Climate & Sustainability

Mokena Makeka ( https://www.makekadesignworks.com) was raised in Maseru, Lesotho and New York, USA and is an accomplished architect, artist, creative, curator, global leader, scholar, speaker, urbanist.

His passions lie in the intersection between design and regenerative development, just ecology and inclusive economies and the role that infrastructure and human centered design strategy plays in that. Climate Smart Forest Economies and art are core passions, alongside cities and the circular Bioeconomy.

Mokena has a passion for foreign affairs, and geo-political economics, and is well versed in the post-colonial landscape of the African continent and Sub-Saharan Africa, the America’s and Europe. He is a board member of the Green Building Council of South Africa. He also serves as the Vice-president of the South African Institute of architects. He has been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Design. He is also an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow, 2014. He is an Aspen Institute fellow in leadership 2022. He is one of the world top hundred  architects you need to know.

He was the Azrieli Visiting Critic of 2020, Carleton University School of architecture and urbanism- Canada, Adjunct Professor Cooper Union- New York, and is the current president of the South African Institute of Architects 2023/24. He is a Young Global leader at the World Economic Forum (2015) and is a member of the WCS Young leaders in urbanism (Singapore).

He was one of five global advisors to the Climate Smart Forest Economy program. Through his passion for Just Ecology, he has been an esteemed educator and a leader for the integrated system thinking of land based natural environments, his expertise touches on landscape, design and innovation strategy, afforestation, combatting soil erosion, and sustainable farming design. He is the co-chair of the 2021 global Stakeholder Dialogue on mass timber building materials under the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program. Within Dalberg, he is an integral lead of the dignified and Green Livelihoods initiative and served on the WEF initiative 30% by 30 x 2030.

Areas of expertise: Strategy, Digital Infrastructure, urban development, climate smart design, land use planning, rural development, communications, transport and Architecture.

In 2017 Mokena was one of the 40 young global cultural leaders of World Economic Forum at Davos, he was recognized for speaking truth to power and seeking to change the world for the better, alongside such luminaries as Shakira and Forest Whitaker.

He is the youngest recipient of various Awards for Architectural excellence and is the youngest President of the South African Institute of Architects in history.

His other passions lie in the intersection between design and sustainable development, just ecology and inclusive economies; and the role that infrastructure and human centered design strategy plays in that.

He is committed to education, social transformation and cities and environments of spatial and ecological justice. He is particularly concerned about the positive role that infrastructure ( hard/digital/social) can play in economic and ecological justice. As a sought-after speaker, Mokena makes time for between 7 and 10 speaking engagements annually where he offers insights on topics including thought-leadership on African cities, design, social and spatial practices, and demographic change.

Mokena has extensive experience of chairing, founding and serving on boards across the creative sector and built environment and some of these roles include the South African Heritage Agency, the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa, Cape Town Heritage Trust, the Isandla Institute (ex-chairman of the board) and Bush Radio Station. (ex-chairman of the board), Cape Africa Platform (ex-chairman of the board). He served as national strategic advisor to the Minister of Human Settlements, South Africa, and on the national council for arts and culture.

He led the international award winning architectural and urban planning firm Makeka DesignLab/Works. Mokena offers high-quality design and strategic insight, innovative design solutions and mentorship across various disciplines. Mokena is the inaugural winner of the Gold Loerie Award for Communication Design (in Architecture) 2011. He is the youngest national recipient of the Award of Merit (two-time winner) from the Cape Institute for Architecture, winning the South African Council for the Architectural Profession medal for 2001, and various International design awards throughout his 18- year career. He has twice been named by the National City Press, as one of the top 100 World Class South Africans Mokena offers high-quality design and strategic insight, innovative design solutions and mentorship across various disciplines.

Mokena brings strong and distinctive leadership experience, innovative mindset, rapid analysis, exceptionally strong communication skills and experienced problem- solving acumen, ability to work under pressure to any role he takes on. He is fully familiar with corporate governance and organizational oversight. He is highly skilled in Architecture Design, Transport Interchange Design, Strategic Design Integration of infrastructure, urban densification, civic architecture, creative economy education and policy, strategic property development, report writing, review, project strategy, property portfolio diversification and beneficiation. He has research ability and change management at a governance level, across a wide set of interests. Combining his Myers Briggs personality type (INFJ) with his drive, strong developmental outlook for organizational effectiveness, asset enhancement, mentoring capacity, ability to work in teams, motivate diverse personnel towards common objectives with clarity and inspiration, makes him a real asset in any role.

Mokena believes that good architecture is a basic human right and that through the design process one can harness the power to change not only the spaces we inhabit, but the socio-economy reality of communities, and stakeholders. Design is an increasingly critical tool to negotiate conflict, identify opportunities and to address the transformation of the environment and to create resilient cities and economies.