Jimson Olufuye Ph.D. (Chairman, Advisory Council)

Dr Jimson Olufuye has more than 30 years of experience in the national, regional, and global digital ecosystem. He is the Chair/Principal Consultant at Kontemporary® Konsulting Ltd. Founder/1st Chair of the concerned private sector-led and over 40-nation strong Africa ICT Alliance – AfICTA. He is currently the Chair of the Advisory Council of AfICTA. He distinguished himself as one of the five (5) business representatives in the United Nations Commission for Science and Technology for Development Working Groups on Improvements to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) (2011-2012), and on Enhanced Cooperation on public policy matters pertaining to the Internet, (2013-2014, 2016-2018), where he championed ice-breaking insights that enriched the multi-stakeholder dialogues. He was also a leading voice as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s IGF Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (2012-2013) and 2025. He was a
Board member of the Informal Multi-Stakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) of the UN GA on WSIS+20 Review.

As the President of the Information Technology (Industry) Association of Nigeria (2007- 2011), he connected the Nigerian ICT industry with the World Innovation Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), where he was later elected as the Vice-Chair (2010- 2012). He also rejigged the ICANN Business Constituency as the Chair, Finance and Operations (2014-2020).

He was a member of the Netmundial+10 Steering Committee 2024 and leader of the AfICTA delegation to the UN Summit of the Future 2024, contributing the critical African private sector perspective to the Global Digital Compact. He also facilitated the Nigerian Side-event and Multistakeholder delegation (the 1st African Multistakeholder delegation) to the UN GA WSIS+20 High-Level Meeting,15-17 December 2025. He was the lead consultant to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on Cybersecurity for Development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and was responsible for its report, https://repository.uneca.org/handle/10855/50983. In addition, he is the architect of the new Tripod Cybersecurity Maturity Model, https://TCMM.africa.

As a fervent advocate for digital inclusion, Mr. Paul Rowney is deeply committed to harnessing the power of technology and innovation to bridge the digital gap. With extensive experience collaborating with governments, NGOs, and IGOs, he has actively championed connectivity for development and the creation of inclusive digital solutions.

One of his significant roles is as the chairperson for the Payment Association of Namibia e-Money forum, where he leads efforts to promote interoperability and open banking initiatives. Additionally, he is proud to be a founding director of the ICT Professionals Association of Namibia, dedicated to advancing the ICT sector in his country.

Previously, he served as an advisory council member for the Alliance for Affordable Internet, contributing to their mission of enhancing Internet accessibility and affordability globally. He also held the esteemed position of Deputy Chairperson at the Africa ICT Alliance, where he played a key role in shaping the ICT landscape in Africa.

His involvement extends to serving as a board member of the ISOC Namibia chapter, where he contributes to fostering a secure and open Internet environment. Additionally, he has served as a former member of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum's Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), providing insights on critical digital governance matters.

Through these engagements, he has gained a comprehensive global perspective on the challenges we encounter in ensuring equitable opportunities for all in our rapidly evolving digital era. He remains steadfastly committed to driving positive change and promoting digital inclusion whenever possible.

Mr. Thabo Mashegoane is Eskom's chief IT architect. His vision is to transform businesses through innovation and technology adoption. He started his career as a chemical engineer trainee in the FMCG industry. He switched to IT 26 years ago, where he has subsequently taken on numerous roles, including programmer, systems analyst, process engineer – Six Sigma, and enterprise architect (specializing in business architecture, with a portfolio of business process automation, conversational AI, and customer services technologies).

He's the immediate past president of the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa (IITPSA), where he promoted professionalism in IT, and the immediate past chairman of the Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA), where his vision is to bring the digital promise to all.