ACU Congress speakers and panellists

Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

Former United Nations Under- Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Deputy President of South Africa, and Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg

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Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka was awarded her bachelor’s degree in Arts and Education at the National University of Lesotho. She further obtained a qualification in Gender Policy and Planning from the University College London, a master's degree in Philosophy from the University of Cape Town, and a doctorate in Technology and Education from Warwick University.

As a student and in her professional life, she was a campaigner against Apartheid and gender discrimination. She was a lecturer and teacher before moving to Geneva as the global coordinator of young women’s mobilization at World YWCA, where she worked with young women around the world and established a global programme. She returned to Cape Town to spearhead TEAM, an ecumenical organisation that focused on building leaders, especially women. From there, she transitioned to campaign for South Africa’s democratic government as a member of the African National Congress.

Her political journey began as a member of the first democratic South African Parliament as Deputy Minister in the Department of Trade and Industry, then as Minister of Minerals and Energy, and finally as Deputy President of South Africa, the first woman to hold the position and the highest-ranking female political leader in the history of South Africa. She focused on collaboration between government, business and civil society, ending poverty and expanding access to opportunities for young people and women.

As the head of United Nations Women, she mobilised new allies, including men, through initiatives such as the HeforShe movement, established the UnStereotype Alliance initiative for influencing advertising norms for positive change and equal representation, and helped countries to change hundreds of laws that discriminate against women and girls.

She has also successfully mobilised a historic 40 billion USD in financial commitments from Member States, private sector, philanthropies and civil society to mark Beijing 25 around the world.

She was inducted as a Hauser Leader at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership and awarded the Vanguardaward by Howard University for Leadership and Activism in promoting human rights, equality and justice for women and girls.

She has authored several scholarly and other opinion pieces, including in the Harvard International Review. She was awarded Honorary Doctorates from the following institutions: the University of the Western Cape, Nelson Mandela University, the University of Fort Hare, University of Witwatersrand, Rhodes University and the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka continues to be engaged with organisations committed to education, women empowerment and gender equality. She founded the Umlambo Foundation, which works for the improvement of education, access to edu tech, and non-discrimination. She Is on the Board of the global organisation Women Deliver, Global Citizen, Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, Chairperson of International Olympics Committee human rights and a member of the panel of Wise at the African Union.

Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili

Senior economic advisor at the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI); Founder/President, Human Capital Africa (HCA); Founder and Chair, School of Politics Policy and Governance (SPPG)

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Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, born April 28, 1963, is a Nigerian economic policy expert, advocate for transparency, and activist. She served as Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa Region (2007-2012), overseeing operations in 48 Sub-Saharan countries. She was Nigeria’s Minister of Education (2006-2007) and Minister of Solid Minerals (2005-2006), and headed the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit, earning the nickname “Madam Due Process” for reforming public procurement.

Ezekwesili co-founded Transparency International and was a pioneer director (1994-1999). She also co-founded the #BringBackOurGirls movement in 2014, advocating for the release of abducted Chibok schoolgirls, contributing to the freedom of 107 girls. She founded the #FixPolitics Initiative, the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance (SPPG), and Human Capital Africa, focusing on governance and education. A 2018 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, she ran for Nigeria’s presidency in 2019.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nigeria, a master’s in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, and a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from Harvard Kennedy School. A chartered accountant, she worked at Deloitte & Touche and with Jeffrey Sachs at Harvard. She’s a senior economic advisor at the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI) and chairs the Women Political Leaders (WPL) board.

Ezekwesili is married to Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili, with three sons, and is an ordained pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God. She’s received honors like the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) and honorary doctorates from the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and the University of Essex.

Professor Barney Glover AO

Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia

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Professor Margaret Hutchinson

Vice-chancellor of the University of Nairobi

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Professor Cheryl de la Rey

Chairperson of the ACU, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand

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Professor Colin Riordan

ACU Secretary General and Chief Executive

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Dr Pankaj Mittal

Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities

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Professor Olusola Oyewole

Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities (AAU)

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Professor Olusola Oyewole is the Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities (AAU), with Headquarters in Accra, Ghana. He is a Professor of Food Science and Technology (Food Microbiology and Biotechnology) at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, from where he is currently on sabbatical leave to AAU. He was the Vice Chancellor of the University from May 2012 to May 2017. Professor Oyewole has over thirty six years’ experience
working in the African higher education space, and has over one hundred scholarly publications to his credit. He has served as a Senior Expert (Quality Assurance, Mobility and Scholarships) at the Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology of the African Union Commission in Ethiopia, Addis-Ababa, from 2009
to 2010.

Prior to coming over to the African Union Commission, Professor Oyewole was the Coordinator of the British government-sponsored project on the “Mobilisation of Regional Initiatives for the revitalisation of higher education in Africa”, at the Association of African Universities (AAU), Accra, Ghana, from 2007 to 2009. His assignment involved promotion and management of African continental research networking and research programmes for development. He has also served as the
Project Officer of the World Bank project on “Quality Assurance for African Higher Education systems” at the Association of African Universities (2006 – 2009).

Professor Oyewole has worked in national, regional and continental organizations and has experience in coordinating multinational research and development programs. He has experience in international and inter-governmental relations, advocacy and lobbying for research and research funding.

Olusola Oyewole has developed interest in the development of higher education in Africa. His areas of focus include quality assurance, leadership and management in African higher education systems, research systems. At the African Union, Professor Oyewole was charged with the coordination of the Mwalimu Nyerere Scheme, which programmes include the African Quality Rating Mechanisms (AQRM)
scheme, the Mwalimu Nyerere Scholarship programme, and the African – EU-ACP Mobility scheme. He is currently a member of the Advisory Group of the OECD programme on innovation, higher education and research for development, and the Tuning Africa quality assurance programme. He is currently the sub-cluster coordinator of the African Union Commission Continental Education Strategy for Education in Africa (CESA) on research and graduate studies.

Ms Louise Haxthausen

Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi

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Professor Wendy Thomson CBE

Vice-Chancellor of the University of London

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Dr Arjoon Suddhoo

Deputy Secretary General, Commonwealth Secretariat

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Dr Fiona Wanjiku Moejes

Chief Executive Officer, Mawazo Institute

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Professor Sonjah Stanley Niaah

Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI)

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Dr Benson Honig

Business Research Chair in Social Entrepreneurship at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business

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Professor Benedict M Mutua

Vice-Chancellor of the Technical University of Kenya

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Professor Hester C Klopper

Vice-Chancellor and Principal

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Prof Hester C Klopper is the 15th Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Free State (UFS) since 1 February 2025. She is a global academic leader, experienced executive, published author, and seasoned researcher. Professor Klopper has eight postgraduate qualifications, including a PhD from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and an MBA from the University of Luton (UK). She also received an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University (UK) for her contribution to the health and nursing sciences. Before joining the UFS, Professor Klopper was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Stellenbosch University for eight and a half years, overseeing Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs (SGCA).

Her quality was recognised as a young academic, as the Minister of Health appointed her to the National Task Force to investigate Nursing Education in South Africa in 1994. The following three years she was listed among the Top 500 Women in South Africa and held more than 30 local and global leadership roles during her career. She has served on numerous global and national boards related to global health, doctoral education, health policy, and nursing science. Between 2013 and 2015, she led one of the world’s largest international membership organisations with more than 135,000 members across 95 countries.

Professor Klopper is a fellow of the Academy of Science of South Africa, was the first South African to be inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and was a recipient of the Fellowship Ad Eundem of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. In recognition of research excellence, she was inducted into the Sigma Hall of Fame and the Fundisa Hall of Fame.

Her exceptional strategic leadership, research, and teaching skills are reflected in her distinguished career spanning 30 years. Driven by her passion to shape the future through education, development, and service, she continues to be a catalyst for innovation and growth.

Professor Pal Ahluwalia

Former Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the South Pacific

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Senior Professor PMC Thilakerathne

Vice-Chancellor, The Open University of Sri Lanka Chairman; Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors (CVCD); Council Member and Trustee, Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)

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Professor John Strachan

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and Dean of the Graduate College at Bath Spa University

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Professor Alan Shepard

President and Vice-Chancellor of Western University, Canada

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Dr John R Sylliboy

Vice-Provost, Indigenous Relations at Dalhousie University

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Professor Hina Tayyaba Khalil

Vice Chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD)

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Michael Shouldice

Manager, Partnerships and Collaborations at Athabasca University

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Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana

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Ms Ivy Mwai

Acting Director Scholars Programme, Mastercard Foundation

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Ms Purity Mutua

Vice President, UNSA Council 2025/2026

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Dr Baljit Singh

Vice-President Research, University of Sasketchewan, Canada

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Dr Baljit Singh is a highly accomplished researcher, educator and administrator in the field of veterinary medicine, with specific expertise in lung biology and anatomy. He began his role as Vice-President Research at the University of Saskatchewan in 2021, after serving as Dean of the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (2016 – 2020), and as Associate Dean of Research at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (2010 – 2016). He also was a Special Advisor (Experiential Learning) to the Provost (2010-2012) at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr Singh’s formal education includes a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (BVSc and AH) and Master of Veterinary Science (MVSc) from Punjab Agricultural University in Punjab; a PhD from the University of Guelph; post-doctoral training at Texas A&M University and Columbia University, New York; and he completed licensing requirements set by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) for foreign veterinary graduates.

Dr Singh has received the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, the Alan Blizzard National Award for Collaboration in University Teaching and Learning, the University of Saskatchewan Master Teacher Award, the University of Saskatchewan’s Provost’s Prize for Innovative Practice of Teaching and Learning, and the Carl J Norden Distinguished Teacher Award. He has also received the Outstanding Veterinary Anatomist Award from the American Association of Veterinary Anatomists, as well as the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence. In 2013 he was named a fellow of the American Association of Anatomists.

Dr Singh’s research has focused on cell and molecular biology of lung inflammation. He is the author or co-author of more than 135 peer-reviewed journal articles and books including the Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy (Elsevier), and has supervised the research training of more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students.

Professor Nicholas Ozor

Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), Kenya

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Professor Ruth Karachi Benson Oji

Associate Professor of Pragmatics and Digital Media Discourse, Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria

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Ambassador Professor Royson Mukwena

Vice Chancellor of Mulungushi University, Zambia

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Ambassador Professor Royson M Mukwena is Vice-Chancellor of Mulungushi University in Kabwe, Zambia. He took up the position of Vice Chancellor Mulungushi University on 1 August 2024. Before joining Mulungushi University as Vice Chancellor he was Executive Director of the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) from December 2015 to July 2024. Before joining NIPA, he was Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Director of Research and Postgraduate Studies at Mulungushi University. Before joining Mulungushi University, Ambassador Professor Mukwena was Executive Director of a regional think-tank, the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Before moving to Addis Ababa, Ambassador Professor Mukwena was Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Resident in London) to The Holy See and Ireland.

Prior to London, he was High Commissioner of Zambia to Tanzania and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Resident in Dar es Salaam) to the Republics of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Union of the Comoros. Before joining the Zambian Diplomatic Service, Professor Mukwena lectured at the Universities of Zambia and Namibia, and served the latter also as Head of the Department of Political and Administrative Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management Science. His articles on higher education and public administration in Zambia, local government, decentralisation and fiscal decentralisation in Zambia and Namibia, and on privatisation in Africa have appeared in several international journals.

He is also co-editor of Governance in Southern Africa and Beyond: Experiences of Institutional and Public Policy Reform in Developing Countries (Gamsberg Macmillan Publishers, Windhoek, 2004); Decentralisation and Regional and Local Government in Namibia (Printech, Windhoek, 2008); and Zambia at Fifty Years: What went right, what went wrong and wither to? A treatise of the country’s socio-economic and political developments since independence (Partridge, Bloomington, 2016). Further, during his tour of duty as an ambassador, Ambassador Professor Mukwena also served as a Special Envoy of the President of Zambia.

Ambassador Professor Mukwena holds a Bachelor of Arts (Public Administration) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees from The University of Zambia and PhD in Public Administration from The University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

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Our Congress speakers and panellists

Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

Former United Nations Under- Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Deputy President of South Africa, and Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg

Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili

Senior economic advisor at the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI); Founder/President, Human Capital Africa (HCA); Founder and Chair, School of Politics Policy and Governance (SPPG)

Professor Barney Glover AO

Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia

Professor Margaret Hutchinson

Vice-chancellor of the University of Nairobi

Professor Cheryl de la Rey

Chairperson of the ACU, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Professor Colin Riordan

ACU Secretary General and Chief Executive

Dr Pankaj Mittal

Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities

Professor Olusola Oyewole

Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities (AAU)

Ms Louise Haxthausen

Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi

Professor Wendy Thomson CBE

Vice-Chancellor of the University of London

Dr Arjoon Suddhoo

Deputy Secretary General, Commonwealth Secretariat

Dr Fiona Wanjiku Moejes

Chief Executive Officer, Mawazo Institute

Professor Sonjah Stanley Niaah

Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI)

Dr Benson Honig

Business Research Chair in Social Entrepreneurship at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business

Professor Benedict M Mutua

Vice-Chancellor of the Technical University of Kenya

Professor Hester C Klopper

Vice-Chancellor and Principal

Professor Pal Ahluwalia

Former Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the South Pacific

Senior Professor PMC Thilakerathne

Vice-Chancellor, The Open University of Sri Lanka Chairman; Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors (CVCD); Council Member and Trustee, Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)

Professor John Strachan

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and Dean of the Graduate College at Bath Spa University

Professor Alan Shepard

President and Vice-Chancellor of Western University, Canada

Dr John R Sylliboy

Vice-Provost, Indigenous Relations at Dalhousie University

Professor Hina Tayyaba Khalil

Vice Chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD)

Michael Shouldice

Manager, Partnerships and Collaborations at Athabasca University

Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana

Ms Ivy Mwai

Acting Director Scholars Programme, Mastercard Foundation

Ms Purity Mutua

Vice President, UNSA Council 2025/2026

Dr Baljit Singh

Vice-President Research, University of Sasketchewan, Canada

Professor Nicholas Ozor

Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), Kenya

Professor Ruth Karachi Benson Oji

Associate Professor of Pragmatics and Digital Media Discourse, Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria

Ambassador Professor Royson Mukwena

Vice Chancellor of Mulungushi University, Zambia