Technical Experts

ECIAfrica's professionals are recognized experts in their fields

At ECIAfrica, our technical team reflects the diversity of the African continent. Coming from South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and other countries of the region, our professionals are grounded in Africa's development reality and bring to ECIAfrica a breadth of experience to tackle the toughest development challenges. They are dedicated to serving our clients and the communities in which we work, and they place a priority on sharing our innovation and experience to improve economic development and management skills continent-wide.

Our team comprises specialists in the following areas:

■ Water Service Delivery
■ Infrastructure Asset Management
■ Public Service Reform
■ Public Finance Management
■ Research and Development
■ Development Finance
■ Agriculture
■ Enterprise Development
■ Agricultural Economics
■ Regional Trade
■ Enterprise Finance
■ HIV/AIDS
■ Tourism Enterprise

• Meet our Technical Experts

• ■ Lawrence Bilikwana - Enterprise Development (open/close)
  Lawrence has over 14 years experience in SME development and business advisory services work. He was involved in SMME development at the seminal stages in the country, tasked with the economic reintegration of ex-offenders into civil society by offering them business management training, micro finance and mentorship interventions. In 2001 he was head hunted Umsobomvu Fund, where he was charged with the conceptualization of the entrepreneurship strategy, the institutionalisation management information systems and setting up the institutional arrangements and accreditation of a first group of consultants for a R500m Entrepreneurship Programme. He worked with World Bank Consultants in researching, conceptualization and implementation of the first voucher programme in South Africa. He was later charged with the conceptualization and modelling of the Business Linkages Programme by the Fund, where he went on to single handedly raise R180m worth of business opportunities. He also worked with International Finance Corporation in designing the Diagnostic tools for micro enterprises. He was also part of the Investment Committee of the Equity Fund. Mr. Bilikwana has a Baccalaures Iuris and an LLB with majors in Intellectual Property and Corporate Law.
• ■ John James - Enterprise Development (open/close)
  John is a tested manager and skilled leader with 27 years of experience in private sector development in Africa, Europe, and the United States, with a particular focus on SME sector development and development finance. He has designed and implemented development finance operations and business advisory services programs, whilst he also conducted country mapping surveys and diagnoses to identify strengths and weaknesses in the business environment, aimed at pinpointing gaps needing solutions. More importantly, he has designed and run business linkages and supply chain development programs aimed at linking SMEs to opportunities with large corporations and franchise opportunities. Mr. James has 20 years of successful senior management experience at the national and international levels. He successfully led and managed multicultural and multidisciplinary teams of more than 80 people operating out of five regional offices under the International Finance Corporation as the General Manager for the Africa Project Development Facility. Mr. James has an M. Phil. in development economics and project analysis from the University of Glasgow.
• ■ Ercilia Mata - Tourism and Enterprise Development (open/close)
  Ercilia is a tourism and enterprise development specialist with experience in the management and implementation of research projects in South Africa, Mozambique, and Cape Verde. Recently, she was instrumental in coordinating a pilot product identification and audit of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Soweto and the Greater Tshwane Area. Ercilia also served as the home office manager of a multi-country evaluation of United National Capital Development Fund projects in Ethiopia, Senegal, Guinea, Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, and Benin. She is currently managing a project for the Edgars Consolidated Stores Group, which provides business development and mentorship support to emerging entrepreneurs who are recognised through the Jet Community Awards for their business skills and potential. Ercilia holds a degree in tourism management from the University of Pretoria, and is currently studying towards her MBA in tourism development and management.
• ■ Johan van Niekerk - Enterprise Development (open/close)
  Johan is a senior specialist responsible for providing technical advice on regional trade development, policy analysis, and small and medium enterprises to the Enterprise Development cluster. He has over 16 years experience in international trade. This includes strategy around optimising international supply chains, establishing distribution networks with foreign partners, ensuring regulatory compliance, maximising implementation of trade agreements and enhancing small and medium sized enterprise competitiveness via capacity building and business linkages. Prior to ECIAfrica, he served as an export manager at Samsung Electronics and Allied Mobile Communications where he managed entire supply chains in exports. Johan is rejoining ECIAfrica after having been a regional trade manager for one of its programmes funded by the USAID, South African International Business Linkages (SAIBL). In this position he was responsible for establishing business linkages between small and medium sized enterprises in South Africa, the US and other African countries. He has implemented projects locally and in the following countries: the USA, Angola, Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Rwanda, Lesotho and Swaziland. Johan has a Masters in International Economic Law (LLM) from the University of South Africa, specialising in the World Trade Organization (WTO), logistics and international trade agreements and a Bachelors of Commerce (B Com) from the University of Pretoria, concentrating on economics, banking and mercantile law.
• ■ Sydney Zharare - Agribusiness Development (open/close)
  Sydney is an agricultural economist and has extensive practical experience in managing commercial agribusiness operations and creating business linkages between these and emerging farmers. Before coming to ECIAfrica in 2006, he was Operations Manager at Johannesburg Fresh Produce, in charge of wholesale operations. At ECIAfrica, he has been involved on various projects as project manager, market linkages specialist, market scoping specialist, and project associate. His core competencies are in project management, value chain analysis, budgeting, gross profit control and analysis, and strategic planning. Sydney has hands-on experience in dealing with smallholder and commercial farmers, having been involved in contract farming, extension, procurement, wholesaling, retailing and distribution of a variety of horticultural products. Sydney was instrumental in helping emerging farmers and cooperatives in Zimbabwe's Manicaland and Mashonaland provinces access inputs and markets through projects with the US Agency for International Development Linkages for the Economic Advancement of the Disadvantaged programme and Christian Care. He also has vast experience in retail operations management having managed the fresh produce departments of various SPAR retail stores. Sydney holds a BSc (Honours) in agricultural economics and Extension from the University of Zimbabwe and a certificate in produce management and operations from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. He is currently studying towards his MSc in agricultural economics, majoring in agricultural policy, at the University of Pretoria.