Abdul Latif Alhassan (PhD) is a Professor of Development Finance and Insurance at the Development Finance Centre (DEFIC), University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, Cape Town. He teaches Research Methods and Issues in Development Finance on the Master of Commerce in Development Finance; he also developed and taught the curriculum for the Banking and Finance in Emerging Markets course on the Postgraduate Diploma in Development Finance qualification (2021 to 2023).  He also facilitates lecture sessions on quantitative and mixed methods research designs on the Master of Philosophy in Inclusive Innovation and PhD in Business Administration at the GSB. He also responsible for the academic administration of the dissertation component of the Master of Commerce in Development Finance degree as the Head of Minor Dissertation for students during the research year of the programme. Within the GSB, he chaired the Postgraduate Committee (PGC) which is responsible for the academic administration of the research component of the MBA and EMBA programmes from 2020 to 2022 and represents that GSB on the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee (HDC). Within the university, he is a member of the University Panel on Responsible Investments (UPRI) which is developing the implementation plan for UCT’s responsible investment strategy and the Board for Graduate Studies (BfGS). 

Prof. Latif Alhassan is an NRF (C) rated researcher who has authored several peer-reviewed journal articles on the industrial organisation of the financial services industry on firm behaviour (performance, efficiency, competition, and stability), operational and regulatory environment in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia and Mauritius and the broad area of development finance (financial inclusion, ESG, financial resilience, household welfare among several others) in international journals ranked by the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) journal quality guide, the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) and indexed in the Social Science Citation index (ISI). He also acts as an ad hoc referee for several international journals and external examiner for master’s and Ph.D. theses in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Australia.

Prof. Latif Alhassan has in the past managed a capacity building programme on farmer-based organizations selected African countries for the Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) as well as consulting experience with African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) on informal cross-border trade in Africa; the African Development bank (AfDB) enabling youth employment index in Africa and the World Bank Group as the financial inclusion consultant on financial sector development strategy (II) for Lesotho.

Ncumisa Tyhokolo is a seasoned retail executive with more than 20 years of experience shaping merchandise planning and commercial strategy across fashion, beauty, and home categories. She most recently served as General Manager of Merchandise Planning & Selling and a member of the Executive Committee at Woolworths South Africa, where she led end-to-end merchandise strategies, trade planning, and commercial delivery. Her career spans the design and execution of growth strategies across 10 African countries, giving her a unique perspective on diverse markets, consumer behaviour, and value chain dynamics on the continent. She is recognised for her enterprise leadership, working across product, supply chain, IT, marketing, stores, and real estate development to drive integrated commercial outcomes. Beyond her corporate achievements, Ncumisa is deeply committed to mentorship, inclusive leadership, and developing the next generation of African leaders.