Nedlac / LRS Symposium 2025
Speakers
Mr Sandile Tyini is Chief Director: African Multilateral Economic Relation, in the Trade Branch of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), South Africa. He is in charge of promoting economic integration and development in Africa on regional and continental bases. This encompasses fostering and forging regional economic integration and development through the strengthening of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the African Union (AU) programmes, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA).
Sandile was the Director for Americas Bilateral Trade Relations at the dtic since April 2017. Mr Tyini also served as the Minister Economic, and Head of the Economic Section at the Embassy of South Africa to the United States of America in Washington, DC, from 2011 to 2016 where he championed South Africa’s trade and investment relations with the US, including contributing to securing the country’s retention under the African growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Previously, he headed the Europe Regional Organisation Directorate (European Union (EU) & the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) relations), and the Europe Bilateral Trade Relations desks at the dtic from 2003 until 2011.
Before joining the dtic in 2003, Mr Tyini worked at the Western Cape trade and investment promotion agency (WESGRO)in different portfolios for managing economic relations with Africa, Americas and Asia. Mr Tyini holds a BA degree in History and Economic History from the University of Cape Town, a BA Honours degree in Economics from the University of the Western Cape, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Investment Promotion and Economic Development from Edinburgh University, Scotland Sandile Tyini hails from Grahamstown (Makhanda), in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
Laura-Joyce Kganyago is the Secretary General of the Women’s National Coalition (WNC). She represents WNC at NEDLAC as part of the Community Constituency’s Committee of Principals. She has been active within NEDLAC from its inception and has seen the organisation grow from strength to strength.
She has previously served as a thematic chairperson (Democracy and Good Governance) in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)’s National Governing Council. She has also served on various boards, including Proudly South African and the Credit Ombud Council.
Her training includes the completion of a certificate programme in Community Development at Pennsylvania University in Philadelphia, as well as completing an NGO Directors’ Leadershipand Governance Training programme at the HAIFAManagement Institute for NGO’s in Israel.
Director of Trade and Competition at the AfCFTA Secretariat Mohamed Ali, is the Director of Trade and Competition at the AfCFTA Secretariat. In February 2021, he was appointed to be the First Director of Trade in Goods and Competition of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.
Mohamed was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Business Management from Cairo University, Egypt. He obtained a Master’s degree in Development and Public Policy from the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Seoul/South Korea.
He was the Director for Africa Relations in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Egypt’s Chief Negotiator in the negotiations of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA). Mohamed later served as the Project Development Manager at British Embassy in Cairo.
Mohamed has taken part and presided over the Egyptian delegate in various technical and high level COMESA meetings and Tripartite FTA negotiations. Moreover, He has contributed as a senior trade official and the deputy of the Chief Negotiator of Egypt since the commencement of the negotiations of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is at the implementation stage and the theme of the year 2023 for the AfCFTA is ‘‘accelerating the implementation of the AfCFTA’’. Mohamed Ali’s current focus is the Guided Trade Initiative, a flagship project of the AfCFTA to guide the State Parties to commence commercially meaningful trade under the AfCFTA.
Michael Lawrence is the Executive Director of the National Clothing Retail Federation (NCRF) – a collective of 10 of the largest CTFL Retailers in Southern Africa. Michael is a Tralac Associate and is, inter alia, Deputy Chair of BUSA’s Economic Policy Committee, Lead for Business at Nedlac Teselico, Board Member of Proudly SA and Chair of the Consumer Goods and Service Ombud. A regular attendee at many WTO Ministerials since 2013, he has spoken at Parallel events of the Ministerials, at WCO Conferences, at Tralac Conferences and AfCFTA events
