SPEAKER

Refilwe Ledwaba

Founder
Girls fly Africa

Refilwe has been in the Aerospace industry for more than 20 years in various positions. She is the founder of an aviation and space technology education organisation called Girls Fly Africa (GFA) and a Master candidate currently studying for an MPhil in inclusive innovation, continuing to a Ph.D. in 2024/2025. As a founder of a non-profit company, Refilwe oversaw the initial setup and the growth of the organisation which went on to win multiple awards including being named and profiled by BBC as one of the best 8 innovators in Africa. Refilwe has extensive operational experience in the general aviation (GA) industry, the Airline industry, and the Security cluster industry. She spent more than 10 years as an operational Helicopter Pilot for the South African Police Services (SAPS), Fixed-wing Pilot for a charter company, a local airline, and a flight instructor for various flight schools. She is also a qualified Drone Pilot and holds both South African (SACAA) and American (FAA) flying licenses. Refilwe served on various boards including the Aeronautical Society of South Africa and the Department of transport‘s Air service licensing council. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree (Microbiology and Biochemistry) from the University of Cape Town (UCT), A Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from UCT graduate school of business, and an MBA from the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of business science. She is an Obama leader Africa fellow and a Techwomen Fellow (USA)