Born and raised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Prof. Upor attended and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Dar es Salaam with a Bachelor of Arts with Education degree. She also holds a MA in Linguistics from the University of Dar es Salaam and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Georgia in the United States of America. Rose has more than 21 years working at the University of Dar es Salaam. She boasts 14 years’ experience in senior leadership and executive roles in university governance. She currently serves as the Principal, College of Humanities and the Chairperson of the College Board. She represents the University Council in the Planning, Finance and Investment Committee and the Appointments Committee. Moreover, she has been a member of the University Senate for over 10 years. She was formerly a Head of Department and Director, Office of the Vice Chancellor. She has served as a convenor of several committees on various policy and strategy development for the university. Rose has received executive leadership training from the Harvard Business School and INSEAD (Europe campus).

Wasamba is the current Chairman, the University of Nairobi Professors’ Association (UoNPA). Wasamba has been involved in the PANGeA activities since its formation in 2010. He represented the University of Nairobi in PANGeA from 2010 to 2019.  He took a break from PANGeA activities at the end of his Deanship in 2019 but continued advising the Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences on PANGeA activities. Wasamba was reappointed to be the University of Nairobi representative to PANGeA Board in November 2023.  He is an experienced researcher with several publications in peer reviewed journals and a grounded researcher with strong international networks.   He is consultant in higher education management and international collaboration. Importantly, Wasamba is passionate about mentoring students and young academics, and continues to open opportunities for doctoral training, research, and student/ staff exchanges at various universities worldwide.

She has a distinguished career in academia underpinned with management and administrative experience from the corporate world. Prior to joining the Department of Social Work, University of Ghana in 2009 as a Lecturer, she held the same position at Texas Woman’s University. She was promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor ranks in 2013, 2016, and 2020 respectively. She was appointed Head of the Department of Social Work from 2014 to 2021, Director of the Centre for Ageing Studies from 2021 to 2023, and is currently Dean of the School of Social Sciences. She has received numerous research grants and has over fifty peer-reviewed academic publications to her credit. Professor Mavis Dako-Gyeke has contributed significantly to the academic life and growth of the University of Ghana through teaching, research, mentorship, and extension services. She serves on several boards and committees within and outside University of Ghana.

She is well equipped with conflict resolution and management Skillsets, relationship building, reconciliation, networking and interpersonal abilities relevant for interacting with different partners. She has won and managed grants with the Mellon Foundation, The Cambridge –Africa Alborada Research Fund, UN Women, Mastercard Foundation, United States Institute of Peace, The Elsie Fund and she is an AHP Fellow. She is the Inaugural Director of the first and so far the only Rotary Peace Center in Africa situated at Makerere University. Helen was member of the Makerere University Council and Chairperson of the Student Affairs Committee 2018-2022. She also serves on the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund as a Member of the Grants Management Committee, also the Vice Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the Makerere University Grants Management Support Unit, a member of the University Senate and the University staff tribunal. Currently, Helen is the principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University.

He previously also served as head of the then English Department and Dean of the then Faculty of Humanities at UNIMA. Regarding his academic profession, he is a literary and cultural critic and Associate Professor in the Department of Literary Studies (UNIMA) where he teaches (African) literature and popular arts. In 2018, he was Fulbright Scholar in the Comparative Literature Department at New York University, New York, USA. His research interests include the African Novel and 21^st Century Migration, African/Malawian Popular Arts in the Digital Age and Refugees Creative Arts in Malawi.