Distinguished ASARPI Fellow

Yamal Matabudul (Dr.)

Yamal Matabudul is a distinguished TVET, skills, and higher education specialist with extensive experience across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Founder of Africa Rise Institute. Until December 2025, he served as the Founding Chief Executive Officer of Polytechnics Mauritius Ltd (PML), where he built the institution into the country’s second-largest pathway for middle-to-high skills, growing student enrolment from zero to over 6,600 and achieving a 97–98% graduate placement rate prior to graduation.

Yamal has played a pivotal role in national education reform, contributing to key legislation including the Institute of Technical Education and Technology Act 2021 and the Skills Development Authority Act 2019, the Higher Education Act 2017, among others. He has served as Chairperson of the Institute of Technical Education and Technology (ITET) and as a Consultant for The World Bank, African Development Bank, and ADEA, authoring policy frameworks, benchmarking toolkits, and strategy papers for over 14 African countries.

His academic credentials include a Doctor of Education (in progress) from the University of Toronto, an MSc in Higher Education from the University of Oxford (Chevening Scholar), and a Master’s in Public Policy and Management from SOAS, University of London as Africa Scholar. He also holds graduate-level in Business and undergraduate qualifications in Physics from McGill University.

Over the past 18 years, Yamal has held leadership and C-suite roles in the private sector. He is fluent in English, French, and Hindi, and has served on multiple boards, including the Mauritius Qualifications Authority and the United World College Africa Commiitee. He is a recipient of the Elevate Africa Fellowship (2026).Routledge).