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Kusiluka Aginiwe is a passionate startup founder who wants to see change in the African community. He believes it is time for Africans to move from the spectator’s seat and start playing in the technology field creating innovations for Africans.
This is why I joined the Smartdarasa team and to empower other African startup founders. Kusiluika is the Chief Strategy Officer ofSmartdarasa Company Limited.
SmartDarasa is an innovative EdTech company that bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in STEM subjects by leveraging cutting-edge 2D, 3D, AI, AR, and VR technologies.
Rebecca Aime is a resilient entrepreneur and former refugee from Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rebecca is the founder of Patapia which empowers refugee women through entrepreneurship. Her journey of overcoming adversity and championing social change has earned her recognition in the social entrepreneurship space, including being an Echoing Green Fellow and Acumen East Africa Fellow.
With a strong foundation in leadership and social entrepreneurship from her training at the Social Innovation Academy (SINA), Rebecca’s passion for social impact shines through Patapia’s mission to provide digital banking services for refugees, fostering sustainable livelihoods and empowerment for marginalized communities. Her commitment to creating a more equitable world exemplifies the transformative power of entrepreneurship in driving positive change and uplifting those in need.
Cletus Baalongbuoro is a passionate entrepreneur dedicated to addressing environmental and social challenges through innovative solutions. With a background in renewable energy and sustainable development.
Cletus founded Ponaa Briquettes, a social enterprise focused on producing clean-burning biomass briquettes from agricultural waste. His commitment to sustainable practices and community empowerment drives his work, as he strives to create positive impact and promote environmental stewardship. Cletus is driven by a vision of a world where clean energy is accessible to all, and his leadership inspires others to join him in making this vision a reality.
Aisha Bubah is a certified Psychologist, and the Executive Director of The Sunshine Series. The Sunshie Series is a leading mental health company based in Nigeria. Aisha also manages a non-profit called, Idimma, using advocacy to create awareness and engage with policies.
Aisha has an interest in training mental health first responders and lay counselors and is a strong voice of advocacy in the mental health space. Through her organization, they established the first mental health and suicide prevention helpline on Nigeria’s emergency number :”112.”
Muhammed Danson is the Program Coordinator at Startup Incubator Gambia. Muhammed develops and organizes innovative entrepreneurship programs, events, workshops, and boot camps. Through his work with the “Incubator”, he has been able to support over 1000 entrepreneurs. Muhammed also provides business development training and coaching using internationally recognized methodologies, such as Design Thinking and SIYB, for which he is certified.
With a background in Business and Entrepreneurship, Muhammed has demonstrated knowledge and skills in project coordination, execution, and budgeting. He is an alumni of the Young African Leaders Initiative Network, West Africa and a mentor for the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Program. He is passionate about working with youth and creating an environment that promotes inclusion and social cohesion.
Nasser Diallo is the Founder & CEO of Clinic+O, a social enterprise that builds technology-enabled primary care solutions to eliminate barriers to accessing quality healthcare for marginalized communities in West Africa.
Before starting Clinic+O, Nasser worked as a Public Policy Analyst at Facebook where he helped design programs that support digital literacy, prevent internet shutdowns and stimulate the growth of the digital economy in sub-Saharan Africa. Nasser has a BA from The George Washington University, and Master’s degrees from Oxford University (UK) and Sciences Po (France).
Ghislain Irakoze is a social entrepreneur and researcher. He founded Wastezon, a cleantech company that leverages AI to repurpose electronic materials into low-cost devices for consumers or secondary raw materials for manufacturers.
Ghislaine has led his team in recovering over 500 tons of e-waste, which has impacted over 15,000 households in Rwanda. As a Research Fellow, he has led continental circular economy policy studies with the World Wide Web Foundation and EU Commission. Ghislain sits on the Global Greengrants Fund’s Next Gen Climate Board.
Sr. Deborah Taziwona Jamali is from Malawi and currently work at St. Joseph’s Girls’ Secondary School in Zambia. Sr. Deborah studied Secretariat and Business Administration in college in Zambia.
Sr. Deborah belongs to the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary and has always had a desire to serve God and His people with truth and justice.
Sr. Deborah is grateful that she is realizing this dream through her work in Chivuna, where God has given her the talent to make dishwashing liquid soap as a means of livelihood for the women in the area..
In 2017, Naom worked as a student nurse and embarked on a transformative journey to redefine health care accessibility in Kenya.
Naom Monari, is the founder and CEO of Bena Care. Naom is a visionary leader with a commitment to social justice. Bena Care delivers affordable home-based nursing and in-home therapy for chronically ill patients of middle to low income families. Bena Care’s impact reverberates across communities significantly reducing healthcare costs for thousands of families.
Naom’s leadership has not gone unnoticed, with Bena Care winning accolades such as the global citizen Waislitz Disruptor awards and Westerwelle Young founder of the year. Bena Care’s impact is backed by partners such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson and Johnson impact ventures and Villgro Africa.
Through Bena Care, Naom is building a movement of thousands of healthcare workers who are disrupting healthcare systems that allow for extreme poverty to exist in Kenya and beyond.
Sr. Catherine Tente is a religious Sister in the congregation of the Little Servants of Mary Immaculate. Sr. Catherine is Zambian born and based at the Provincial House in Lusaka.
Sr. Catherine has served God as a religious sister for 29 years and worked as a Pharmacist at St. Paul’s Mission, General hospital in Nchelenge district, and later as administrator. She is a Site Director of the sponsorship program which is supported by Chalice (Canada).
With the efforts of Sr. Catherine, a Microfinance Program was established which is currently catering to families who have children in need of financial support. They have also opened a bakery. Our goal is to extend to other members of the communities where we are serving and to supply all of Lusaka. We hope to see the communities we are serving develop and have the necessities of life.
Sr. Gertrude Tusiime, is the first born of 10 children, and has spent 15 years in “religious life.” Sr. Gertrude is a Sister of our Lady of Good Counsel of Mbarara. Sr. Gertrude is the Deputy Head Teacher of Boni Consilii Girls’ Vocational Secondary school and the local superior of Boni Consilii Kyabirukwa Community.
She is aso the Project Manager of the school projects, like Sisters Blended Value Project and AVSI foundation project in their school. Sr. Gertrude is also a committed educator and a teacher of Geography and Religious education. She is most passionate about skilling the youth, especially girls from poverty stricken communities, and refugees.
Lazarous Siwelwa is the Founder and CEO of Virgin Green Renewable Energy Limited. Virgin Green Renewable Energy Limited is a social enterprise that makes clean, affordable and alternative clean cooking fuels and clean cooking stoves for low income families in Zambia.
His social enterprise has partnered with more than 100 rural and urban community members to recycle biomass waste into “green briquettes”. His company also collects scrap metal and recycles them into clean cooking stoves. Lazarous aspires to help Zambia reduce deforestation, indoor air pollution and mitigate climate change by promotin clean cooking and circular economy.
Through Innovations at Virgin Green, Lazarous has won numerous awards and participated in a number of prestigious programs among them is the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, studying Leadership in Business at the University of Nevada, Reno.