Ms. Dynah Solani is the Head of Information & Knowledge Management at the Local Enterprise Authority, an SMME development parastatal in Botswana. This position oversees collection and management of research information to support the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) SMME development mandate. She has carried research that has supported the start and growth of SMME by providing market information, value chain opportunities, SMME needs assessment and performance amongst others. She has also worked as a LEA Regional Manager overseeing operations of 7 LEA branches with an SMME clientele of more than 1000 enterprises. She recently coordinated the hosting of Youth Business Elevator Challenge Competition by LEA; a African Development Bank funded project which saw 10 youth entrepreneurs winning a share of P1 million to implement their start up and expansion ideas.
Ms. Solani is a seasoned researcher with more than 20 years research experience, with 15 of which was in entrepreneurship and SMME development environment. She holds a Master of Science in Strategic Management from the University of Derby (UK), Master of Arts in Rural Development from University of East Anglia (UK) and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from University of Botswana. She is also an alumni of the University of Stellenbosch (RSA) Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP).