Dr Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi
In Geraldine Joslyn Fraser-Moleketi, Africa has a strong and passionate leader working towards the continent’s social and economic transformation. As the former Special Envoy on Gender/ Vice-President at
the African Development Bank, she led a strategy to mainstream gender in the Bank’s policies and operations, making the Bank a reference institution on gender equality and inclusion in Africa. She has championed women’s economic empowerment and financial inclusion. She has worked in inter-governmental structures, interacted with political leaders, business leaders and civil society, and have been involved in complex negotiations across different issues and sectors. Her career is characterised by commitment to development that is more inclusive and economic growth that is more sustainable.
Geraldine was previously Director of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Democratic Governance Group (DGP), based at Head Quarters(HQ) in New York, working across six Regional Service Centres (RSCs) with more than one hundred countries.
She served in the South African Government as Minister of Public Service and Administration, for two consecutive terms. She worked on a number of Strategic Policy initiatives which included the development of a Senior Management Service within the South African Public Service; a comprehensive review of the Public Service Remuneration system; revitalized the “Batho Pele” strategy within the Public Service; established GEMS (Government Employment Medical Scheme); set up PALAMA (Public Service Leadership and Management Academy); served as Chair of the Pan African Ministers of Public Service for three consecutive terms; worked on inter-governmental bodies globally and in Africa; whilst Minister for Public Service and Administration served in the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration, established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) was within the Public Service Portfolio and reported to the Minister.
As Minister for Welfare and Population Development in South Africa’s first democratic government highlights included developing and tabling the policy on Social Welfare (1997) before parliament; white paper on Population Policy (1998); worked on the development and implementation of the Child Support Grant and chaired the Ministerial Team on Children and Youth at Risk.
She served as Deputy Minister of Welfare and coordinated the country preparation, of South Africa, for the Beijing World Conference (1995); served as Deputy Leader of the South African Delegation to the World Conference; represented South Africa at the WSSD in Copenhagen Denmark.
In addition, she served as member of the South African Parliament for three consecutive parliaments (1994 through September 2008 when she resigned from parliament.) Geraldine served a parliamentarian and a member of the Constituent Assembly; she served on various subcommittees of the Constituent Assembly.
Some of Geraldine’s early achievements include her participation in the multi-party negotiation process. She served, among others, on the Management Committee of CODESA (Convention for a Democratic South Africa); she was Deputy National Coordinator of the ANC’s National Elections Commission in the Liberation Movement’s preparations for South Africa’s first democratic elections.
Geraldine serves on various boards across academia (including, the Institute for the Study of International Development, Mc Gill University – Montreal Canada - and Chairs the Council of Advisors of the Mapungubwe Research Institute- MISTRA), government and development organizations on issues including youth, women empowerment, capacity development & education, governance and poverty eradication. She currently serves on the Africa Advisory Committee on Womens’ World Banking. She has been reappointed to the Committee of Experts of Public Administration (CEPA) by the UNSG for the period 2018 -2021.
She is a Non-Executive Board Member of the Standard Bank Group (SBG) and Standard Bank South Africa (SSA). She serves on the Group Directors Affairs Committee, Social and Ethics Committee (Group and SBSA) and, the Risk and Capital Committee (Group/SBSA).
She is a fellow of the Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government, at Harvard University, and has completed a leadership course at Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Geraldine holds a Master’s Degree in Administration, University of Pretoria, and has received several awards including the OP Dwivedi Public Service Award from the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and a Special Award for Outstanding Achievement from University of Pretoria’s School of Public Management and Administration.
She was named the “2016 New African [magazine] Woman of the Year.” Most recently, Geraldine was conferred a Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth South Africa.
A strong supporter of intergenerational dialogue, Geraldine mentors young women and men across the continent on leadership and resilience.
READ SOME OF OUR CHANCELLOR'S SPEECHES:
Nelson Mandela University Chancellor Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, who was recently re-elected as the Chair of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration, was in New York this week, where she shared insights on public service in a 20-minute interview on SABC News on 9 April 20.