Maria Kgabo

Maria Kgabo is a dynamic community developer, tourism practitioner, and event strategist dedicated to fostering inclusive economic growth, social entrepreneurship, and cultural heritage across South Africa and Pan-African networks. Currently with the Global Entrepreneurship Network South Africa (GEN SA), she leads initiatives like curating masterclasses on agro-processing, automotives, work integration, and AI for GEN Week 2025, while driving stakeholder partnerships and event compliance for hybrid international forums. Her career highlights include developing tourism strategies, SOPs for NGOs in the informal economy, and diplomatic communications for cultural events such as the OBO Rhythm Jazz Festival.

Key Expertise
* Strategic event management for multi-venue hybrid formats, including proposal writing and funding acquisition, and PR/media KPI alignment.
* Community empowerment projects both in the formal and informal sector. ​
* Social innovation using tools like theory of change and business model canvases to support township economies and entrepreneurship formalization.