Biography
Emeritus Professor Faizel Ismail is a trade negotiator, global trade governance expert and accomplished academic with extensive experience in international trade, development and public policy. He played a leading role in shaping South Africa’s trade policy and international trade relations in the post-apartheid era.
He holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom and an MPhil in Development Studies from IDS, Sussex in the UK. He has an LLB and BA degree from the University of UKZN in South Africa.
Until December 2025, he served as Director of the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town. He was South Africa’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) from 2010 to 2014 and served as South Africa’s Special Envoy for the South Africa–United States AGOA negotiations between 2015 and 2016.
Faizel is the author of several books and publications on international trade and development. His most recent works include: WTO Reform and the Crisis of Multilateralism: A Developing Country Perspective (2020) and, The AfCFTA and Developmental Regionalism: A Handbook (2021).
He currently serves as the Convener of the AfCFTA Trade and Industrial Development Advisory Council and an Advisor to the African Climate Foundation (ACF). He has been appointed as a co-chair of the Integrated Forum on Trade and Climate Change (IFCCT) by the Presidency of COP 30. Website: https://prof-ismail.com/
Languages
- English
