Meet The Team
Chifi Mhango
Chief Economist: Director-Economic Research and Strategy
Holds a Master of Commerce Degree in Economics & Econometrics from the University of Stellenbosch, Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Accounting and Statistic and Certificate in Leadership Effectiveness - Leadership and Management
With over 20 years of proven track record of excellence with the following organisations: Strategy (Consultant) at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), Chief Economist at SEIFSA, Chief Economist at ArcelorMittal South Africa, Chief Research Director and Partner at Kwesthuba Consulting Ltd, Executive Head of Strategy, Business Communication at Nedbank Ltd, Chief Economist at PetroSA, Senior Economist at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Investment Analyst: Syfrets.
Extensive experience in leading operations of development financing and retail lending, economic and strategy divisions, developing and maintaining long-term strategic plans, approaches, and processes, and identifying and securing business opportunities (business development), Corporate Balanced Scorecard compilation and monitoring. Skilled in strategic marketing initiatives development, channel development and market penetration, data analytics, SWOT and PESTEL analysis, country risk assessment, new products establishment, business realignment and structuring, market research and stakeholder engagement. Adept at conducting awareness/insightful analysis of domestic and international economics, market analysis, competitor analysis and transaction trends; trade and industry policy analysis; strategy development and execution. With an intensive knowledge of Africa’s project financing landscape for industrial and infrastructure projects.
_edited.jpg)
Susan Banda-Mudiwa
Director : Leadership Development
Holds a Master of Arts in Journalism, University of Missouri – Columbia School of Journalism; Bachelor of Arts – Mass Communication, Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania; Bachelor of Arts (Humanities with Credit) – Chancellor College, University of Malawi. A Certified Executive Coach (Practitioner Diploma – Academy of Executive Coaching, UK), Certified Hogan Assessment Practitioner.
Susan has worked as the Chief Executive Officer at the Millennium Challenge Account- Malawi; Portfolio Manager & Information Education Manager at The Privatisation Commission; Investment Promotion & Project Manager at the Malawi Investment Promotion Agency; Information, Education & Communications Manager at the Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF) and as a journalist.
Susan has a wealth of experience in leadership acquired at all levels of management, including as CEO of a multi-million dollar development finance agency. She has served on the Boards of several enterprises in the private sector and development sectors. She currently serves on the Africa Executive Coaching Council (AECC) and on the Education sub-committee of the Kenya Chapter of the International Coach Federation (ICF).
Susan has a track record of excellent leadership, delivery and execution having worked in different areas notably the development sector, privatization, policy analysis, investment promotion, and strategy development and implementation. She has also worked as a consultant in other fields, including agricultural value chains, functional analysis for a utility company and consulting work in the social and health sectors for an international aid organization.
Matshidiso Ikaneng
Director: Risk Advisory Services
Matshidiso has an accounting background and is the holder of a Master’s degree in Business Administration – MBA (Wits Business School). Her passion for risk management has led her to continue pursuing further academic certification. She is an effective leader in her field and plays a crucial role in upholding good corporate governance standards, through compliance implementation and monitoring.
Matshidiso is a multi-skilled and seasoned professional in the fields of External Audit, Internal Audit, Forensic Investigations, Risk Management & Strategy. She has over 15 years’ experience in both the Public and Private sector, where she has held various positions and has been responsible for second line oversight in Enterprise Wide Risk; Compliance management, internal and external audit. She has held positions as Risk & Control Advisor – Ernst & Young, Internal Auditor – Thebe Investments Corporation, Gauteng Provincial Treasury – Director in Risk Management; Chief Audit Executive – The Department of Labour: Compensation Fund, and Chief Risk Officer –Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) & City of Tshwane. She continues along the path of professional excellence as she at present occupies the position of Head: Risk & Compliance at the Small Enterprise Funding Agency (SEFA).
Her broad and diverse risk expertise includes: designing, implementing and maintaining organisation-wide strategy and operating framework being the regulatory risk and compliance function. She is well versed in providing strategic and fit for purpose regulatory risk and compliance services, which contribute to the achievement of business goals and the realisation of strategic objective positions within organisations and has also successfully implemented project risk management processes, system and governance tools to identify, measure, manage, monitor and report on project risks in both the public and private sector.
_edited_edited.jpg)
Likeleli Makaulule
Director: Industry Research and Analysis
Graduated with Master of Commerce degree (Economics) from University of Pretoria.
Manager in the CEO’s Office at the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) focusing on governance, stakeholder relations as well as strategic and operational planning. In terms of governance, she facilitates timeous and accurate reporting to Board on all relevant material pertaining to the company’s operations, including performance achieved at any given time as well as ensuring compliance with institutional and government regulations. Also participate in deal sourcing by sharing sefa’s product offerings with both the current and prospective clients through various platforms. As a member of the International Relations Workstream, takes part in forging partnerships with African countries in promoting SMMEs for mutual benefit.
She has worked as a Senior Economist in the Research and Information Division of the Industrial Development Corporation for a period of close to eight years. During these years, she focussed mainly on advisory services to the Corporation’s management on issues relating to macro-economic policy as well as risk analysis for the corporation’s investments in the African region. Statistical Analysis expert as well as policy formulation at national government level, particularly the Economic Development Department and the dti.
Loyiso Jiya
Director: Project Financing
He has an academic background in accounting, finance and economics. He earned his MBA in Finance (cum laude) from the University of Massachusetts, USA.
Mr Jiya has extensive experience both in the public sector and private sector. Notably as Head of Large-Infrastructure Project Finance at the Industrial Development Corporation and Senior Partner at Ernst & Young in the Transaction Advisory Services Division. His experience in not only in South Africa, but spans over 20 years in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the years he also managed to build wide network from East to West Africa. He has occupied key positions in several top South African financial institutions. At Rand Merchant Bank as treasury economist and member of the investment strategy and marketing teams at RMB Asset Management; and Capital Alliance, as the head of the marketing and economics departments. After Capital Alliance, he worked as the chief economist and corporate affairs manager for the Genbel Securities Bank.
Loyiso then reverted back to financial services by joining the Industrial Development Corporation as its Chief Economist and Head of Research and Information. During his tenure in this position, his most notable achievements includes leading the team that amended the IDC Act in order for its mandate to change and be able to operate as a Pan African and Global Funding Institution.
As the Head of the Public Private Partnership SBU, which primarily invests in Industrial-Related Infrastructure project finance, he led his team to the successful conclusion of deals worth over R3.4 billion over a 3 year period. Loyiso joined Ernst & Young as senior executive partner in 2005, in charge of Project Finance Advisory in the Corporate Finance subsidiary. His primary focus was cross-sectoral project finance advisory, Public Private Partnerships and debt advisory/deal origination.
He is also a Director and shareholder, a joint venture between Bannow Exports International and a local consortium and previously Principal Deal Originator in the Energy Sector at DBSA.
Joyce Masi
Director: Corporate Affairs and Communication
Holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing Management and is seasoned Pan-African Banker working at Senior Management level with a special focus on business development and relationship management in corporate banking, structured trade and commodity finance, project management, fund management and businesses/financial advisory services.
Seasoned marketer with experience in brand equity management, advertising, communication, events, sponsorships and CSR, research, media management and organisation.
Deep networking and social capital to leverage business goals specifically in the origination, structuring and execution of large ticket deals across a wide sector locally and globally.
A strong understanding of the geo-political and macroeconomic factors impacting businesses and organisations and can negotiate at the highest level to bridge the gap between investors/sponsors and projects; lenders and borrowers for successful partnerships and business outcomes.
Thakhani Makhuvha
Director: Governance, Risk Management and Business Turnaround
Thakhani Makhuvha holds a Master’s degree in Financial Management, an Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science degree, a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Accounting) and a Leadership Development Programme. He is an Associate member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) with the designation of Associate General Accountant, AG(SA) and has completed auditing and accounting articles.
He has strong expertise in strategic leadership; strategy formulation and implementation; governance, risk and compliance; change management; end-to-end of business risk assessment, in transactional evaluation for funding and investment; portfolio management; stakeholder management & communication; and in restructuring and turnaround of distressed businesses including business rescue processes. He has been in the banking and development finance sector for over 28 years of which over 12 years he occupied the Chief Executive Officer roles.
He is currently the Group Chief Executive Officer of Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) (term ending 31 October 2025) , a provincial state-owned development finance institution. At LEDA, he is tasked with leading a group of seven wholly-owned subsidiaries operating in the mining and beneficiation; agriculture and agro-processing; broadband and ICT; insurance; housing development finance; passenger transport and logistics; SMME finance; leasing of commercial properties including industrial parks and LEDA is developing two new greenfield multi-billion Rand special economic zones to industrialise the Province with mega infrastructure related projects aligned to both national and provincial Government economic policies.
He has also worked for the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) for almost 16 years, occupying various roles at corporate head office and on secondment to subsidiary and investee companies. These roles included, amongst others, being Chief Executive Officer of the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa and recently renamed SEFDA), a wholly owned subsidiary of the IDC. Thakhani was entrusted to establish and lead IDC’s new Post Investment Monitoring Department in 2008, which entailed portfolio management oversight on over R90 billion private equity portfolio including loans and advances to ensure long term financial sustainability. At IDC, he was also the Head of Risk Management responsible for key risk disciplines including credit risk, operational risk, business continuity risk as well as enterprise-wide risk management. He is a licenced Senior Business Rescue Practitioner with the CIPC. He also has served as a Non- Executive Director and as Chairman of Boards of various companies.