Rapelang Rabana

About Rapelang Rabana

Rapelang Rabana is a South African computer scientist, entrepreneur and keynote speaker who builds technology that changes how people learn and work. She is Co-CEO of Imagine Worldwide, an edtech nonprofit delivering tablet-based literacy and numeracy programs with African governments. Previously, Rapelang founded Rekindle Learning—recognised by McKinsey as a striking innovation in mobile learning—and co-founded Yeigo Communications, one of the earliest mobile VoIP innovators in South Africa. She also served as Chief Digital Officer at BCX, driving enterprise digital strategy and new ventures. A World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and former board member at organisations including Standard Chartered Bank Botswana, she holds a Business Science (Hons, Computer Science) and an M.Sc from the University of Cape Town. Her talks translate founder-level lessons into practical playbooks on digital transformation, tech fluency and micro-learning that measurably improve performance.

Key message

Innovation must change behaviour and outcomes to matter. | Use technology to break constraints and produce resilient, scalable solutions. | Leaders are tech fluent when they can leverage the best of technology combined with human skills. | Data-driven experimentation is key to asking better questions and picking the right bets. | Micro-learning + data loops reduce time-to-competency and lift productivity.

Speaking topics and expertise

• Getting to Game-Changing Innovations | Digital Fluency | Re: Education - The Future of You | Innovation as a lever for Inclusive Economic Growth | Entrepreneurship: The African Advantage | My Journey - Inside Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Achievements

Co-founder, Yeigo Communications (acquired majority stake by Telfree) | Former Chief Digital Officer, BCX | Partner, FFWD Innovation

Talks and speeches

1. GETTING TO GAME-CHANGING INNOVATIONS Innovate with better odds, with less cash and faster than before Typical efforts to innovate and results in billions of wasted expenditure. Successful innovation is not a matter of good intentions or elaborate analyses, but a result of adopting an experimentation-driven approach to testing early-stage ideas or initiatives, so you can get your own real market data to validate (or invalidate) that idea, before investing more resources. Whether you exploring a new product or service, improving your customer experience or simplifying key processes, shift your innovation efforts from endless pontifications and ‘thought-world’ exercises, to ‘real-world’ experiments and create lasting business value. KEYNOTE: Learn what it takes to: - Generate new ideas in way that is accessible to everyone - Filter and choose the right ideas to take to market, avoiding being part of the statistic of 80% of ideas failing in the market, even if competently executed - Build realistic prototypes of solutions to put in front of real customers - Apply data-driven decision-making based on customer metrics - Adopt design thinking at work to get real business value - Build the muscle to be able to innovate into your company WORKSHOP: Everything in the Keynote, PLUS: Work ‘on’ your own business and get practical: - Apply the Theory of Constraints to identify experiments that would increase adoption, or - Apply Growth Hacking to identify experiments that could trigger rapid growth. 2. DIGITAL FLUENCY Tech for non-tech professionals - use technology to break constraints and solve problems Digital Fluency is about getting past the digital buzz words and understanding technology in simple, practical ways. In today’s digital world, every professional must be digitally fluent. This means getting past mental blocks about technology being a ‘black box’ or something for coders, or reluctance to adopt new technologies or fear of being replaced by AI. To fully leverage the power of digital technologies and be digitally fluent, we must change how we think about technology. At its core, technology is simply a method or technique that solves a problem by breaking a previous constraint. It’s about seeing technology as a mechanism to break constraints to solve business problems better. It’s about having the presence of mind to unearth limiting assumptions and know which technology capabilities to apply to unlock value in your organisation. Through AI, technology is finally powerful enough to match our imagination’s capacity to craft and deliver more effective solutions, to improve customer experience, reduce cost and generate new value. Related Article: Nothing like a Crisis to Focus the Mind – April 2020, Daily Maverick | Related Talk: Hybricon 3. RE: EDUCATION - THE FUTURE OF YOU Cultivate a future-ready mindset to thrive in a digital world To succeed in the world of generative AI and widespread digitalization of most industries, requires a reframing of role and contribution human beings bring to table. We have all heard about the need to be adaptable, resilient and to unlearn and relearn – but what does it take to become an altogether stronger and more capable person? Rapelang believes this journey starts with mastering your own mind to you understand the shortcomings of your brain when is faced with rigours of change and new challenges, so you can develop the mindsets, behaviours, and values that enable you to adapt to new situations. Combining that with digital fluency and an experimentation-driven approach to solving problems, is what will differentiate tomorrow’s winners. KEYNOTE: Learn what it takes to: - Become the mechanic of your own mind and consciously support your own growth journey - Catch yourself adopting debilitating behaviour that prevents you from learning - Apply technology to existing life and business constraints to change how you do things - Experiment your way to must-have solutions that solve a real problem and are easy adopt 4. INNOVATION AS A LEVER FOR INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH Disruptive innovations can drive inclusive economic growth in Africa By 2030, the majority of the world’s youth will be African, and the entire population is expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. How will millions more people be able to access services and products as their spending power increases? The answer – disruptive innovation is essential to reach new and underserved markets. Not all innovations are created equal. According to Clayton Christensen, only market-creating or disruptive innovations achieve inclusive economic growth and reach net new consumers, as opposed to the typical focus on sustaining and efficiency innovations that cater for established markets and customers. Deliberate efforts will be required by all players in the innovation ecosystem - from governments, big business, and start-ups to support the growth of market-creating innovations on the continent. Key challenges to overcome include: how we perceive and manage risk, developing venture capital markets, building the skills pipeline, and designing the right incentives and policies. 'Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together,' James Penny. 5. ENTREPRENEURSHIP: THE AFRICAN ADVANTAGE How having bigger problems can enable Africa to become a net exporter of technology These are many issues that blur Africa’s potential. But it is precisely the quantity and depth of these challenges that enable African entrepreneurs to appreciate problems and inefficiencies in a way that's not possible when the challenges are not so serious. Leveraging the power of emerging exponential and digital technologies, African entrepreneurs are now living through an unusual time, in which the capacity of technology to solve problems is starting to match the scale of these market challenges. Many of the challenges we see in Africa were solved long ago in higher income countries before the advent of digital technology. Typically, they were solved using analogue solutions, and even if things aren’t perfect, they work well enough for everyone to forget the flaws. Ironically, this has the effect of making inefficiencies less visible, and therefore provides less of an incentive for the creation of innovative digital solutions. This is what gives African entrepreneurs an advantage to innovate and ultimately export new solutions. Related Article World Economic Forum: How Africa's entrepreneurs are changing the direction of globalization 6. MY JOURNEY - INSIDE INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Realizing your potential through greater self-awareness Synopsis: Self-awareness is the meta-skill of the 21st century. Tasha Eurich’s research shows that ‘when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident, more creative, we make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively. And we’re more-effective leaders with more-satisfied employees and more-profitable companies.’ Rapelang unpacks her journey of entrepreneurship and how an organic journey to greater self-awareness has been quintessential to her success. She looks specifically at how greater awareness is the genesis of much celebrated business ideals – the capacity to be more innovation, the ability to take risk, and the capacity to create value from our unique, differentiated perspective of the world. Related Talk: Graduation Speaker at the University of Cape Town 2019

Delivery style

Clear, data-informed and case-driven; blends founder stories with practical frameworks; confident, warm, audience-inclusive.

Why audiences listen

Rekindle Learning recognised by McKinsey

What the talks address

Converting digital strategy into actionable initiatives and measurable ROI. | Building innovation capabilities inside enterprises (innovation playbook, customer metrics, metered funding, growth boards). | Leading with tech fluency – upskilling executives and teams. | Building a skills-based organization for cross-functional skills development and career mobility. | Designing learning that changes performance (micro-learning science, case studies).

What participants will learn

A blueprint to de-risk digital bets via data-driven experimentation. | Building products and solutions that deliver 'must-have' value. | Leveraging SFIA skills framework to develop a skills-based organization | A micro-learning playbook to shorten time-to-competency.

What audiences take home

Actionable frameworks and checklists. | Microlearning programs to reinforce learning | Case references and resource links.

Benefits for individuals

Confidence and clarity to lead digital and learning initiatives; sharper decision-making through tech fluency.

Benefits for organisations

Faster capability building; better adoption of digital tools; measurable performance uplift in compliance, sales and operations.