Dr Sepo Hachigonta

Dr Sepo Hachigonta serves as the Executive Head for Strategic Partnerships, Networking & Resourcing at the National Research Foundation (NRF). He holds master’s and doctoral degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Cape Town. His research interests focus on transdisciplinary science and Africa’s science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy landscape.

Dr Hachigonta has played a pivotal role in developing and strengthening the higher education and research ecosystem across South Africa and the region. In his current role, he spearheads the NRF’s bilateral and multilateral partnerships and has led numerous programmes to enhance research capacity, science-policy linkages, and innovation systems. He has been instrumental in designing key regional initiatives, including the Southern African Systems Analysis Centre (SASAC), the Africa Open Science Platform (AOSP), and the Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI).

An active scholar, Dr Hachigonta has authored more than 60 publications, with a specific focus on the interface between research and policy. He possesses a strong network of collaborators across Africa and beyond, with expertise spanning strategic stakeholder engagement across public and private sectors to nurture partnerships that bridge science, policy, and practice.

He also contributes to governance on national and international stages, including serving as Vice Council Chair of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).