Our People

The Team

Builders, researchers, and advocates shaping responsible AI across Eswatini and beyond.

10 members

Robert Selemani

Co-founder & Executive Director

As Co-founder and Managing Director of AI Eswatini, Robert Selemani provides strategic direction to the organisation, oversees its overall administration, and ensures smooth governance. Professionally, Robert is an AI, Data, Cloud and Platforms Engineer, an emerging leader in technology policy and AI diplomacy. With over five years of experience across healthcare, mining, and tech, he has applied artificial intelligence to deliver solutions in these different sectors. Passionate about AI governance and policy advocacy, Robert attended The Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership and the Next Generation at Chatham House and engages in Chatham House's Common Futures Conversations as a member. He took part as a member of the Y20 South Africa Track 3 working group on AI, Digital Innovation, and the Future of Work. Recognised as an AI Ambassador, Robert bridges technical innovation and regulatory foresight, with a vision to shape global policy frameworks that ensure AI fosters equity, resilience, and sustainable development. He is deeply passionate about community building and empowering others, and to date, he has supported and equipped more than 700 young Africans through the various initiatives he has spearheaded. Robert is also the founder of the Repliteq Group of companies.

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Samkelo Msibi

Co-founder & Director of Partnerships and Communications

Samkelo Msibi serves as the Director of Partnerships and Operations at AI Eswatini, where he provides strategic leadership in the establishment, management, and advancement of institutional partnerships, operational governance frameworks, stakeholder relations, and collaborative research and innovation initiatives. Samkelo’s expertise spans across enterprise information systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms, cybersecurity governance, business continuity management, information technology risk management, data protection, regulatory compliance, digital governance, and security-oriented systems architecture. In addition to his professional practice, he is an intelligence researcher and software engineer whose work is situated at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, privacy engineering, digital governance, and responsible technology development. His research and technical contributions focus on the development of secure, resilient, transparent, and compliant digital ecosystems that enable innovation while safeguarding critical information assets, digital infrastructure, organisational interests, and the rights of individuals and communities. Through his research, innovation, and professional contributions, Mr. Msibi has received recognition from numerous distinguished institutions and initiatives, including, among others, the Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC), Huawei Technologies, Telkom innovation programmes, the Deep Learning Indaba, Leaders of Africa, Data Science Africa, and other recognised platforms that promote excellence in technology, research, and innovation. Beyond his technical and professional achievements, Mr. Msibi is a dedicated advocate for community-centred innovation, ethical technology development, digital inclusion, and capacity building. Samkelo is particularly committed to ensuring that Africa's digital transformation is founded upon robust principles of security, privacy, accountability, transparency, fairness, and social inclusion. He firmly maintains that emerging technologies, and artificial intelligence in particular, should be deployed as instruments for sustainable socioeconomic development, institutional strengthening, and human advancement. Accordingly, his work is guided by a steadfast commitment to leveraging technology as a catalyst for economic growth, food security, improved healthcare delivery, and the reduction of social and economic inequalities, thereby contributing to the creation of a more secure, equitable, and prosperous society.

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Bandile Malaza

Co-founder & Director of Operations

Bandile Malaza is the Director of Operations at AI Eswatini and a Co-founder of the organization. He oversees the day-to-day running of the organization, ensuring that programmes, projects, and internal functions are delivered efficiently and aligned with its strategic goals. He brings structure, accountability, and operational discipline to AI Eswatini’s work in AI capacity building, youth empowerment, and responsible technology adoption across Eswatini. Professionally, Bandile is a Developer and Technical Consultant at Finware Enterprise Systems, where he customizes, extends, and integrates ERP solutions, with Acumatica as his primary platform. His work covers C# development, REST API integration, SQL Server administration, and enterprise systems implementation, connecting ERPs with third-party applications and data sources so that information flows seamlessly across the business. He also designs and delivers AI integrations and AI-driven automation of business workflows, embedding intelligent capabilities directly into ERP processes to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and speed up decision-making for clients across Southern Africa. This experience shapes his approach to operations: streamlining workflows, automating repetitive processes, and turning complex operational data into actionable insights that support governance, compliance, and strategic objectives. A passionate advocate for responsible innovation, Bandile is a multi-award-winning researcher and developer whose work has been recognized at leading technology and AI events across Africa, including SATNAC 2023/24, PolyHack 2023, MachineHack (India), IndabaX Eswatini 2024, and the Deep Learning Indaba 2025 in Kigali. He has also served as a Microsoft Responsible AI Coach, facilitating workshops on Azure Content Safety, prompt engineering, and ethical AI practices. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the University of Eswatini and is also the Lead Systems & Software Architect at SwaziGist, where he leads technical strategy while building enterprise software, custom APIs, applied AI solutions and automated business workflows.

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Khanyisile Magagula

Co-Founder & Director of Research and Development

Khanyisile Magagula is a Machine Learning Engineer, AI researcher, and technology leader working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, healthcare, and real-world systems deployment in Africa. She is the Co-Founder of AI Eswatini, an initiative focused on empowering Eswatini through ethical, inclusive, and impactful AI innovation. She is also the Co-Founder of Kuphila AI, a Kenya-based startup taking artificial intelligence into laboratory environments, with a focus on computer vision for microscopic imaging and cancer detection. Her work spans machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and applied AI systems, with a strong emphasis on building solutions that function effectively in low-resource environments. She is particularly interested in healthcare AI, agricultural intelligence systems, and edge AI deployment, where connectivity and infrastructure constraints require robust, efficient, and context-aware model design. Khanyisile has contributed to research and innovation in computer vision, including deep learning approaches for real-time sugarcane leaf disease detection. Her work has been recognized within Africa's AI research ecosystem, including participation in the Deep Learning Indaba, as well as winning teams in both the Data Science for Health Africa (DS4H) Ideathon and the Deep Learning Indaba Ideathon. The DS4H work was notably featured by Google Research and Google Health, highlighting its relevance to global health innovation and applied machine learning in underserved contexts. She also achieved 2nd place in the IndabaX 2023 poster presentation competition, further demonstrating the academic strength and research impact of her work within the African AI community. She is currently based in Zambia, where she is working on building and deploying machine learning solutions for maternal health in low-resource settings. Through her work with Dawa Health, she contributes to the development of AI systems for healthcare applications that support frontline health workers and improve healthcare delivery in underserved regions. These initiatives are supported in collaboration with UNICEF and UNFPA, reflecting a strong focus on real-world impact in public health systems. Her broader vision is to build trustworthy, accessible, and impactful AI systems that address critical challenges in African communities, while contributing to the global advancement of responsible and applied artificial intelligence.

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Thembinkosi Mkhonta

Head of Projects

Thembinkosi Mkhonta is the Projects Lead at AI Eswatini, where he drives the technical delivery of the organisation's initiatives. He brings an engineering background to the role, with experience in backend systems, cloud infrastructure, and data. His technical interests centre on infrastructure, data systems, and cloud-native development, with a focus on observability, automation, and reliability. He channels this into an active open source practice, building and maintaining tools that range from database engines and web frameworks to developer CLI utilities. Beyond tooling, his work extends into applied AI and machine learning engineering. He has contributed to AI agents for automated code vulnerability scanning, and co-founded Fundmo, a transparent and secure fundraising platform built for communities across Southern Africa. Thembinkosi is a multiple hackathon award winner. He was part of the team that won both the Best Overall Innovators Award and the Best Telkom Award at the 2024 SATNAC conference, where they presented a centralised and automated monitoring solution for telecoms, competing against participants across Southern Africa. He also placed second at the Code for Care Hackathon, organised by Georgetown University in collaboration with Royal Science and Technology Park, tackling HIV related healthcare access challenges for adolescent girls and young women in Eswatini. In 2023, he won first place at the MoMo Hackathon with a FinTech fundraising platform built on the MoMo API.

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Vuyo Ngcamphalala

Head of Research

Data Science Lead

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Phila Gumedze

Social Media Manager

Phila Gumedze is a dedicated customer service professional and emerging social media manager with a passion for communication, community engagement, and digital innovation. With over two years of experience in customer-facing roles, Phila has developed strong skills in client relations, problem-solving, and delivering exceptional service experiences. Driven by a commitment to continuous learning and professional growth, Phila has expanded into the field of digital communications and currently serves as a Social Media Manager for AI Eswatini. In this role, Phila contributes to raising awareness about artificial intelligence, creating engaging content, and fostering meaningful online conversations that promote education and innovation within the community. Known for a strong work ethic, adaptability, and a collaborative approach, Phila is passionate about leveraging technology and effective communication to create positive impact. Based in Eswatini, Phila continues to pursue opportunities that combine customer engagement, digital marketing, and emerging technologies while contributing to the growth and development of local communities.

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Ayanda Khumalo

Data Scientist

Ayanda Khumalo is a Data Science enthusiast, researcher, and emerging AI innovator with a background in Mathematics and Physics and currently pursuing a Master’s in Data Science at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Cameroon as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar. His interests lie at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, scientific computing, and research-driven innovation. He is particularly interested in using data and AI to address real-world challenges in Africa, with interests spanning areas such as energy, finance, natural language processing, and locally relevant AI solutions. Ayanda is passionate about developing AI solutions that are not simply technically impressive, but are relevant to the communities they are designed to serve. Through his involvement with AI Eswatini, he has contributed to initiatives focused on building AI capacity among young people and supporting research into local-language technologies, including the collection of speech data to help advance AI research for emaSwati. His long-term aspiration is to become an AI and Data Science innovator who uses research, technology, and interdisciplinary knowledge to solve pressing problems in Eswatini and across Africa. He hopes to contribute to the development of locally relevant AI systems while also building strong expertise in research, machine learning, and model development. Beyond technical skills, Ayanda is passionate about youth capacity building, knowledge sharing, collaboration, and creating opportunities for young Africans to participate meaningfully in the development of AI and emerging technologies.

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Nkosiyenzile Mantimakhulu

Programmes Lead

Nkosiyenzile Mantimakhulu is a third-year Bachelor of Science in Information Technology student at the University of Eswatini, passionate about technology, artificial intelligence, and data science. Her leadership journey began as an AI Eswatini Ambassador, where she became more involved in promoting technology and its potential to make a difference. She has since taken on leadership responsibilities within the UNESWA ICT Society, developing her skills in teamwork, communication, and collaboration. Driven by curiosity and a desire to make a positive impact, she enjoys exploring innovative ideas and finding ways to use technology to solve real-world challenges and contribute to Eswatini’s digital future.

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Nyakallo Kotsi

AI/ML Researcher

Nyakallo Kotsi is a Computer Science graduate from Botho University in Lesotho, currently pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science at Botho University in Botswana. She is an AI/ML Researcher with interests in machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), generative models, and the application of AI in healthcare. She is particularly interested in developing AI solutions that address real-world challenges in African communities, including healthcare and low-resource African language processing. Her technical background includes software development, data analysis, predictive modelling, and machine learning research. She received the Best Presenter Award at Deep Learning IndabaX Lesotho 2024 and subsequently represented Lesotho through a plenary presentation in Kigali, Rwanda. In 2026, she presented a general poster at Deep Learning Indaba in Nigeria, where she was selected among the Top 50 presenters in Africa. Beyond research, Nyakallo serves on the Executive Committee of the Internet Society Chapter Lesotho, contributing to digital inclusion, online safety, Child Online Protection, Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence awareness, digital literacy, and community engagement. She is passionate about advancing African AI research, promoting responsible and inclusive technology, and empowering communities through AI education, collaboration, and innovation.

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Core Values

Built on trust, inclusion, and measurable impact. These principles guide every program we run and every partnership we form.

Openness

Open science & open data to make AI knowledge transparent and accessible.

Collaboration

Interdisciplinary local + global collaboration to build stronger impact.

Innovation

Out-of-the-box solutions that address real local challenges.

Ethics & Responsibility

Fair, transparent, accountable AI built to be trusted.

Inclusion & Diversity

Equitable participation regardless of gender, geography, or background.

Impact

Results-oriented programs focused on measurable improvements in people's lives.

Get Involved

We're always looking for passionate people to help us build the AI ecosystem in Eswatini. Every role matters.

Always open

Volunteer

Join our core volunteer team to help organise events, run community programs, and expand our reach across Eswatini.

Get involved

Rolling

Research & Projects

Collaborate on applied AI research, co-author publications, or partner on data-driven projects that create local impact.

Propose a project

Open

Speaking & Training

Share your expertise at our workshops, bootcamps, and public events as a speaker, trainer, or panellist.

Reach out

Open

Mentorship

Guide emerging AI practitioners in Eswatini: even one conversation can change the trajectory of a career.

Become a mentor

Don't see your fit?

Reach out anyway.

We're open to unconventional collaborations. If you care about responsible AI in Eswatini, we want to hear from you.