TIPS appoints Nokwanda Maseko as New Deputy Executive Director

Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) NPC has announced the appointment of Nokwanda Maseko as its new Deputy Executive Director. This newly created executive position is aimed at supporting the strategic growth of the institution, reflecting both Maseko’s growing influence within South Africa’s economic policy landscape and her proven leadership within the organisation.

Based in Pretoria, TIPS is a premier non-profit economic research institution that facilitates policy development and dialogue in pursuit of sustainable and inclusive growth. Operating at the intersection of trade, inclusive industrial policy, and sustainable development, TIPS’s working model integrates rigorous research, capacity building, and technical program design.

Maseko is uniquely positioned to help steer this mandate. She joined TIPS as an Economist in 2018 and was promoted to Senior Economist in 2022. During her tenure, she has been the driving force behind much of the critical research coming out of the institution, providing vital leadership and editorial oversight. Her work has significantly advanced the discourse on inclusive industrialisation. Specifically, her research has challenged traditional frameworks by examining how to ensure women’s meaningful economic participation—understanding and addressing the limitations of “men in hard hats” industrial policy—and how to pursue a gender-just transition in an unequal society.

Before her impactful tenure at TIPS, Maseko honed her expertise within government institutions central to South Africa’s economic planning architecture. She previously served as a Budget Analyst at the National Treasury, gaining deep experience in fiscal policy and public finance management, and later worked as an Assistant Director at the former Economic Development Department, focusing on industrial policy and economic development strategies.

Commenting on her transition into executive leadership, Maseko highlighted the practical, real-world responsibility of economic research: “Policy does not exist in a vacuum, nor does it exist for its own sake. This role is an opportunity to contribute to crafting a research agenda that contextualises and strengthens policymaking. This requires strengthening the systems that keep us accountable when producing evidence-based research that responds to short-term policy needs while pre-empting future policy questions.”

With Maseko stepping into this new executive capacity, TIPS reinforces its commitment to delivering high-impact, forward-looking economic analysis to navigate South Africa’s evolving trade and industrial landscape.