Prof. Ushotanefe [Efe] Useh, PhD
Deputy Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, South Africa

Biography: Prof. Ushotanefe Useh is Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at North-West University, South Africa, and recipient of the 2026 World Physiotherapy Africa Region Award in Kigali, Rwanda. His qualifications span education, project management, health, law, leadership and management. He chairs the Academic Sub-Committee of the Higher Education Sustainability Community of Practice (USAf CoP), which is recognised for his multidisciplinary, impact-driven contributions to research, teaching, and learning. Since 2001, Prof. Useh has contributed extensively to mentorship, capacity development and training for academics across Africa. He has also facilitated collaborative partnerships and Memoranda of Agreement between North-West University and institutions across Africa (including the University of Ibadan) and the United Arab Emirates.

Prof. Useh holds a C2 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa. His academic leadership spans Africa (Western and Southern regions), the United Kingdom (Plymouth), and Saudi Arabia.

Membership of professional organisations, amongst others, includes the following.

• Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK (2007)
• Admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa (2017)
• Member, Society of Research Administrators, USA (2015)
• Member, South Africa Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) (2013)

Prof Olubukola Oluranti Babalola
Vice President (Africa): The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)

Biography: Prof. Olubukola Oluranti Babalola (Pr.Sci.Nat, MASSAF, FTWAS, FAS, FAAS, MAAAS, FISC, FRSB, FAAM) is a Full Professor with an MBA at North-West University, South Africa, and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. She is an internationally recognised leader and a B2 NRF-rated scientist in soil-plant-microbe interactions and microbiome research. With over 500 peer-reviewed publications, more than 41,500 citations and an H-index of 93, her work connects cutting-edge microbiology and multi-omics with sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and food security. Prof. Babalola is a Fellow of several leading scientific academies and societies, including TWAS, the African Academy of Sciences, the Nigerian Academy of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the Royal Society of Biology. She is Vice-President for Africa of TWAS, quondam Vice President of OWSD, past Foreign Secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Science, policy advisor at InterAcademy Partnership (Italy), an elected member of the Governing Board of the International Science Council (France), an ASSAF Science-Society Gold medallist, double Clarivate Highly Cited scientist, Africa #1 leading scientist in soil-plant nutrition and SAWiSA 1st runner-up. A strong advocate for inclusive and accessible science, Prof. Babalola is committed to ensuring that scientific knowledge reaches researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and communities worldwide.

Ms Daneshree Moodley
Customer Success Manager, Elsevier

Biography: Daneshree Moodley is a Commerce Graduate with over 12 years of experience traversing the domains of legal, scientific, and medical publishing. Daneshree has honed her expertise within the intricate landscapes of academia. Daneshree's passion lies in cultivating meaningful connections and enriching academic experiences.

In her role, Daneshree plays a pivotal part in shaping the scholarly landscape, championing the dissemination of knowledge and facilitating transformative academic endeavours across the African Continent. 

 

Iryna Kuchma
Open Access Programme Manager, EIFL

Biography: Iryna Kuchma has been managing the EIFL Open Access Programme (EIFL-OA) since 2008. Working in collaboration with libraries and library consortia in more than 50 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe, she advocates for open access to research results, facilitates the development and implementation of open science policies and infrastructures, and provides support and training. Iryna sits on the boards of Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR), the Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS) and the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD). In addition, she serves on the advisory board of Open Access Week. In 2013, Iryna received the Electronic Publishing Trust (EPT) for Development Annual Award, in recognition of her efforts to advance open access to scholarly publications in the developing and emerging countries.
 

Zine Sapula 
Open Access Project Manager, SANLiC

Biography: Zine Sapula is an Open Access Project Manager at the South African National Library and Information Consortium (SANLiC), where she supports the advancement of open access publishing and the implementation and monitoring of Read and Publish agreements and transformative agreements. Her work focuses on supporting researchers in accessing open access publishing opportunities and maximising the benefits of agreements negotiated with academic publishers.

She holds a BA Honours degree in Information Science from UNISA and is a certified Data Carpentry instructor. She has over 10 years of experience in Library and Information Services, having worked in various South African institutions, including national, public, special, and academic libraries. She has held diverse roles within the library and information sector, such as Information Librarian, Faculty Librarian, and Research Support Librarian.
Her professional expertise encompasses open science, bibliometrics, information literacy, literature searches, collection development, data analysis, and referencing. She is part of The Carpentries, a global community that teaches data science skills to researchers using open tools. She has participated in Data Carpentry workshops nationally and internationally.