Meet The Team

"Meet the Visionaries Building Africa’s Vertical Future"

At the heart of VERTIK AFRICA is a world-class leadership team—visionaries, economists, architects, technologists, and governance experts—united by a bold mission: to redefine how African cities grow.

From systems design and modular construction to policy innovation and urban finance, our team combines deep academic insight with field-tested expertise. Together, they are not just shaping buildings—they are architecting a new urban logic for the continent: vertical, inclusive, and future-ready.

These are the minds behind the mission. The stewards of the skyline. The leaders elevating Africa—one vertical community at a time.

Dr. Bekithemba Mpofu

Founder & Executive Chair, VERTIK AFRICA | Executive Director, VERTIKA Cities

Dr. Bekithemba Mpofuis a systems entrepreneur, urban economist, and housing reform strategist.

He holds a PhD in Econometrics, an MSc in International Finance, and an MBA in Strategy—combining academic rigour with practical policy and investment expertise across Africa’s urban systems.

A former Member of Parliament and public finance expert, he has advised governments, multilateral institutions, and academic bodies on housing finance, spatial transformation, and sustainable city growth.

VERTIKA AFRICA was born during a personal crossroads. While undergoing chemotherapy in Hyderabad, India, Dr. Mpofu was inspired by the country’s vertical, scalable housing ecosystems.
That moment sparked a vision: a continent-wide transformation rooted in upward, equitable, and climate-responsive living. This genesis anchors the platform’s moral clarity and strategic direction.

As the Founder and Executive Chair of VERTIK AFRICA, Dr. Mpofu provides leadership across the platform’s six sub-brands. He shapes its continental vision and governance, ensuring that bold ideas are translated into scalable, investable solutions.

His research and leadership have influenced policy dialogues on affordable housing, REITs, and land reform across Africa and beyond.
A Fellow of the Institute of Directors (FIoD), the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI), and a Certified Business Advisor, he continues to position VERTIK as a generational institution responding to Africa’s urban future with vision, rigour, and resilience.

Email:
bmpofu@vertikafrica.org

Chief of Staff, VERTIK AFRICA

BSc (Business Administration) | PGDip (Business Management)

Ms. Mbasakazi Mbata is a dynamic operations strategist with a proven track record in managing complex, multi-sectoral initiatives across social infrastructure, enterprise development, and youth empowerment.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management from MANCOSA.

Her qualifications are supplemented by certifications in occupational health and safety, fire safety, and growth-focused development tools.
Recognised as a Top Performer at SEDFA (South Africa), her operational leadership is matched by a commitment to excellence and delivery under pressure.

Her experience spans the delivery of high-impact programmes where she led procurement systems, budget oversight, and cross-partner coordination.
At VERTIK AFRICA, she serves as the organisation’s Chief of Staff—anchoring internal workflow, aligning timelines across sub-brands, and ensuring strategic objectives translate into measurable action.
Her integrative leadership style, combined with a sharp logistical mind, makes her indispensable to VERTIKA’s mission of building vertically, inclusively, and at scale across African cities.

Email:
mmbata@vertikafrica.org

Ms. Mbasakazi Mbata

Dr. Mike Juru

Executive Director, VERTIKA Cities

Dr. Mike Juru brings over 25 years of cross-cutting experience in built environment strategy, urban governance, and real estate leadership.
As the current Chairperson of the Green Building Council of Zimbabwe and a former President of the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe (IoDZ), Dr. Juru has led institutional change and professional excellence at both national and continental levels.

He sits on multiple corporate and public boards and is CEO of Integrated Properties, where he spearheads high-impact real estate ventures across Africa.

At VERTIKA Cities, Dr. Juru leads the platform’s interface with host cities, overseeing land strategy, permitting, and stakeholder alignment.
His deep understanding of regulatory dynamics, coupled with his commitment to sustainable urbanism, ensures that VERTIKA’s inserts are grounded in local governance yet aligned to global ESG and smart city standards.
As a thought leader and practitioner, he bridges policy and implementation, shaping VERTIKA’s catalytic impact on Africa’s spatial future.

Email:
mjuru@vertikafrica.org

Executive Director, VERTIKA Studio

PhD (Urban Regeneration)| MSc (Land Economy)| BSc (Hons)| FHEA| MRICS

Prof. Cletus Moobela is a built environment scholar with extensive experience in real estate, urban studies, social sustainability, and participatory planning.
His academic leadership includes senior faculty positions in the UK, where he directed research programmes on housing transformation and spatial resilience.

A published thought leader on city systems and transformation, Prof. Moobela brings a critical design lens to VERTIKA Studio—ensuring each insert combines design elegance with spatial equity.
From community co-design to context-sensitive placemaking, he leads efforts to embed beauty, dignity, and functionality into VERTIKA’s built environments.

Email:
cmoobela@vertikafrica.org

Prof. Cletus Moobela, PhD

Dr. Prisca Simbanegavi

Executive Director, VERTIKA Research

PhD (Real Estate) | MSc | BCom (Hons) | BSc (Hons) (Economics)

Dr. Prisca Simbanegavi is a leading housing economist and senior academic with over a decade of experience at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Her doctoral research focused on the investment impacts of mixed-income housing, informing policy frameworks across South Africa.

With an MSc from KTH (Sweden) and extensive publication in ESG finance, sustainable housing, and infrastructure innovation, she brings rigour to every research cycle.
Dr. Simbanegavi has co-authored over 30 journal articles and conference papers and has supervised numerous postgraduate theses on urban economics and real estate finance.

At VERTIKA Research, she directs knowledge curation, impact assessment, and pilot analytics—ensuring each insert becomes a feedback loop for policy reform and platform learning.

Email:
psimbanegavi@vertikafrica.org

Executive Director, VERTIKA Capital

MSc (Financial Analysis)| MBA (GIBS) |MSc (Finance & Investment)| BSc | PG Di

Mr. Nkosi Nyanga is a strategic finance expert with a strong background in treasury, liquidity risk, and financial modelling.
He has held senior positions in government entities and worked extensively on infrastructure finance and funding architecture.

Holding a Master’s in Finance, his work spans asset management, public-sector capital planning, and long-term financial forecasting.

At VERTIKA Capital, Mr. Nyanga designs blended finance models, manages investment risk, and engages with DFIs and capital markets to drive funding for vertical housing ecosystems across Africa.
His fiscal foresight anchors the financial resilience of VERTIKA’s ambitions.

Email:
nnyanga@vertikafrica.org

Nkosi Nyanga

Mthulisi Mdluli

Executive Director, VERTIKA FutureLab

MSc (BIM)| BSc (Construction Mgt and Property Development)| PG Dip | MCIAT

Mr. Mthulisi Mdluli is a policy technologist and systems innovator with a strong grounding in green infrastructure, urban resilience, and digital governance.
With an MSc in Project Management and over a decade’s experience in engineering and project-based contracting, he has led multiple private-sector initiatives.

His work spans infrastructure delivery, digital asset lifecycle management, and smart systems integration.

At VERTIKA FutureLab, he champions the use of AI, IoT, and prefabrication to create scalable and adaptive urban inserts.
His cross-sectoral collaboration with municipalities and international partners positions him as the innovation engine of VERTIKA’s transformation mandate.

Email:
mmdluli@vertikafrica.org

Executive Director, VERTIKA Foundation

BSc Eng (Mech)| Pr.Eng (ECSA)| Certificate (Process Instrumentation & Control)

Eng. Nkosi Tshuma is a seasoned engineer with over 20 years’ experience across infrastructure, mining, and asset management.
A registered Professional Engineer (Pr.Eng), he has led engineering teams in multiple African jurisdictions, managing operational risks and ESG compliance.

His technical leadership spans large-scale capital projects and complex infrastructure lifecycles.

At VERTIKA Foundation, he ensures institutional integrity through robust ESG frameworks, anti-corruption controls, and stakeholder transparency.
He also supports philanthropic and community engagement efforts, grounding VERTIKA’s growth in social trust and ethical stewardship.

Email:
ntshuma@vertikafrica.org

Eng. Nkosi Tshuma

Nicole Mpofu

Director: Finance & Accounting, VERTIK AFRICA

BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance

Nicole Mpofu is a finance professional with a BSc (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from Birmingham City University.
She brings hands-on experience from roles at Experian, Amazon, and Consortium Education in the UK.

In those roles, she managed client financials, process optimisation, and inventory controls.

At VERTIK AFRICA, she leads financial operations across sub-brands, ensuring accurate fund disbursement, donor reporting, and compliance with ESG standards.
With strong analytical acumen and a detail-oriented approach, Nicole ensures VERTIKA’s financial systems remain robust, transparent, and ready to support the platform’s bold urban transformation agenda.

Email:
nmpofu@vertikafrica.org

Director, International Relations – VERTIK AFRICA

MCA | BCA | BSc (Computer Applications) | Intl. Urban Access Strategist

Moniem Osman is an international urban access strategist and operational connector with a unique cross-sector background in healthcare mobility, digital systems, and urban service logistics. He holds a Master of Computer Applications (MCA), a Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA), and a BSc in Computer Applications—equipping him with strong technical insight and systems thinking.

Prior to joining VERTIK AFRICA, Moniem served as International Operations Manager at Da Vida Healthcare, where he facilitated inbound medical travel for African patients, coordinated IVF programs, and oversaw end-to-end logistics for high-stakes health journeys. His experience includes cross-border coordination, accommodation management, forex support, and client representation—ensuring that international clients receive dignified, efficient, and culturally aware service at every touchpoint. As Director of International Relations at VERTIK AFRICA, Moniem leads global stakeholder engagement, inbound program design, and regional mobility solutions. Based in Hyderabad, he plays a critical role in operationalising VERTIKA’s India-Africa bridge—bringing Africa’s urban aspirations into dialogue with scalable, high-density ecosystems in South Asia. His role combines diplomacy, logistics, and people-first implementation, helping VERTIKA grow its footprint with integrity, agility, and relational depth.

Email: moniemos@vertikafrica.org