PSA 2025 Speakers

Country: South Africa
Panel: Surveillance States in Africa: Are We Unwittingly Marching Towards Authoritarianism? – Tackling the Rise of Spyware in Africa.
Date: Thursday, 27th November 2025
Time: 10:10 AM to 11:30 AM (WAT) br>
Itumeleng Selialia is a South African intelligence analyst, academic researcher, AI trainer, and cultural localization specialist whose interdisciplinary work spans international security, digital governance, compliance, and the politics of surveillance in Africa. She currently works as an Intelligence Analyst at Fulcrum Analytics, where she conducts geopolitical risk assessments and open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis, with a focus on security threats and emerging technologies in African and global contexts.

In addition to her analytical work, Itumeleng is a seasoned AI trainer and cultural localization expert, supporting the development of equitable, context-aware, and ethical AI systems that are responsive to African sociopolitical realities and linguistic diversity. She is also active in the fields of risk and regulatory compliance, holding a Certificate in Compliance Management from the University of Cape Town, and applies this knowledge in both private sector and policy advisory capacities.

Her academic credentials include a BA in Politics and International Relations, an Honours degree in African Studies, and a Master’s degree in Politics and International Relations, with research focused on cross-border paradiplomacy and developmental regionalism in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Her intellectual interests have expanded to include surveillance capitalism, digital authoritarianism, and the securitization of digital infrastructure in African states. Itumeleng also holds advanced certifications in:

• Combatting Terrorism Financing (Basel Institute on Governance & Egmont Group)
• Operational Analysis of Suspicious Transactions
• Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
• International Security Management (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
• JUST SOCIETY: The Rule of Law and Equal Access to Welfare (University of Southern Denmark, 2024)

A trained facilitator on UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security - certified through the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) in Entebbe, Uganda - Itumeleng has engaged in high-level dialogues across Africa on peacebuilding, violent extremism prevention, youth empowerment, and civic participation. She is deeply committed to inclusive, rights-based digital governance, and brings a Pan-African, feminist, and decolonial lens to questions of digital surveillance, data protection, and privacy. She has served as a speaker, rapporteur, and policy advisor at numerous high-level forums, including the Pan-African Parliament, and she contributes to civil society initiatives focused on regional security, democratic accountability, and youth leadership.

Itumeleng is also the founding chairperson of Amnesty International at her university, an active member of the United Nations Association of South Africa (UNASA), and a dedicated mentor to young African scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of governance, technology, and human rights.