Sanet Solomon
Regional Chair
Sanet (née Madonsela) Solomon is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of South Africa (UNISA, Pretoria) and a Doctoral Candidate in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS, Bloemfontein). She currently serves as the Regional Chair of IAPSS Africa, in addition to being Deputy Editor-in-Chief of IAPSS Politikon and Chair of the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS) Emerging Scholars Research Committee. Sanet is an internationally published author, double cum laude graduate, and member of the International Golden Key Honour Society. She serves as a Reviewer for numerous double-blind peer-reviewed accredited journals. Examples include Politikon (Taylor and Francis) and Local Government Studies (Taylor and Francis), Insight on Africa (Sage), and International Studies (Sage). Her research focuses on Africa and the Middle East. Her latest academic publication is a Springer Nature book chapter on the climate-security nexus in Mali.
Nesma Tarek
Liason Coordinator
I got my bachelor’s degree in political science from the British University in Egypt in partnership with London South Bank University. I completed my postgraduate studies for a master’s in political science at the British University of Egypt with a thesis that focused on the “regional security complex of the Middle East post-2011”. I am currently working at the University of Hertfordshire. I am a Liaison Coordinator at IAPSS Africa. My role is to establish new liaison relationships and facilitate and maintain communication with partners and organizations. My research interests are particularly centred in international relations, international security, and foreign policy in the MENA region. I published my first research in “The Russian Foreign Policy Towards Syria after the Arab Spring”. I participated in the second virtual World Congress of IAPSS and presented my paper on “The Regional Security Dynamics of the Gulf Pst-2011”. I was selected to be an “honorary invited author of London Journals Press”. I published my second article “ The Repercussions of the Humanitarian Intervention in the Libyan Crisis in 2011 in Terms of the Responsibility to Protect”. In addition, I was selected to be an “Associate Member” of the International Society for Development and Sustainability. Apart from the academic field, I am interested in public relations and public speaking activities.
Ontlotlile Seemela
Projects and Events Coordinator
Ontlotlile Seemela is the editor of The Arts, a soon to be launched preeminent platform that celebrates African artists and centres on all different forms of Art. She completed her Masters in Political Science from the University of South Africa (UNISA), where she has worked as an online tutor for Political Science Students for eight years, this position embodies her ethos of acquiring and sharing knowledge. Key to her success is her forward-thinking ability, broad knowledge about Africa's, international trade/political involvement, and insights into emerging opportunities and trends/challenges on the continent. She majored in Islamic Studies during her undergrad and this was inspired by the Middle Eastern/ North African (MENA) regions’ rich culture as well as their nuanced sociopolitical landscape, which she is knowledgeable about. She is part of the The International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) Crisis Observatory Think Tank which is a student-led initiative that aims at studying and monitoring conflicts on a local, regional, and global scale.
Lloyd George Banda
Country Coordinator | Malawi
Lloyd is a Political Economist who is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Science (Public Policy) at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. He holds a Master of Arts in Development Studies (Political economy of development) and a dual Bachelor of Social Science in Economics and History from the University of Malawi obtained in 2023 and 2019, respectively.
His broad areas of research publications are macroeconomics and the political economy of development. He is mainly interested in questions pertaining to governance and the impact of government policy on domestic and international development issues centered around United Nations global goal 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, mainly focusing on the Sub-Saharan region. While he has been involved in a number of qualitative academic research papers, most of his published papers are quantitative where he uses economic models and computational tools such as STATA, EViews, R, and SPSS to answer research questions.
Above all, Lloyd aspires to be able to have his research contribute to academic debates and also help inform policy decisions.
Collins Akinujomu
Country Coordinator | Nigeria
Collins Akinujomu is a final year student of Political Science at Adekunle Ajasin University Nigeria, he is a student researcher with an interest in Sino-African relations, international development, and diplomacy. He has co-authored a paper on insecurity challenges in Nigeria and published articles on notable Nigerian dailies.
Outside academia, he’s a passionate social activist who sees community and global development as key responsibilities, he is a member of ONE Campaign, Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), he advocates for community and global issues with a keen interest in SDG 1, 4, and 16.
He has undertaken several leadership trainings in his area of interest some of which include SDGs- A Transdisciplinary Vision for the Future, Rotary Positive Peace Academy, Art of Activism etc. He organizes and participates in seminars that train and develop potential young leaders. He’s an alumnus of USA based Center for Artistic Activism (C4AA) learning lab. He has interned as campus ambassador at the International Model United Nations (IMUN) where his major role is campaigning for SDGs, Collins is a fellow at LEAP Africa 2023 Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP). Outside formal work, he reads and listens to music of interest.
Siphesihle Mbhele
Country Coordinator | South Africa
Siphesihle Mbhele holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences Honors degree in Public Policy and a Bachelor Social Sciences in Government Business and Ethics degree, both obtained at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, He is currently pursuing a Master of Social Sciences degree in Public Policy with the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Before joining PLAAS he worked as a Project Coordinator at the eThekwini Municipality, Area Based Management Unit (City Managers Operations Office) in Durban KwaZulu-Natal. He has also worked as a Research Assistant at the African Centre for Migration and Society at the University of Witwatersrand under the “Promoting Social Cohesion and Preventing Collective Violence” Research Project.
Siphesihle is also passionate about youth development and social justice, he considers himself a youth and social activist. He is the founder and Convener of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Youth Policy Advisory Forum which is a policy space for young people to impact and engage on policy issues in an effective and efficient platform and manner. He has served as Country Coordinator (South Africa) at the International Association for Political Sciences Students, He is also the founder and co-host of “Activating Youth Activism” Podcast which is a for the youth by the youth podcast which aims to bring together voices of young people in various sectors to hold innovative and solution-driven conversations. Siphesihle was also in a cohort of young researchers and activists to co-author the 2020/21 African Peer Review Mechanism Youth Submission Report which he also presented to members of the APRM National Governing Council.