Dr Xaba has established herself in development economics as an executive and an authoritative source in agriculture and development finance. Her publishing credits include the African Journal of Economic and Management Studies and the American Journal of Economics, Finance and Management. She is the former CEO of the Deciduous Fruit Development Chamber (DFDC-SA) and is currently the Managing Director for Digital Earth Africa, leading an Earth Observation Program and a team in Africa.
Dr Xaba’s career path for over 20 years illustrates an exemplary combination of development economics with agricultural financing as her core focus, extending her expertise to food security and investment promotion. An advocate for transformation, she has led programmes with a core mandate on balancing gender and economic inclusiveness. Dr Xaba aligns this advocacy with her current role, where diversity and inclusion in the EO industry should accelerate development and realise the impact on the most vulnerable groupings. She has leveraged her development economics and agribusiness expertise in roles from both the public and private sectors. Having presented in conferences on thematic areas centred around food security, climate change, and agricultural financing, she continues to influence the development space through partnerships.
Dr Xaba holds a PhD in Business Management Administration and an MPhil in Development Finance from the University of Stellenbosch Business School, respectively. In addition, she also possesses postgraduate qualifications in Agriculture and Economic Policy. She also guest lectures on Agricultural Finance at the University of Stellenbosch Business School.