Afrika Tikkun brings coalition for inclusion to Africa

On 9 September 2025, Johannesburg became the stage for a historic first as Afrika Tikkun, in partnership with the Valuable 500 and the Gauteng Provincial Government, hosted the Inaugural Valuable 500 Africa Summit.

For the first time, Africa anchored the global debate on disability inclusion in business and society. Chief executives, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and activists came together to affirm that inclusion isn’t an act of charity but a cornerstone of strong economies and cohesive nations.

The late Nelson Mandela, patron-in-chief of Afrika Tikkun, often reminded South Africans that “all South Africans matter”. His legacy echoed strongly through the summit’s message of unity and dignity.

The Valuable 500, founded at Davos in 2019, is the world’s largest chief executive-led coalition for disability inclusion. Its agenda is built on three pillars: purpose and strategy; psychological safety and trust; and storytelling and accountability.

“For us at Afrika Tikkun, inclusion is about dignity, equality, and the recognition that our future is bound together as a country and as a continent,” said Marc Lubner, group chief executive of Afrika Tikkun.

Afrika Tikkun was founded more than 30 years ago by the late Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris and philanthropist Bertie Lubner, Marc’s father. Bertie wasn’t only a philanthropist but also a respected business leader active in the World Economic Forum, where he championed South African voices on the global stage.

That tradition of engaging in world-shaping business forums is continued today in a new era. The Valuable 500 is the modern chief executive-led coalition where inclusion has become a central part of corporate leadership, and Afrika Tikkun has now brought it to Africa.

Afrika Tikkun itself is rooted in tikkun olam (repairing the world) but has always served South Africa’s broader communities, reaching more than two million young people through its cradle-to-career model.

For Marc and his daughter, Takara, partnerships executive at Afrika Tikkun and the chief executive of Philanthrostrat, the mission is also personal. Their cousin and niece, Sabrina Lubner, who lived with disability, taught their family that inclusion is a matter of humanity. Her parents, Tony and Suzy Lubner, honour her legacy through the Sabrina Love Foundation.

The Johannesburg summit launched the Valuable 500 Africa Chapter, ensuring that African businesses and governments shape the global agenda.

Highlights included the Messika Group joining the coalition. Like the Lubners, the Messikas are a Jewish family, and their diamond house is recognised for employing the largest disability-inclusive workforce in Namibia.

South African representation was equally strong. Jonathan Shapiro of LESCO, one of the country’s largest employers of people with disabilities, attended the summit, underscoring the role of local industry in advancing inclusion.

For Afrika Tikkun, inclusion isn’t a special project but a norm woven across its youth development programmes, ensuring children with and without disabilities thrive together.

“Inclusion isn’t charity,” said Takara Lubner. “It’s the measure of who we are as a nation and the promise we make to generations to come.”

With the summit’s success, Afrika Tikkun has ensured that Africa is no longer on the margins of the global inclusion movement, it’s at its centre.