ABOUT US

Tiyimele Consultants stands out for its inclusivity and responsiveness to developmental needs. We focus on empowering women and youth through our emerging researchers and evaluators program. Our team of African researchers delivers progressive and cost-effective services tailored to client needs, ensuring the overall development of Africa. We are dedicated to quality management and producing evidence-based research.

We provide professional research, M&E, and organizational design services to both public and private sectors, aiming to enhance policy and program outcomes. Our commitment to reliability, integrity, and confidentiality ensures we deliver timely and budget-conscious solutions.

MR MOKGOPHANA RAMASOBANA

FOUNDER / DIRECTOR

Mokgophana is an accomplished researcher and evaluator whose passion lies in evaluation capacity development, environment, social and governance, African indigenous knowledge systems, and the effective use of evaluation results. He has been a team leader on multiple evaluation projects across multiple sectors not limited to youth, gender, public policy, governance and oversight, and field building resulting in systematic changes. He is the founder and director of Tiyimele Consultants, a South African-based but African focused consulting firm. He is the Principal Investigator (PI) on the Pan African Evaluation Consortium (PAIEC) contracted to conduct an indigenous evaluation landscape on behalf of the Mastercard Foundation. The project seeks to map, cocreate and pilot innovative culturally prone protocols and tools apt to transform Africa’s evaluation praxis.

Mokgophana holds a Master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) from the University of Witwatersrand and is finalising a Master’s qualification in African philanthropy with the Wits Business School. He serves(d) on several boards including a Deputy Chairperson of the Students Christian Organisation (SCO), a faith-based non-profit organisation with footprints across the university and TVET college campuses. He also mentors young entrepreneurs on a Youth African Entrepreneurship Institute (YAEI) programme delivered in partnership with the Wits Development & Leadership Unit (DLU). He is the Legacy Chair of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) board. He served as a Council Member of the Mopani South TVET College Council, where he chaired the Planning and Strategic Committee (PLANCO), overseeing and driving the strategic mandate of the College.

He has authored academic and non-academic articles on topical issues ranging from indigenous knowledge systems, qualitative evaluation studies and evaluation capacity-building Initiatives in Africa etc.

DR CANDICE BAILEY

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Candice is a journalist, editor and communicator with over 20 years of experience. In the last nine years she has specialised in research translation ensuring that research findings can be disseminated to non-scientific audiences. She is also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, based at the University of the Witwatersrand, under the SA UK Bilateral Research Chair in Political Theory. Her research focus is in democratic theory with a particular focus on democracy, citizenship, power and participation.  She holds both doctoral and master’s degrees in politics.

PROF NEDSON POPHIWA

SENIOR EVALUATOR / RESEARCHER

Nedson is a research, monitoring and evaluation expert with over a decade of experience. He has fulfilled the roles of principal investigator, data analyst and report writer on projects commissioned by ministries, provincial government departments, local governments and donors. Nedson also played a crucial role in facilitating the theory of change for the Commission for Gender Equality during its twenty-year review process. Nedson holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economic History from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Masters in Migration Studies from Wits University. He also holds a Masters in African Economic History and Honours in Economic History degrees from the University of Zimbabwe. Nedson has published several peer-reviewed publications and read papers at international and national conferences. He co-edited a book titled “The evaluation landscape in Africa”, contributing to debates on monitoring and evaluation in Africa. He is a senior lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand.

MS TEBOGO FISH

EVALUATION / RESEARCH SPECIALIST

Tebogo is a Researcher/Evaluator working at the Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results, Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA) in Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a Master’s Degree in Research Psychology from Wits University. Her proficiency lies in research methods, both qualitative and quantitative. She is passionate about researching and finding equitable solutions to social and development issues. She has worked in the research and M&E for the last eight years. Tebogo has led several research/evaluation projects, including the Sector Skills Plan on behalf of Transport Education Training Authority. Her roles included leading throughout the research value chain, ranging from writing up inception reports, development data collection instruments, conducting semi-structured interviews and conducting focus group discussions with each of the eight transport sub-sectors; analysing quantitative solicited through the Workplace Skills Plan and writing the SSP reports by DHET framework.

MS TSHIDI MOILWA

EVALUATION / RESEARCH SPECIALIST

Matshediso completed her master’s degree in ‘Public Management and Development’ at the Wits School of Governance in 2022. Her interest lies in understanding and finding ways to use evaluation evidence to influence social policy and change in South Africa. She focused her dissertation research on “Made in Africa Evaluation Capacity Developments: Opportunities and Challenges in South Africa”. Matshediso has worked for several think tanks, including the South African Institute of International Affairs and the Institute for Global Dialogue. She trained as an Emerging Evaluator with Southern Hemisphere and has worked as an Evaluation Analyst for the UN World Food Programme and a USAID-supported programme called Resilient Waters.

DR PAMELA POPHIWA

SENIOR EVALUATOR / RESEARCHER

Pamela is an Animal Scientist and M&E specialist with over 17 years of experience. In past seven years, she has been involved in academic research and project management within South Africa and the region. She is also a Researcher, based at the University of Pretoria, under the ARUA’s Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food Systems. Her research focus is on Agriculture with a particular focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security and sustainable food systems.  She holds a doctoral degree in Animal Science from the University of Pretoria and a Master’s degree in Programme Evaluation from the University of Cape Town.

MS HOPE MOREMI

EMERGING EVALUATOR / RESEARCHER

Hope Moremi is an emerging evaluator at Tiyimele Consultants. She holds a BA(Hons) in Politics and International Relations. Hope is currently pursuing her Master’s in Politics, with a focus on Paradiplomacy and Regional Integration. She also contributed to a project that is exploring the relationship between the international relations of subnational governments and regional integration. With a passion for understanding how provincial and local actors navigate the global landscape, Hope’s research interests align with her commitment to unravelling the complexities of international relations at the subnational level.

DR Mjiba Frehiwot

Mjiba Frehiwot is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana. Dr. Frehiwot researches, debates and thinks deeply about Pan-African consciousness and how to decolonize and re-Africanize knowledge production in Global Africa. Her primary research focuses on Pan-Africanism, African political thought, and social movements in Global Africa. Dr. Frehiwot is engaged with several funded projects that centre questions of decolonization, African Agency and Pan-Africanism. She recently released her first film titled “Umoja: Africa Must Unite Now”. Most recently, she co-edited with Dr. Cheikh Thiam an issue of Global Africa Journal titled, Pan-Africanism, African research and global issues (Number 03.2023-ISSN 3020-0458). She is also the Treasurer of the African Studies Association of Africa.

Janice Scheckter

Janice Scheckter, CEO, Indigo Africa, is a social entrepreneur focused on leveraging platform technologies to drive impact in education, economic development, and healthcare. In addition to her work in African impact programs, Janice was a cofounder and chair or African Women in Agriculture NPC, an organisation with a vision to capacitate women in agribusiness. Prior to entering the platform world, Janice founded and ran Indigo Marketing, for 21 years, a B2B brand strategy consultancy. Some landmark engagements included the launch of Levi Strauss in South Africa, working with the ANC on the 1994 manifesto launch and working with Brand South Africa and Embratur Brasil over the 2010 FIFA World Cup, among many other.

Dr Wole Olaleye

Wole Olaleye is a public governance expert with over twenty years of experience working in performance monitoring and evaluation of politics, democratisation, development and public management. Wole is skilled at developing and implementing M&E systems, has extensive experience in theoretical and applied social research and has competency in developing result-based management frameworks, performance indicators and theories of change. He has experience in using different data collection methods and in performing in-depth analysis of data using SPSS, and NVivo to generate insight for action. Wole has undertaken assessments of impact, using different evaluation designs and approaches, interpreted and shared findings through reports and presentations for various stakeholders, including governmental agencies and international donors, provided strategic planning and project management for programmes, working towards donor goals and institutional commitments, and been involved in evaluation planning and design through extensive stakeholder engagement. His approach is one of capacity building with local partners, mentoring them to develop and implement their own best practices and to sustain these skills long after the projects are completed. He brings sector-specific expertise in political development, public management, and social justice, as well as the integration of gender and social inclusion perspectives into M&E frameworks. He is a prolific researcher and author; he publishes and presents at international conferences, and works with academic institutions to improve M&E practices.

Prof. Neissan Besharati

Prof. Neissan Besharati is the Research Director for the Sustainability, ESG, Impact Management, Circular Economy (SICE) initiative at the Gordon Institute of Business Sciences (GIBS), and Business Director for Policy & Partnerships at the Southern Centre for Indigenous Psycho-Pharma (SCIPP) at the University of Pretoria. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Pan-African Financing for Development Institute (PAFDI) and is the co-founder of the climate tech social enterprise Sustainable Organic Urban Lifestyle (SOUL). He holds a PhD (Public Policy & Development Management) from University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) and a Masters (International Social Development) from the University of New South Wales (Australia). He is as a senior research associate at several prominent development think-tanks and visiting professor at a number of international universities.
Neissan has extensive experience as an international sustainability consultant working with multinational corporations and serving as a senior policy advisor to governments, philanthropies, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, development finance institutions and regional organisations. He currently sits on various United Nations, World Bank, African Union and OECD expert groups and committees.
He is a globally respected thought leader in the areas of international development, sustainability and ESG, monitoring and evaluation, impact measurement, development finance, public-private partnerships, health and education policy, aid effectiveness, emerging economies and South-South cooperation.

MR Thamsanqa SIBIYA

Thamsanqa is a graduate of the University of Swansea, UK and has obtained post graduate qualifications from Wits Business School and Harvard Business School. He is performance-driven and accomplished leader with extensive experience in governance, operations management and business development within Financial Services, Health, Information Technology, Telecommunication, Transport and Utilities Industries. Stellar track record of managing diverse operations, improving processes, and driving business growth. Expert in devising strategic roadmaps and enhancing quality measures. Excel at mentoring and developing cross-functional teams within fast-paced environments. Proven success in fostering congenial and professional relationships with key stakeholders and clients