my Honors year with majors in International Relations and African Politics at the University of Pretoria. Through the KSAL programme I was able to pursue my Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy in the UK at the School of Oriental Studies and Diplomacy. I received comprehensive financial support, in addition to what I could only describe as mentorship from the KSAL programme team, and in particular Viwe Mtshontshi. The programme interventions embedded concrete leadership skills, self-sufficiency, and an authentic desire to contribute to Africa’s growth story through ploughing back. The programme expanded my scope of possibility. Today, I believe that I am contributing to telling Africa’s growth story through the work that I do as an anchor on CNBC Africa which broadcasts to 48 African countries. I have also founded a communication’s company, Akwande Communications; through that vehicle, I am teaching language skills to secondary school learners in one of Johannesburg’s most impoverished townships, Tembisa. Since completing my Masters, I have gone on to earn a certificate in business leadership at the Gordon Institute of Business Science and a postgraduate certificate in Marketing at the University of the Witwatersrand.