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Millicent Gyedu Amankwah is a researcher and second-year PhD student at the Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana, and a PhD Fellow at the Centre for African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI), University of the Witwatersrand. Her doctoral research focuses on migrant associations and employment opportunity creation for youth.

Her professional experience includes serving as a Senior Research Officer at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), where she led research on human rights and corruption, developed research instruments, and contributed to national reports. She has also served as a Master Trainer and Field Supervisor for Ghana Statistical Service’s Population and Housing Census, and as a Research Assistant on child migration studies with the University of Alberta. Her working papers include a systematic review of NACAP reports and an analysis of violence perpetrated against children in Ghana.

Millicent’s areas of expertise within philanthropy and social investment include migrant-led development, youth employment strategies, and the role of diaspora and community-based organizations in sustainable livelihoods. She is skilled in data analysis, report writing, and policy-oriented research.

Samuel Nkansa Appiah is a PhD Candidate in Management (Year 3) at the University of the Witwatersrand, affiliated with the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI) at Wits Business School. His doctoral research focuses on “Youth Flourishing through Dignified and Fulfilling Work and Opportunities: The Role of the Non-Profit Sector,” contributing to emerging scholarship on work, wellbeing, and development in African contexts.

Samuel’s academic interests span African philanthropy, youth development, non-profit organizations, social enterprises, faith-based giving, and management for national development. He is an Emerging Scholar in African Philanthropy and has received a Certificate in Developing Annual Sustainability from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, reflecting his commitment to advancing sustainable social impact initiatives.

His work integrates rigorous research with practical relevance, aiming to inform policy and practice within the non-profit sector while promoting inclusive opportunities for youth across Africa.

I am Palesa M. Mofokeng, a PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand dedicated to shaping the future of technology and social impact in South Africa. My doctoral research, which I am on track to complete by 2027, explores the governance mechanisms shaping artificial intelligence adoption within digital literacy skills NPOs. I am driven by the need to understand how structured oversight can empower the third sector to bridge the digital divide effectively while capacitating the youth for an AI-driven labour market..

My academic journey has been defined by a commitment to rigorous scholarship and global engagement. A significant professional highlight was my acceptance into the Wits Doctoral Academy, where I successfully completed my foundational year. I have also had the privilege of contributing to the broader academic discourse by presenting my research proposal at the 16th Cross-Faculty Postgraduate Symposium and, most recently, sharing my research at the 6th African Philanthropy Conference in Egypt.

Through my affiliation with Wits, I aim to bridge the gap between emerging AI technologies and sustainable social investment. My work is centred on ensuring that as we move toward an AI-driven economy, NPO governance frameworks remain inclusive, ethical, and geared toward empowering South African communities.

Maqhawe specialises in strategy formulation and facilitation, analysis, and research. His work is rooted in leveraging strategic insights and techniques to address complex challenges, with a particular focus on the intersection of strategy, marketing management, consumer behaviour and philanthropy. With 20 years of diverse experience across manufacturing, retail, finance, and education, he is driven by a commitment to applying marketing strategies in innovative ways to unconventional domains. His consulting work has allowed him to collaborate on transformative initiatives in social marketing projects including government initiatives, municipal investment promotion, destination marketing and education furthering his belief in marketing’s potential to solve challenges beyond traditional business applications.

Topic: Personal values, self-construal and donation to social justice causes in South Africa

Areas of Expertise: strategy, social marketing, middle-class philanthropy, personal values in philanthropy, strategic marketing in fundraising

Kundai Charmaine Makonese is a researcher, programmer and CAPSI doctoral fellow, specializing in youth entrepreneurship, skills development, gender equity, and social and financial inclusion. She is in her second year of her PhD in development studies at the University of Witwatersrand. Her doctoral research, “Nurturing Gender-Inclusive Youth Entrepreneurship: The Role of Non-Profit Organisations in Zimbabwe and Uganda,” explores role of non-profit organisations (NPOs) social and financial education programmes promote dignified and meaningful livelihoods for young women in Zimbabwe and Uganda. The study further explores how contextual factors such as political, economic, and socio-cultural environments shape NPO programme design, implementation, and outcomes. Kundai is committed to advancing gender-inclusive and sustainable pathways for development across the continent.

Adaorah Iloanya is a final year doctoral candidate at the WITS School of Governance. She is concurrently a doctoral fellow with the Mastercard Foundation Project at the WITS Business School’s Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI). Her thesis probes the dynamics of addressing socio-economic inequality in Nigeria from a policy perspective and focuses on the uptake of Sustainable Development Goal 10 and the non-profit sector’s contribution to the economy through youth employment. Adaorah’s professional background is in the international development cooperation sector where she has managed and implemented international donor-funded development programmes in various South African municipalities and produced Knowledge Products, translating development programme impact into tangible publications for specialist and non-specialist audiences. Her research areas of interest span across the fields of Global Governance, International Political Economy (IPE) and the political economy of donor-funding and philanthropy in Africa.

Gift George Mwanza is a Zambian 2nd year doctoral student currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Development Studies at the University of Zambia, and a fellow at the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI). Her research, titled “Employment Interventions of Non-Profit Organizations for Youth with Disabilities in Zambia,” a rural urban comparative analysis. Gift’s scholarly interests lie at the intersection of inclusive development, social accountability, and nonprofit management, with a particular focus on how philanthropic and social investment practices can be harnessed to advance the rights and economic participation of persons with disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa. Her work is driven by a commitment to designing homegrown, African-centred solutions that empower nonprofit organizations and foster cross-sector partnerships for systemic change. Gift brings practical insight into disability-inclusive development and social entrepreneurship, and is passionate about building equitable, sustainable frameworks that bridge urban and rural divides across the continent.

Esther Joseph Cheyo is a PhD candidate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management at The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) and a CAPSI PhD Fellow. She is currently in her second year of doctoral studies. Her research focuses on assessing the contribution of NGO-led agricultural technology initiatives to youth employment in Northern Tanzania, with emphasis on strengthening innovation ecosystems that support inclusive and sustainable livelihood opportunities for young people. She is affiliated with NM-AIST, where she engages in research and innovation activities promoting science-led development in Africa. Her academic interests include agricultural technology, social entrepreneurship, youth employment, and empowerment, particularly on how digital innovations can enhance productivity and employment opportunities for rural and peri-urban youth. Esther brings practical experience through her internship and volunteer work with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, supporting research on seed systems scaling and agricultural mechanization across East Africa. She has also contributed to Mastercard Foundation–supported initiatives at Gudie Leisure Farm, focusing on youth entrepreneurship, stakeholder engagement, project development, and resource mobilization. Her scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed publications such as Cheyo et al. (2024) on cooperative participation and commercialization. Her interests in philanthropy and social investment focus on youth empowerment, inclusive agricultural transformation, and impact-driven innovation for sustainable development.

My name is Caroline Mwangi and I am from Kenya. I am a first year PhD Fellow at the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI). I got involved with the CAPSI youth project through their fourth call of the PhD Fellowship programme, in 2025. I am currently furthering my education at Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, Kenya. I have an interest in the collaborative role of the non-profit sector, public higher education institutions and the private sector in achieving SDG8 in Kenya. These partnerships are key to building a workforce for tomorrow’s world while ensuring dignified work for the youth in Kenya. The growing concern about the social, economic and political uncertainties calls for more organizational resilience in the non-profit sector and the young people are instrumental in realizing their own future by being part of the solution.  My aim is to therefore create a local innovation efficiency through collaborative efforts amongst public universities, industry and the civil society. These collaborative engagements are essential for each player as this will assist them with more resources, expertise and stability (Waerder et al., 2022).

Damaris Kamate is in her second year of doctoral studies in Public Law and Political Science at the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences of Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Morocco. She holds a Master’s degree in Geopolitics and International Relations from the same institution. Her research focuses on Capacity Building of NGOs in Morocco as a lever for youth employability in the non-profit sector, with a comparative perspective including Mali.
With over four years of experience in the humanitarian sector, she currently serves as a Program Coordinator at the International Assistance Committee of the Evangelical Church in Morocco. In this role, she leads initiatives supporting vulnerable migrants, including food assistance, access to healthcare, and socio-economic empowerment programs.
Her work lies at the intersection of research and practice. Her areas of expertise and interest include non-profit sector development, youth employability, as well as philanthropy and social investment as drivers of sustainable social impact.

Programme of Study at CAPSI and Year of Study: Third-year PhD student in Developmental Studies (specializing in Rural Development) at Addis Ababa University

Research Topic / Area of Interest: The Impact of Non-Profit Organization–Led Watershed Management Interventions on Enhancing Rural Youth Livelihoods: The Case of Babile Woreda, Eastern Ethiopia. This study primarily focuses on exploring how non-profit–driven natural resource management interventions translate into sustainable economic and social outcomes for young people in rural communities.

Current Institutional or Organizational Affiliation: Addis Ababa University, Centre for Rural, Local and Regional Development Studies (CRLRDS)

Key Achievements, Publications, or Professional Highlights: I have presented several papers related to gender inclusion at local workshops, including those hosted by Addis Ababa University. I have also presented research on NGO-led watershed management and rural youth livelihoods at the 5th African Philanthropy Conference in Zimbabwe and the 6th African Philanthropy Conference in Cairo.

Areas of Expertise or Interest within Philanthropy and Social Investment: My areas of interest include community-driven development, non-profit organization–led natural resource management, youth inclusion, rural livelihoods, and social equity, with a particular focus on how civil society investments in environmental