Dr Mzukisi Qobo – PhD (Warwick), MA (University of Stellenbosch)
Dr Qobo holds a PhD in International Political Economy from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom. He received his BA and MA International Relations from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, respectively. His range of experience spans policy and strategy development in the public sector; advisory; and academic roles - both in South Africa and abroad.
In his last position he was Head: Emerging
Powers and Global Challenges programme at the South African Institute
of International Affairs (SAIIA). In this programme he developed a
research stream focusing on emerging economies and global policy
challenges. His main responsibility was to provide strategic and policy
advice on the commercial and diplomatic involvement of emerging powers
such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) in Africa. Accordingly,
he provided briefings at a very senior level to government officials
and the business community.
In his previous role as Chief Director responsible for Trade Policy, at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), he led a team that drafted South Africa’s trade policy, and was in charge of research and policy development in the International Trade Division. As part of this role he interacted extensively with members of parliament, senior business leaders and trade unions.
Dr Qobo has travelled extensively abroad and often speaks on issues related to trade policy, emerging economies, and South Africa’s foreign policy. His recent publications are: Mzukisi Qobo and Mills Soko, Saudi Arabia as an Emerging Market: Commercial Opportunities and Challenges for South Africa, Occasional Paper 69, South African Institute of International Affairs, October 2010; and Mzukisi Qobo, Refocusing South Africa’s Economic Diplomacy: Emerging Powers and the African Agenda, South African Journal of International Affairs, Volume 17 (1) April 2010.
