TRALAC - Key Persons
Audrey Bessette holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada. She is currently completing a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Laval University, specializing in social and environmental responsibility for organizations. Her research experience also extends to the relation between international trade law and the fashion supply chains.
Bethelhem Abraham is a participant in the 2023 SheGovernsTrade Programme. She is currently working as a Technical Advisor at German Development Cooperation Office (GIZ) Ethiopia. Bethelhem holds an LLM degree from Addis Ababa University in Public International Law with a concentration on International Economic Law. She is enthusiastic about international trade and investment, regional integration, competition policy, intellectual property rights, arbitration and sustainability. She is also interested in the role of women in trade and investment governance. She has ample experience in working for business organizations, Academia, government and civil society organizations.
Chidochashe Ncube holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Honours degree from Hebert Chitepo School of Law, Great Zimbabwe University. She is currently reading for a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Trade, Business and Investment Law at University of the Western Cape. She was part of the Trade Finance Global International Trade Professionals Programme (2020) and previously worked with CUTS International- Geneva. Chidochashe has interests in finance and development, digital trade, technology and innovation and Africa trade and integration.
Daisy Codjoe is a participant in the 2023 SheGovernsTrade Programme. She is a Trade, Oil and Gas and Commercial lawyer at AB & David Africa, a Pan-African business law firm with offices in Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mauritius amongst others. She is passionate about African development and contributes to this by providing legal assistance to SMEs, local and multinational companies to maximise their operations on the continent. She is a coordinator of the African Trade and Competition practice group at AB & David Africa. Daisy has advised on the financing of several key projects, export / import and market entry procedures in support of cross border trade and general corporate advisory services to clients across Africa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Advisory Board
Daniel B. Ndlela is with Zimconsult in Zimbabwe. He has taught economics at the University of Zimbabwe, served as senior regional advisor in economic cooperation and regional integration at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Daniel Ndlela has worked in most sub-regions of Africa: West Africa, North Africa, East and Sothern Africa, mainly on economic development, trade policy, industrialisation and regional economic cooperation, and integration issues. He has published widely mainly on economic development, industrialisation and trade policy issues. He recent and current publication ‘Economic Dualism in Zimbabwe: From Colonial Rhodesia to Post-Independence' addresses economic dualism that was embraced and perpetrated by the post independent African state, with the modern formal sector linked to the global economy through exports, imports, foreign direct investment and technology leaving the ‘traditional' sector behind.
Edina Mudzingwa holds a Master's in Business Administration (Customs Management) from the University of Canberra and ESAMI, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) degree from the National University of Science and Technology. She has vast work experience in customs administration. Her research interests include Trade Facilitation, Trade and Gender and Customs issues.
Emily Pender is a researcher at tralac. Her areas of interest include security-trade relationships, human migration and trade, the arms trade, regional integration and economic development in Africa.
Gavin van der Nest is a statistical consultant with interests in model-based clustering, econometrics, and environmental and natural resource economics. He has worked in economic consultancy and most recently serves as an assistant professor in statistics. He has researched and written widely for tralac on topics ranging from the natural environment and climate to finance. He holds a Ph.D. in statistics from Maastricht University (Netherlands) and an MSc in Economics (University of Edinburgh).
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Tralac Board
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Member of the Tralac Advisory Board
Gerhard Erasmus is a founder of tralac and Professor Emeritus of the Law Faculty at the University of Stellenbosch. He holds degrees from the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein (B.Iuris, LL.B), Leiden in the Netherlands (LLD) and a Master's from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He has consulted for governments, the private sector and regional organisations in southern Africa. He has also been involved in the drafting of the South African and Namibian constitutions. He currently serves as a tralac Associate.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Board
- Economic Policy Analyst ( Germany )
Lapite Olamide is a final year LLB student at Obafemi Awolowo University. He has interests in international trade and development. Olamide has internship experience with the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Aluko & Oyebode and Strachan Partners. In 2019, Olamide led team that won the Chartered Financial Analyst challenge. He is also part of a team that contributed to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific policy repository.
Lilian Wairimu is a participant in the 2023 SheGovernsTrade Programme. She is a trade and policy intern at the East African Business Council (EABC), currently pursuing a Master's degree in Economics at Kenyatta University, Kenya. Her primary areas of interest include bilateral and multilateral trade, as well as the intersection between research, trade, international development, and gender. With a keen eye for economic trends and policies, Lilian is dedicated to advancing the interests of East African businesses and communities through her work. Her passion for trade and policy is matched by her enthusiasm for research, where she actively seeks to explore new ways of improving trade outcomes and promoting gender equality. Lilian is committed to making a meaningful contribution to the field of trade and policy, both in Kenya and beyond.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Member of the Tralac Team
Madeleine Hitzeroth is tralac's Administrative Assistant, responsible for management of the tralac office. She joined tralac in 2005, having previously worked in the public and private sectors in various capacities including training, administration and human resources.
Mary Malunga is a Malawian expert in gender equality, women empowerment and trade for over twenty years. Currently she works as the Gender and Social Inclusion Officer at a regional organization - Southern Africa Cross Border Traders Association based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Monica Werimo holds an LLB degree from Kabarak University, Monica has vast experience in the field of international trade law, international investment law and environmental law. Her experience also extends to e-commerce and cyberspace laws and regulations and has background knowledge on the World Trade Organisation.
Morris Sibanda holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Fort Hare and a Master of Laws (LLM) in Labour Law from the University of Johannesburg. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Trade in Services and Labour Migration Law at the University of Witwatersrand. Morris is an awardee of the Global Excellence Stature Scholarship and prestigious Witwatersrand Postgraduate Merit Award (PMA). His main research interests include interlinkages between labour law and international trade law.
Nina Stevenson is tralac's Programme Management Officer. She assists with the management of training, communications and media.
Nomfazwe Matimba is an international trade lawyer. She holds a B Hons Degree in Law from the University of Zimbabwe and a Masters in International Trade Law from the University of East Anglia, UK. Her experience ranges from working as a researcher at CUTS International, a legal intern at the United Nations General Legal Division. Her interests are in international trade, financing of trade, facilitation of trade under the WTO framework, investor states disputes and international investment law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Board
- Lead on Trade Policy, UKAid Policy Development Facility in Nigeria
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Advisory Board
Patrick Low, a Kenyan and Spanish national, is a Fellow at the Asia Global Institute of the University of Hong Kong and a Senior Adviser for Tulip Consulting. He currently works in an advisory capacity and as a consultant. From 2013-2016 he was Vice-President of research at the Fung Global Institute, Hong Kong, and taught at the University of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2019. He worked for the World Trade Organization from 1995, first on trade in services and then from 1997 to 2013 as the WTO's Chief Economist. Between 1987 and 1995 he taught at the Colegio de México (1987-1990), and worked in the research arm of the World Bank in Washington D.C. (1990-1994). He was with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (precursor to WTO) from 1980 to 1987. He holds a PhD in economics from Sussex University and has written widely on trade and trade-related issues.
Paul Cormon is a French citizen who recently graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Transport economics and Political sciences from Stellenbosch university. He also holds an international trade degree from ENC Bessieres, based in Paris and a certificate Import, Export and Logistics Management from University of Cape Town. His academic experience encompasses a good foundational background in international trade, logistics and transport economics. His research interests include cargo drone technology, international trade and the freight and transport industry.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Advisory Board
- Independent Trade Adviser and Consultant
Paul Kalenga is an independent trade adviser and consultant. He has extensive working experience in international trade policy and regional integration issues in Africa, having spent several years as a Senior Trade Policy Adviser at the SADC Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana, providing technical assistance on the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Trade; negotiations on the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA); and the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement (TFTA) and regional economic integration matters. He holds a degree in economics from the University of the Western Cape, honours degree in industrial and organisational psychology from the University of Cape Town, and an M.Sc degree in trade, industrialisation and economic policy from the University of Strathclyde. He currently serves as a tralac Associate and consultant as well as being a member of tralac's Advisory Board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Advisory Board
Paulina Mbala Elago is a Namibian National with over 20 years of professional experience in international trade, primarily trade policy, regional integration, trade facilitation, investment environment reforms, trade-related capacity building, and trade-related infrastructure development. She currently serves as Executive Secretary of SACU, having assumed this position on 1 April 2014. Prior to this appointment, she acted as Country Director for Tanzania for Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), where she was responsible for designing, managing and implementing TMEA's multi-million dollar country programme for Tanzania to support regional integration and trade competitiveness. She has also served as Deputy Chief of Party for the Southern Africa Global Competitiveness Hub in Gaborone, Botswana; Economic Adviser at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London; and as Chief Trade Negotiator for the Government of Namibia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Board
- Independent Economist ( Zimbabwe )
Job Titles:
- Expert in the Areas of Customs
Rwatida Mafurutu is an experienced career expert in the areas of Customs and Excise border management, administration, trade facilitation and cross-border trade. He has a fervent research interest in cross-border migration, Customs risk management, regional integration and trade policy issues in Africa. Rwatida is a holder of Master of Commerce Specializing in Management Practice in the Field of Trade Law and Policy (University of Cape Town, South Africa), Master of Philosophy in Taxation (University of Pretoria, South Africa) and a Master of Science in Fiscal Studies (National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe).
Job Titles:
- International Trade Economist
Tafadzwa Mupingashato is an International Trade Economist with exposure in the information technology and services, energy, mining and backing sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics from Midlands State University and a Master of Commerce in Financial Economics from Great Zimbabwe University and currently pursuing a PhD in Economics with the University of Witwatersrand. His interests are in international trade, capital flight, trade misinvoicing, trade policy analysis, international trade and investment, African regional integration, and competition law and policy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Advisory Board
Tom Pengelly has over 25 years experience of economic development co-operation in Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Caribbean. Between 1993 and 2001, Tom worked for the UK Department for International Development in London and overseas. Between 1999 and 2001, he was chief technical adviser for DFID's trade related assistance programmes and served as a Special Adviser to OECD-DAC on guidelines for trade capacity development 2000-2001. In consultancy practice since 2002, he has undertaken assignments for wide range of clients including DFID, the World Bank, the European Commission, Sida, DANIDA, USAID, AusAid, ITC, WTO, WIPO, the European Patent Office, the UK IP Office, SECO, UNIDO, UNDP, ICTSD and UNCTAD.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Board
- Director, AeTrade Group ( Eswatini )
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Tralac Board
- Member of the Tralac Team
- Ex Officio
Trudi Hartzenberg is the Executive Director of tralac. She has a special interest in trade-related capacity building. Her research areas include trade policy issues, regional integration, investment, industrial and competition policy.
Zilinde Monjeza is a member of tralac's SheGovernsTrade Development Program Class of 2023. She possesses a vast amount of knowledge in a variety of trade-related issues, including trade policy and administration. She is deeply committed to promoting women's economic empowerment and advancing gender mainstreaming in the field of trade. Zilinde is highly motivated to identify solutions and execute projects that facilitate greater participation and market access for women.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tralac Board
- Principal Regional Integration Officer, African Development Bank Group