Ronak Gopaldas is a Director at Signal Risk, an exclusively African risk advisory firm. His work focuses on the intersection of politics, economics, and business on the continent. We discuss the biggest economic challenges currently facing the African continent, how we’ll get to the predicted Mega Cities in Africa if the African Continental Free Trade Agreement will survive the pandemic, how Africa has managed the pandemic relative to other regions of the world, where Africa features in post-pandemic geopolitics and practical strategies Africa can implement to thrive in the post-pandemic world.
Discussion highlights
Biggest economic challenges currently facing the African continent
Mega Cities predicted for Africa by 2100, how do we get there?
Will the African Continental Free Trade Agreement survive the pandemic?
How has Africa managed the pandemic relative to other regions of the world?
Post-pandemic geopolitics: Where does Africa feature?
Practical strategies Africa can implement to thrive in the post-pandemic world
About Ronak Gopaldas
Ronak is currently a Director at Signal Risk, an exclusively African risk advisory firm. His work focuses on the intersection of politics, economics, and business on the continent.
He was previously the Head of Country Risk at Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) for a number of years, where he managed a team of analysts who provided the firm with in-depth analysis of economic, political, security, and operational dynamics across sub-Saharan Africa. During his time at RMB, he also served on the Africa and International Management board and a number of exco positions.
A prominent voice in print, radio, and television in both the local and international media, Ronak has made frequent appearances on the likes of CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, and CNBC Africa, and also publishes regular opinion and analysis pieces. He has spoken at a number of the world’s top universities and at leading Africa focussed policy and business conferences as a moderator, panelist, and keynote speaker.
In 2016, he delivered a powerful Tedx talk entitled “Embracing Africa: beyond the binaries” and in November 2015, he participated in the Asian Forum on Global Governance in New Delhi with a number of young leaders from around the world. He is a fellow of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) and was selected as one of South Africa’s “Brightest Young Minds” in 2011.
Ronak holds a BCom degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) with Business French as well as a BCom (Hons) in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town (UCT). He also recently completed an MSc in Finance (Economic Policy) through the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London
Source: LinkedIn
Luke Boyle is a Researcher at the Urban Real Estate Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. We explore Africa’s smart city narrative, the role of technology, financing future cities, the role of open data, socioeconomic development and how cities may change over the next 5 years.
Play Now
Richard Gevers is the Founder of Open Cities Lab, a civic technology lab with a focus on the development of open data for application to urban challenges operating within cities in Africa. We explore many projects they are involved in, overcoming the general ‘fear of data’, how to improve public-private sector collaboration on Open Data, and how cities may change over the next 5 years.
Play Now
Vino Govender is Executive for Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions and Innovation at Dark Fibre Africa. We explore the typical architecture and technological layers of a ‘Smart City’, his definition of a ‘Smart City’ in the African context, what will help us become smarter cities, improving Public-Private sector collaboration, how the Internet of Things will impact Africa over the next 5 years, the one thing he would change with his magic wand and what he hopes to see happen over the next 5 years.
Play Now
Craig Kesson is Executive Director for Corporate Services at the City of Cape Town. He’s also the Chief Resilience Officer and Chief Data Officer. We explore the data-driven strategy at City of Cape Town, overcoming the general fear of data in public departments, emerging disrupters impacting the City and how it will remain resilient, his definition of a Smart City, what he would change if he had a magic wand, his hopes for the City 20 years from now.
Play Now
Bob van Bebber is a Director at Boogertman + Partners Architects and overall winner of the 2019 SA Professional Services Awards. We explore his background; challenges and solutions for businesses, the built environment and cities; legislation he would change if he had a magic wand; his definition of a ‘Smart City’; how to make cities more inclusive; his hope for future cities and words of encouragement.
Play Now