Chair of the Association
Dr Pinkie Mekgwe is the Chief Operations Officer at Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI). She was the International IDEA’s Senior Regional Adviser for Africa and West Asia up until joining the AHRI. At IDEA, she was instrumental in setting up the PanAfrican Programme on Women’s Political Participation. Dr Pinkie Mekgwe’s executive and academic career has spanned Africa, Europe, and Asia. Before joining AHRI in 2021, she was senior regional advisor for Africa and West Asia at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. She has also held executive positions at the University of Johannesburg and the University of Botswana. She was previously a visiting researcher at the Wits Institute of Social and Economic Research, at Malmö University in Sweden, and was a lecturer at the University of Botswana for over a decade. Pinkie holds a PhD in literary theory and gender studies and a masters in critical theory from the University of Sussex, as well as a BA from the University of Botswana.
