Dr. Oliver Takawira

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Investment Management (DFIM) within the School of Management (SOM) at the College of Business and Economics (CBE) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in South Africa. Currently, I serve as a Visiting Senior Research Associate at FernUni Schweiz UniDistance Suisse in Switzerland, starting June 1, 2025. I was appointed as a Visiting Professor – Researcher at the University at Buffalo in New York, USA, from November 2023 to April 2024. Additionally, I held a part-time position as a Visiting Professor – Researcher at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business in Ottawa, Canada, from May to September 2023. In 2022, I received an award from the Vice Chancellor of UJ for Most Promising Young Teacher of the Year. I hold a Ph.D. in Economics and a master’s degree in Development Finance (MdevF) from Stellenbosch University Business School (USB). In 2024, I was honored with a certificate recognizing me as the best researcher of the year in DFIM.

I am a Chartered Development Finance Analyst (CDFA) with the Chartered Institute of Development Finance (CIDEF) and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (MCSI) in the United Kingdom. I have supervised over 30 master’s degree students to completion, supervised one PhD to completion, and am currently supervising nine PhD students. In June 2024, I secured USD $10,000.00 from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to research “The Impact of Climate Change on Banking System Stability in Southern Africa.” I received funding from SARB (R75,000 in 2018), the University Research Council at UJ (R500,000), DHET (approximately R250,000), and BANKSETA (R300,000). In 2022, I was appointed Chair of Community Engagement (CE) and served as the CBE CE Representative. I have published 17 articles in peer-reviewed, DHET-accredited high-impact international journals. I have presented at more than five international conferences in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Ireland, and the USA.

In October 2024, I was invited to Egypt by APRM, an arm of the African Union, as an Expert on Credit Ratings to assist in creating an African Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA). I participated as a panelist discussing with diplomats from various African countries, international organizations, and central banks how to establish and launch AfCRA, which will take place in July 2025 in Mauritius.