KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Global education leaders and rising innovators are coming together at our conference.

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2026 Keynote Speakers

Prof. PLO Lumumba

Pan-African Voice of Integrity (Kenya)

Full Bio

Dr. Julie Lindsa

SFHEA (UniSQ)

Full Bio

Prof. Monwabisi Ralarala

Deputy Vice Chancellor (UWC)

Full Bio

Prof. Nyna Ami

Curriculum Studies (KZN)

Full Bio

They’ve spoken at our event

Prof Crain Soudien

Sociologist, Education and African Studies (UCT)

Prof Karin Wolff

Associate Professor Teaching & Learning

Dr. Wilberforce Awotwe

Lecturer in Engineering Education (King’s College London)

Ms Gugu Wendy Khanye

Director for Student Success in the Centre for Teaching and Learning UFS

Mr Siya Sabata

Teaching and Learning Specialist at UWC

Dr Mxolisi Masango

Director of Institutional Planning Directorate (IPD) at CPUT

Ms Shanali Govender

Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at UCT

Prof Moeketsi Letseka

Professor of philosophy of education

Dr Vusi Maseko

Project Manager at South West Gauteng TVET College

Dr Lindiwe Tshuma

Teaching and Learning Adviser at University of the Witwatersrand

Dr Teboho Pitso

Project Manager at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Prof. mirna nel

Deputy dean for research in the Faculty of Humanities (NWU)

Dr. Phetiwe Matuku

USAf’s new Chief Executive Officer

Prof. Dick Ngambi

Professor of Education (UCT)

Prof. PLO Lumumba

Pan-African Voice of Integrity (Kenya)

Prof. PLO Lumumba is a renowned Kenyan lawyer, academic, and Pan-Africanist known for his fiery advocacy against corruption and neo-colonialism. He is the former Director of the Kenya School of Law and Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, currently leading the PLO Lumumba Foundation.

Latest Profile Highlights:

  •  Pan-African Advocacy: Continues to advocate for African unity, the strengthening of the African Union, and “African solutions to African problems,” as seen in recent discussions regarding the restructuring of the AU.
  • Leadership & Speaking: Actively serves as a keynote speaker on African leadership, integrity, and development, including at events for the Pan African Institute and the East Africa Youth Summit.
  • Anti-Corruption Activism: Maintains his role as a prominent voice against corruption and tribalism in Africa, championing the “Africa’s future” agenda.
  • Organization Leadership: Chairs the Farafina Investment Group in Liberia and the Economic Strategic Growth and Development Initiative of Africa.

3. Prof Nyna Amin, UKZN

Dr Julie Lindsay SFHEA

SFHEA (UniSQ)

I am an education futurist known for online global collaboration and digital-age learning design. As a globally recognized education leader I champion digital transformation in higher education and serve as a strategic change agent embedding cutting-edge educational technologies while reimagining learning for an interconnected, AI-enhanced world. I developed the concept and practice of Cosmogogy, a learning design framework that helps educators rethink teaching for a networked, globally connected world. My expertise encompasses online collaborative learning, HyFlex learning design, and online asynchronous learning as the foundational elements binding diverse modalities. I currently lead two transformative initiatives: the AI Pedagogy Project at UniSQ with 300 active members representing 25% of university staff, and the International Council for Open and Distance Education’s (ICDE) global Technology and Innovation Network. These roles position me at the forefront of harnessing AI to reimagine education, develop AI agents as learning partners, and foster Communities of Practice that accelerate global knowledge sharing. I authored two influential books, Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds and The Global Educator: Leveraging Technology for Collaborative Learning and Teaching. My scholarly contributions include a PhD on “Online global collaborative educators and pedagogical change,” offering ground breaking insights into developing a Global Collaborator Mindset. Her research centres on frameworks like Cosmogogy and the Human-AI-World ecosystem and “flat learning” that transcends geographical boundaries. My work has gained recognition, including the 2023 Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award for University Educational Leadership and the 2020 Research in Educational Leadership and Management Award from the Australian Council for Educational Leaders. My leadership of the award-winning Create@UniSQ initiative transformed academic practice through university-wide integration of online portfolios. Recent international engagements include a 2024 Erasmus+ exchange at Justus Liebig University, Germany, and a 2025 sabbatical as Scholar in Residence at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Prof. Monwabisi Ralarala

Deputy Vice Chancellor (UWC)

Monwabisi K. Ralarala is a Professor and Deputy Vice Chancellor: Academic at the University of the Western Cape. Aside from being a Canon Collins Educational and Legal Assistance Trust alumnus, Monwabisi is the 2017 recipient of the Neville Alexander Award for the Promotion of Multilingualism. His research interests are quite diverse, but follow three distinct lines: language rights and multilingualism in higher education; forensic linguistics, and translation studies. He has also published articles and book chapters, mainly in forensic linguistics, translation studies and language policy in higher education.

His co-authored and co-edited books include African language and language practice research in the 21st century: Interdisciplinary themes and perspectives (2017, CASAS); New frontiers in forensic linguistics: Themes and perspectives in language and law in Africa and beyond (2019, African Sun Media); Knowledge beyond colour lines: Towards repurposing knowledge generation in South African higher education (2021, UWC Press); A handbook on legal languages and the quest for linguistic equality in South Africa and beyond (2021, African Sun Media); Language and the law: Global perspectives in forensic linguistics from Africa and beyond (2022, African Sun Media); Language, Crime and Courts in Contemporary Africa and Beyond (2023, African Sun Media); Unlocking the chains of knowledge: Understanding the challenges, remaking pedagogies and curriculum renewal (2024, African Sun Media), and Documenting Forensic Linguistics in the African Context: Perspectives in Language and Legal Practice (2025, African Sun Media);

He is the founder and Chief Series Editor of ‘Studies in Forensic and Legal Linguistics in Africa and Beyond’ (SF&LLA), as well as the International Advisory Board Member for the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law. He serves as Chairperson to the newly formed African Association of Forensic and Legal Linguists (AAFLL).

Prof. Nyna Ami

Curriculum Studies (KZN)

Professor Nyna Amin is a distinguished Associate Professor in Curriculum Studies and NRF-rated researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), currently serving as the Interim Director of the University Teaching and Learning Office (UTLO). She is a recognized expert in higher education curriculum, pedagogical innovation, AI integration, and teacher education.

Current Roles and Expertise

  •  Interim Director, UTLO (UKZN): Leads initiatives focused on transforming university teaching and learning.
  • Associate Professor: Based in the School of Education, specializing in curriculum studies.
  • Distinguished Teacher: Recognized for excellence in pedagogy.
  • NRF-Rated Researcher: Conducts research on teacher education, curriculum change, and higher education.

4. Dr Julie Lindsay SFHE