Alumni

Riedwaan Fakier

Position
Country
South Africa
Year
2023
Program
Civic Tech Institute

Riedwaan is an African leader and policy maker in the Digital and Strategy area. Riedwaan has always had a passion for social development, having grown up in a previously disadvantaged community in South Africa. In 2018, Riedwaan represented South Africa in the Abe Bailey Leadership Tour to the African Union and UK Parliament. In 2019, he presented his thesis in the Innovation Science and Technology Africa Conference in Kenya under the topic of sports and technology for development. He also received the Kader Asmal Scholarship to complete his Masters degree in Ireland in Strategy and Innovation. In 2020, he received the Commonwealth Masters Scholarship to complete his Masters in the United Kingdom in Public Policy for multiple forums and in international programmes from the academic to the international development arena. Riedwaan now consults for the United Nations IT Agency, International Telecommunications Union, where he is working on the global boosting of decent jobs and skills in Africa.

Upon joining Equitech Futures, Riedwaan aimed to hone his Data Science skills at the intersection of policy making. His biggest takeaway from the Civic Tech Institute was valuable knowledge gained from the Equitech Futures faculty, joining the Equitech research ecosystem, and creating strong ties with a global cohort of future leaders.