On Friday, November 28, 2025, ConstructAfrica successfully held its first Ambassador Town Hall Meeting, bringing together a group of distinguished leaders from across Africa’s construction, infrastructure, finance, law, education, technology and policy sectors. This historic gathering marks the formal introduction of the ConstructAfrica Ambassador Program, an initiative designed by the ConstructAfrica Industry Advisory Board (CIAB) to champion excellence, collaboration and thought leadership across the continent’s built environment ecosystem.
The City Hall laid the foundation for a new pan-African professional community committed to strengthening Africa’s construction sector, one of the most important drivers of the continent’s economic and social development.
Milestones to the future of construction in Africa
The inaugural town hall emphasized both the importance of building and infrastructure development in Africa and the urgent need for coordinated leadership. The sector – one of the fastest growing in the world – contributes up to 11% of GDP in Africa’s major markets, attracts trillions of dollars in pipeline investment, and serves as a catalyst for job creation, industrialization, regional integration and improved quality of life across the continent.
Against this backdrop, the Ambassador Program aims to mobilize 100 influential leaders by 2026 to help shape a more sustainable, investable and globally competitive African construction industry.
Introducing the ConstructAfrica Ambassador Program, Dr. Nelson Ogunshakin OBE, Chairman of the ConstructAfrica Industry Advisory Board (CIAB), said: “The Ambassador Program brings together a select group of highly qualified experts and visionaries who are committed to driving Africa’s infrastructure transformation. This initiative will serve as a global mindset.” We would like to build a collaborative network with Tank to increase Africa’s voice in the development debate and strengthen the flow of insights, innovations and best practices across sectors. On behalf of CIAB, I welcome the new ambassadors and look forward to working with each member towards the success of future programs that strengthen Africa’s construction sector. ”
Demonstrating ConstructAfrica’s commitment to excellence
The launch of the Town Hall and Ambassador Program marks the deepening of ConstructAfrica’s commitment to supporting Africa’s construction ecosystem with a platform for trusted market intelligence, strategic dialogue and knowledge exchange.
Dr. Segun Faniran, ConstructAfrica Founder and Publisher, shared his thoughts on the importance of the program, saying, “The ConstructAfrica Ambassador Program brings together prominent thought leaders from a diverse range of disciplines across key disciplines relevant to Africa’s construction landscape. Through this initiative, we are advancing industry standards. This program reflects ConstructAfrica’s commitment to market intelligence, fostering collaboration, and building the foundation for a more connected and resilient continent.
As a pan-African hub for data, insights and thought leadership, ConstructAfrica remains focused on empowering investors, developers, policymakers and practitioners to make informed decisions that lead to sustainable and impactful infrastructure delivery.
The town hall concluded with a thank you to the inaugural delegation of ambassadors whose expertise and passion reflect ConstructAfrica’s vision of building a stronger, more connected and resilient Africa.
Ambassador list
S/N
name
role
Specialty field
country
1
Jumoke Ogundare
Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Lagoon Highways Limited
developers and investors
Nigeria
2
Hakeem Oguniran
Chairman of Eximia Realty
housing development
Nigeria
3
grace bema
BCHOD Consulting Engineer Managing Director
design engineering
Zimbabwe
4
Rob Mawson
Partner, Pinsent Masons
Legal/Lawyer
South Africa
5
Tunde Fagbemi
Chair, Dukia gold
aviation and mining
Nigeria
6
eddie andrews
Deputy Mayor of Cape Town
government
South Africa
7
colette yende
Chief Procurement Officer, Transnet Engineering
procurement
South Africa
8
Bruce Mutauruwa
CEO of Rapidus Engineering Co., Ltd.
civil engineering
South Africa
9
Ngaso Tlale
Vice Chancellor, Tshwane University of Technology
Engineering/Academic Leadership
South Africa
10
Mukele Dodolo
Zimbabwe NUST Vice Chancellor
Engineering/Academic Leadership
Zimbabwe
11
vibhuti jainism
DFC Africa Regional Head, MD
infrastructure finance
South Africa
12
Denamo Adichie
Professor, Addis Ababa University
construction project management
ethiopia
13
Sophonious Deneke
Director of Amigos Research Institute
construction technology
ethiopia
14
Ubishet Jekare Menegusha
Jekale CM Consultancy Director
construction
ethiopia
15
Shiferau Alem
Program Director, Ethiopian Airlines
infrastructure development
ethiopia
16
Refilwe S. Buthelezi
President, African Federation of Engineering Organizations (FAEO)
engineering leadership
South Africa
17
Kazawedi Papias
TASK Africa Managing Director
engineering leadership
tanzania
18
james aforal
Program Manager (Data), Cognizant
Infrastructure asset management. that
Nigeria
19
Alfie Chimeza
Gleeds Program Advisory Director
infrastructure advisory
Zimbabwe
20
Yusuf Abdi
Construction Engineer, Karen, Gromit, Ro
construction engineering
Somalia
twenty one
Bwaliya Lumbwe
Construction Disputes Specialist, Incipio, Zambia
Construction Law; Fiddich
Zambia
twenty two
Derrick Nkera
Director, Turner & Townsend, Rwanda
Cost management; Construction consulting; East Africa
Rwanda
twenty three
Lanre Laware
Arup, Technical Specialist Services – Group Leader for India, Middle East and Africa
facade engineering
Nigeria
twenty four
Wale Okubadejo
OAC Architects Managing Partner
architecture
Nigeria
twenty five
Igbuan Okaisobor
Construction Kaiser Chief Executive Officer
construction business
Nigeria
26
clare barley
Partner, Pinsent Masons
Construction law; Infrastructure project planning; Financial structuring; Risk management
South Africa
27
Theophilus Shittu
UNESCO Chair in Earth Architecture, Architectural Culture and Sustainable Development
sustainable architecture. Urbanism. Architectural technology; construction technology; construction management
Nigeria
28
Ronald Mbiu
Consultant Quantity Surveyor and Construction Project Manager, Endelevu Designs, Kenya
sustainable design and construction services
kenya
29
charles malek
Dar Al Handassah, Global Director of Structural and Bridge Engineering (DAR)
Bridge engineering; Architectural structures; 3D printing
(based in lebanon)
30
Hussein Mohammed
Professor of Civil Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Engineering materials; operation and performance evaluation of engineering structures
Nigeria
31
Aramide Adeyoye
Chief Executive Officer, ABM Infrastructure Advisory
infrastructure planning. Engineering procurement and construction
Nigeria
32
Katella Kasuwaga
Bridge Engineer, Yushu
bridge engineering
tanzania
33
Vishal Haripersad
Knight Piersold Southern Africa Representative Director
Engineering (Mining and Infrastructure)
South Africa
34
Rizwan Qadri
Managing Director, Riz Consulting Services Limited
infrastructure and consulting
tanzania
35
brighton map fumo
Seychelles Infrastructure Agency Project Manager
Project management and quantity surveying
seychelles
36
Charles Gavamukriya
CG Engineering Consults Managing Director (Contracts and Commercial Lead)
Construction law and dispute resolution
uganda
37
conceptoroma
weigher
quantity surveying
kenya
38
John Beecroft
CEO of Tetra Manor
Finance; under contract
Nigeria
39
Effie Mpakati Gama
Vice Chancellor of Hebron University in Malawi. Consultant, Sustainable Construction, Malawi
sustainability. green construction
Malawi
40
Marzia Traverso
Professor of Sustainability in Civil Engineering. Circular SRL Co-Founder
sustainability. green construction
(based in germany)
41
Kahil Kajimo-Shakantu
Head of the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management, University of the Free State
construction
South Africa
42
Abimbola Windapo
Deputy Dean, University of Cape Town
construction
South Africa/Nigeria
43
Olusegun Ijalana
Seychelles Infrastructure Authority, Senior Architect/Project Manager
architecture
Nigeria/Seychelles
44
malde van wyk
27four, Private Market Principal Consultant
finance
South Africa
45
Elton Zingweve
Excellentia Training Solutions CEO
insurance
South Africa
46
femi edun
Director of Frontier Capital Co., Ltd.
Building the project
Nigeria
47
Halima Kyari
Access Bank PLC Director
risk management
Nigeria
About Construct Africa
ConstructAfrica is the leading pan-African platform providing actionable market intelligence, real-time project insights and thought leadership across the continent’s construction and infrastructure sectors. ConstructAfrica supports stakeholders in navigating Africa’s dynamic built environment through editorial content, data products, webinars, events and advisory activities.
For more information, please visit https://ConstructAfrica.com/.
Photo above: Africa on Earth (Source: James Wiseman on Unsplash)
