Rapelang Rabana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Computer Scientist
- Entrepreneur
- Businesswoman
Rapelang Rabana | |
|---|---|
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| Born | November 5, 1983 |
| Education | University of Cape Town (BS, MS) |
| Occupations |
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| Employer | Imagine Worldwide |
Rapelang Rabana (/rɑːpɛlɑŋ ræbɑnɑ/, tsn) (born November 5, 1983) is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and a keynote speaker. She is currently the Co-CEO of Imagine Worldwide, an education technology NGO providing literacy and numeracy across multiple countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.[1] Prior to joining Imagine Worldwide, Rapelang was Founder and CEO of Rekindle Learning,[2] a learning technology company; and previously co-founded Yeigo Communications, South Africa's first free VoIP mobile services provider.[3][4]
She has been featured on the cover of ForbesAfrica magazine, selected as a FastCompany Maverick, named Entrepreneur for the World by the World Entrepreneurship Forum and selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.[5]
Rabana was born in Gaborone, Botswana.[6] She started her schooling in Gaborone at Thornhill Primary School [7] before moving to Johannesburg and attended Roedean School.[8] Rapelang graduated with honours from the University of Cape Town in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in Business Science with a specialty in Computer Science,[9] and later obtained a Masters of Science degree from the same institution.[10] Rapelang returned to the University of Cape Town to give a commencement speech in 2019.[11]
Career
After graduating from university, Rapelang, along with her fellow university classmates, created the pioneering mobile VoIP application called Yeigo in 2006, winning the inaugural Enablis Business Plan competition. In 2009, Telfree, a South African next-generation operator, bought a majority stake in Yeigo. Rabana was appointed as the leader of Telfree's Research and Development department until she exited the business in 2012.[12]
In 2013, Rapelang founded Rekindle Learning, which empowers people to respond to the changing world of work through digital learning experiences.[13] In her TEDxCapeTown talk Using mobiles to rekindle learning, she shares the inspiration behind Rekindle Learning. McKinsey recognized Rekindle Learning as a ‘striking innovation in mobile learning’ in the report, Lions go digital: the internet’s transformative power in Africa (2013). In November 2017, Rapelang was named Chief Digital Officer of BCX, one of South Africa's largest ICT companies, where she served until the end of 2018.[14] Rapelang's continued her pursuits in driving innovation as a founding member and mentor of the Norrsken Impact Impact Accelerator[15][16]
In 2023, Rapelang was named Co-CEO of Imagine Worldwide.[17] Imagine Worldwide is a recipient of the 2024 Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Prize, which recognizes institutions and individuals who are working to implement evidence-based solutions aimed at promoting child development and learning in practice.[18] Under her leadership, Imagine has grown to serve 700,000 children by early 2025, with plans to expand the tablet-learning program nationwide in Malawi, and replicate the model in countries like Sierra Leone and Tanzania.[19]
Rapelang serves on the board of the listed subsidiary, Standard Chartered Bank Botswana,[20] and has previously served as a non-executive director of African Leadership Academy (Mauritius), Project Literacy, New York (USA), and Nisela Capital (South Africa).[21]