Mokena Makeka

Mokena believes that good architecture is a basic human right and that through the design process one can harness the power to change not only the spaces we inhabit, but the socio-economy reality of communities, and stakeholders. Design is increasingly a critical tool to negotiate conflict, identify opportunities and to address the transformation of the environment and to create resilient cities and economies.

Speaker Biography 

Mokena Makeka is a Principal in Dalberg Advisors, and office Director for Southern Africa.

His passions lie in the intersection between design and Regenerative development, just ecology and inclusive economies and the role that infrastructure and human centered design strategy plays in that. Climate Smart Forest Economies and art are core passions.

Mokena Makeka is a South African raised in Maseru, Lesotho and New York, USA and is an accomplished architect, artist, creative, curator, global leader, scholar, speaker, urbanist.

He holds a B.Arch Dist. Hons, (Magna Cum Laude) University of Cape Town (UCT).

He was the Azrieli Visiting Critic of 2020, Carleton University School of architecture and urbanism- Canada, Adjunct Professor Cooper Union- New York, and is a Board member of the South African Green Building Council and is a board member of the Cape Town Central City Improvement district.

He is a Young Global leader at the World Economic Forum (2015) and is a member of the WCS Young leaders in urbanism. (Singapore)

In 2017 Mokena was one of the 40 young global cultural leaders of World Economic Forum at Davos, he was recognised for speaking truth to power and seeking to change the world for the better, alongside such luminaries as Shakira and Forest Whitaker. He has completed various executive leadership and business courses at prestigious institutions, including the Harvard Kennedy School and Oxford University. He holds various leadership fellowships including the Desmond Tutu Fellowship (2014), an Aliko Dangote Fellow (2014) and is a member of the African Leadership Network. He is also a 2020 Africa Leadership Aspen Fellow.

Mokena believes that good architecture is a basic human right and that through the design process one can harness the power to change not only the spaces we inhabit, but the socio-economy reality of communities, and stakeholders. Design is increasingly a critical tool to negotiate conflict, identify opportunities and to address the transformation of the environment and to create resilient cities and economies.