Bongiwe Shongwe

Bongiwe is a Project Manager in Axum’s Kigali office. She is passionate about integrating sustainability into financial investments and promoting inclusive socio-economic development, especially through nature-based solutions. Bongiwe is seconded to the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP). In this role, she leads efforts to establish a coalition of key actors in East Africa’s biobased construction sector who can collectively address critical hurdles to sector growth. She also supports the Biodiversity Investments – Researcher & Accelerator (BIRA) initiative, including helping prepare investor pitch documentation for BIRA-supported enterprises.  

Prior to her current roles, Bongiwe designed the strategy to establish and operationalise the Maranyundo Training and Learning Center in Rwanda; supported an initiative to promote nature-positive revenue by integrating non-human species into the global market economy; and helped establish institutions to improve financing and business development for women and youth entrepreneurs in six African countries. 

Bongiwe’s other work includes designing a financing scheme to make smart devices more affordable for low- and middle-income individuals; developing guidelines to enable African countries to accelerate their transition to a circular economy; and creating a framework for investors to measure and rate the impact of their investments on natural capital and people.  

Before moving to Kigali, Bongiwe worked as a freelance consultant specializing in organisational effectiveness and business development. She has also worked in corporate and investment banking and financial regulation—experiences that nurtured her interests in fintech, financial inclusion and literacy, fiscal and monetary policy development, and efficient resource allocation. She also served as the national director for The Knowledge Institute, a local NGO in eSwatini, where she focused on fostering strategic mentorship and professional development partnerships between high school students and business professionals. 

Bongiwe holds an MBA from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a BA in Economics (Honours) from Westminster College in Missouri, USA. She is fluent in both English and SiSwati.