Rapelang Rabana

Rapelang Rabana is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker recognized for her work in technology innovation and digital transformation. A graduate of the University of Cape Town, Rabana holds a bachelor's degree in business science with honors in computer science and a master's degree from the same institution. She has more than 15 years of experience in the technology sector, beginning with the co-founding of Yeigo Communications, South Africa's first free VoIP mobile services provider. Yeigo developed one of the earliest mobile VoIP applications in Africa and became the first African telecommunications firm to introduce instant messaging and other technological advancements to enhance communication efficiency.

After Yeigo, Rabana founded Rekindle Learning, an education technology company that enables organizations to codify and share institutional knowledge to improve business performance. Rekindle Learning was profiled in the McKinsey "Lions Go Digital" report as an innovation in digital learning. As chief digital officer at BCX, Rabana led digital transformation initiatives within the Telkom Group, focusing on customer-driven solutions and disruptive technology. She is also a founding partner at FFWD Innovation, where she supports innovation strategies for large corporations. Rabana is a frequent speaker at technology and entrepreneurship conferences and has shared stages with leaders such as President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and author Malcolm Gladwell.

Rabana serves as co-CEO of Imagine Worldwide, an education technology nonprofit providing literacy and numeracy programs across multiple countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has contributed to Imagine Worldwide's vision, technology, and impact as a board member, board chair, and head of technology. In partnership with the government of Malawi, Imagine Worldwide implements a tablet program in primary schools, aiming to serve millions of students annually. The organization's solar-powered, offline tablets deliver personalized learning to children in underserved communities, and Imagine Worldwide is recognized for its evidence-based, self-guided literacy and numeracy programs delivered in collaboration with local communities and governments. Imagine Worldwide received the Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Prize for its work in promoting child development and learning.

Rabana has been featured on the cover of Forbes Africa magazine, named Entrepreneur for the World by the World Entrepreneurship Forum, and selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She has spoken at the Annual Meeting in Davos in the closing plenary, "The Future Across Generations," alongside Muhammad Yunus and Klaus Schwab. Rabana was also listed on Oprah Magazine's O Power List. Her leadership roles include serving on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Entrepreneurship, as a trustee of the Standard Chartered Bank Botswana Education Trust, and as a board member for African Leadership University. Rabana is a recipient of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education and has been selected to deliver a TED Talk as a grantee of The Audacious Project.