Gabriella Makonese is a seasoned development professional with expertise in scaling innovation, and building enterprises into commercial and bankable businesses. She specializes in grants, concessionary, commercial and blended project design including M&E, portfolio leadership, and full-cycle financial project management. She brings extensive experience in both regional and international development, having supported scalable, impact-driven initiatives across Africa. Her cross-sector exposure spans private enterprise, public institutions, civil society, and research organisations—enabling her to navigate complex ecosystems and drive collaborative solutions. Gabriella is committed to advancing socio-economic development through ESG integration, leading large-scale projects that deliver measurable impact in communities across the continent.
At Nedbank, she heads Social Impact Portfolio Management, where she leads the implementation of strategic initiatives that drive inclusive and sustainable development across South Africa. Her work focuses on leveraging financial instruments—such as grants, concessionary funding, and loans—to support sustainable high-impact businesses and social enterprises to scale in rural, township and peri-urban communittes. Gabriella plays a pivotal role in integrating sustainability into business and investment decisions, ensuring that Nedbank’s social impact efforts are both measurable and scalable.
The Social Impact Unit (SIU) delivers partners with businesses across key sectors including water and sanitation, renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, and waste and recycling. With projects managed to drive a structured, impact-oriented approach to implementation—aligning stakeholders, setting clear objectives, and fostering collaboration to ensure that projects deliver meaningful, long-term value to communities and the broader economy.
