Nelisa Ngqulana is an Associate Partner at Dalberg Media based in Nairobi, Kenya and has served as the Regional Communications Lead for the Dalberg Group in Africa. She has more than 17 years in strategic communications strategy development to execution, public relations and event management, across various sectors from financial services to non-profit organisations.

She has led engagements across various sectors and thematic areas including digital transformation, financial inclusion, health and climate change and guides clients on leveraging their work and advance their agendas through advocacy and strategic communications. The clients worked with include the Digital Alliance Impact Alliance, World Health Organisation, the Childrens Investment Fund Foundation, UNICEF amongst others. Her areas of interest the use of media and communications as a tool for behaviour change and a lever for systemic change, building platforms, thought leadership and capacity building

Before joining Dalberg, Nelisa was running her own public relations firm offering strategy development, event management, media training, reputation management and crisis communication services. Her work in advocacy and policy lobbying has involved working with various government departments in the South African government and international non-profit organisations and donors. She is the vice chairperson of gender-based violence and tech non-profit, Kwanele South Africa. Nelisa speaks and contributes regularly in the media on social media and tech trends and current affairs related to gender equality and gender-based violence. 

Nelisa studied Journalism at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, International Relations & Media at the University of Cape Town as an undergraduate and post-graduate studies Development Communications and Journalism with a focus on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Journalism at the University of Witwatersrand.