Biography
Faizel Ismail is a trade negotiator, academic leader and governance strategist 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.
Until 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, which examines the role of the African Continental Free Trade Area in supporting Africa’s development ambitions.
He holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. He continues to advise on African trade and development policy and serves as Convener of the AfCFTA Industrial Development Advisory Council.
Languages
- English
