Speakers
Day 1 Speakers
Carl Manlan
Chairman Board of Directors, LéO Africa Institute
Carl Manlan
Chairman Board of Directors, LéO Africa Institute
Carl Manlan is Vice President, Social Impact for Visa Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
Carl's focuses on enabling community impact with local, regional, and global partners, co-creating partnerships that support Small and Medium Businesses, Individuals, and households to thrive in the CEMEA region.
Carl volunteers to support non-profit organizations' leadership on their social impact journey.
He is Chair Board of Directors of the LéO Africa Institute and an Aspen Institute New Voices Senior Fellow.
Joanita Babirye
Co-founder, Girls For Climate Action
Joanita Babirye
Co-founder, Girls For Climate Action
Joanita Babirye is the Co-founder of Girls For Climate Action, a movement that is putting young women and girls at the forefront of climate action.
She serves as the youth Action Coalition leader under Generation Equality on Feminist Action for Climate Justice. Joanita is also the Academy Lead at StartHub Africa where she is training student entrepreneurs to start innovative and scalable initiatives across Uganda with a keen interest in green innovations.
Joanita is a recipient of LéO Africa Institute's 2019 Young and Emerging Leaders Project Fellowship and serves as an ambassador at the Africa Youth Climate Hub.
Judith Atim
Program Officer, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. Uganda and South Sudan
Judith Atim
Program Officer, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. Uganda and South Sudan
Judith Atim is a Program Officer at Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Uganda and South Sudan. Judith has worked with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) as a Communication and Knowledge Management Specialist.
She has also worked as a Broadcast Journalist in Uganda and has an interest in media, global and contemporary issues, research, and public policy.
Dedo N. Barashamaje
Segal Family Foundation
Dedo N. Barashamaje
Segal Family Foundation
Dedo N. Baranshamaje works with an incredible team to provide funding and capacity development opportunities to 200+ outstanding organizations across 20 sub-Saharan African countries.
As a connector, he brokers partnerships between philanthropists, key government officials, and visionary non-profit leaders.
Prior to Segal Family Foundation, Dedo worked in behavior change communication and health promotion with PSI in Burundi and Global Health Corps - in strategic service Delivery for Econet, a leading Telecommunication Company in Burundi and Zimbabwe.
Luke Ofungi
Deputy Director, CEED Concordia
Luke Ofungi
Deputy Director, CEED Concordia
Previously, Luke worked as an intern with CEED an International nonprofit organization dedicated towards fostering community engagement through youth skills development and information sharing. As an intern, Luke worked under the Youth Advocacy and Communications Project that offers an opportunity of voice for young people to share their experiences.
Due to the success of this project, he earned a position in the organization in 2018, as the Program Assistant where he supervised 20 young inspiring youth from Uganda and Canada and later in 2021, as the Deputy Director at CEED Concordia.
Luke is passionate about leadership development, Human rights, Refugee and Humanitarian Action as well as youth empowerment.
Luke is privileged to be a member of the Tax Justice Alliance whose mission is to advocate for a fair, just and accountable tax systems in Uganda and is also a fellow of LéO Africa Institute's Huduma Fellowship.
Catherine Asayo
Coordinator for Corporate Social Investment, Stanbic Bank Uganda
Catherine Asayo
Coordinator for Corporate Social Investment, Stanbic Bank Uganda
Catherine Asayo is a Coordinator for Corporate Social Investment at Stanbic Bank Uganda and a 2019 recipient of LéO Africa Institute's Young and Emerging Leaders Project Fellowship.
Through her role at Stanbic Bank, Catherine implements the National Schools Championship project, The Maternal Health Initiative, Plastic waste management project, Tree planting staff initiatives, and the solar project.
Catherine is intentional about bringing social and economic empowerment and growth to our communities, as well as preserving the resources we have for future generations.
Kwezi Tabaro
Deputy Director, LéO Africa Institute
Kwezi Tabaro
Deputy Director, LéO Africa Institute
Kwezi is Deputy Director of the LéO Africa Institute. He is also the current editor of the Institute publication, the LéO Africa Review.
He is passionate about leadership, governance and development in Africa.
His articles have appeared in The Independent and Daily Monitor, and he is a regular contributor to the Africa news and data visualizer Africapedia.
Usama Mukwaya
Founder, O Studios Entertainment
Usama Mukwaya
Founder, O Studios Entertainment
Usama is an award-winning Ugandan filmmaker notable for his films Bala Bala Sese, Rehema, Love Faces, Kyaddala, Sanyu, and the most recent Sixteen Rounds and The Blind Date.
Usama is also an entrepreneur - founder O Studios Entertainment, a multimedia production company that has produced numerous local and international films.
Usama is passionate about creativity's influence on social, cultural, and economic environments and how to use narratives to design tomorrow’s Africa. He is a 2018 recipient of LéO Africa Institute's Young Emerging Leaders Project Fellowship.
Rodney Kiggundu
Founder, Streetlights Uganda
Rodney Kiggundu
Founder, Streetlights Uganda
Rodney Kiggundu is a Design Artist using art as an illustrative tool to spark people's minds and inspire them in addressing community challenges.
Rodney is a Co-founder and Programs Head at Streetlights Uganda, an initiative empowering street-connected children in Uganda through art using mentorship, training, and support.
Rodney is a 2019 recipient of LéO Africa Institute's Young and Emerging Leaders Project Fellowship, a Young Disaster Resilience Leadership Program teaching fellow, and a 2020-2021 Arts in Medicine Fellow (Pan-African Experience).
Angelo Izama
Head of Faculty, LéO Africa Institute
Angelo Izama
Head of Faculty, LéO Africa Institute
Angelo Izama is a Ugandan journalist, writer, and analyst. He is team leader at VRS – part of the human security focused think tank Fanaka Kwawote that he co-founded in 2008.
Izama is a recipient of several prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Knight Fellowship at Stanford University, the Reagan-Fascell Democracy fellowship and the Open Society Fellowship.
Angelo is a member of the Board of Directors at Uganda Investment Authority and Head of Faculty at LéO Africa Institute.
Dr. Innocent Acan
Medical Doctor
Dr. Innocent Acan
Medical Doctor
Acan is a medical doctor and writer. She won the Writivism Short Story Prize in 2016, and has been published by AFREADA magazine, Omenana Magazine, and Brittle Paper.
Her most recent works have appeared on Sooo Many Stories and in Selves: An Afro Anthology of Creative Nonfiction. Acan has published an illustrated children’s book titled The Pearl Trotters in Black, Yellow, Red.
For Acan, writing has always been her first love and she looks forward to a literary future where African stories will break the mould even more than they do now.
Acan is a Young and Emerging Leadership Project fellow of the LéO Africa Institute.
Hawa Mariam Keita
Executive Director, CEED Concordia
Hawa Mariam Keita
Executive Director, CEED Concordia
Hawa Mariam Keita is the executive director of CEED Concordia, a non-profit organization based in Canada and Uganda and focused on youth development.
After working in different fields such as recruitment and business development, Hawa uses her diverse experiences for the causes that matter most to her: Sustainable development and Youth Empowerment.
Corporate Knights recognized Hawa as one of the top 30 under 30 leaders in sustainability in Canada, and she is also a board member at the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montréal.
Allan Manzi
Founder, Manzi Media
Allan Manzi
Founder, Manzi Media
Allan Manzi is an experienced Independent Filmmaker with a demonstrated history of working in the Film and Broadcast Media industry.
Allan is skilled in Film Direction, Film Production, Television development, Production Management, and Project Coordination. Allan is a strong media and communication professional with a Master's Degree in Film and Television Production.
Allan a is Young and Emerging Leaders Project fellow of LéO Africa Institute.
Day 1: Performers
Lagum The Rapper
Musical artist
Deo Munyakazi
Musical artist
Deo Munyakazi
Musical artist
Deo Munyakazi is an inanga player, singer and songwriter from Kigali, Rwanda.
Day 2 Speakers
Jacob Eyeru
Chairperson, Uganda National Youth Council
Jacob Eyeru
Chairperson, Uganda National Youth Council
Jacob Eyeru is the Chairperson of the National Youth Council of Uganda and COMESA youth advisory panel member.
He has previously served as the 3rd EAC Youth Ambassador to Uganda and the national head of the Debate Society of Uganda.
Jacob’s other service roles included being a member of the African Union Youth Front on Corona Virus and a member of the AU-EU Youth working group under the office of the African Union Youth Envoy.
Hashim Wasswa Mulangwa
Chief Development Strategy Officer, Global Innovation Fund
Hashim Wasswa Mulangwa
Chief Development Strategy Officer, Global Innovation Fund
Hashim Wasswa Mulangwa currently works as Chief Development Strategy Officer at the Global Innovation Fund (GIF). He has a strong background in development, government and working in the private sector.
In his current at GIF role, he manages and provides overall leadership of GIF’s investment process (deal origination, diligence and execution) - and leads a team of investors managing a portfolio of about $200m in Grants and Risk Capital (private sector) investments. He is also responsible for providing strategic guidance to the GIF investment team to ensure the investments the organisation makes are deeply grounded in theory, evidence, and practice in international development.
Before GIF, he was Team Leader for an FCDO/DFID £70m funded programme supporting Foreign Direct Investment in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. He also worked as a Director of Transformation and Service Delivery for a governance and accountability programme (funded by DFID, USAID, and the EU) providing institutional reform in sectors such as roads, procurement, city management, domestic revenue mobilization etc.
Hashim was Chief Strategy and Development Officer of the Rwanda Development Bank, where he led the bank’s transformation agenda and positioning it as a strong DFI that supports Rwanda’s development priorities. As Team Leader and Private Sector Development Adviser at DFID Rwanda, he managed a portfolio of nearly £100 million with investments across a diverse economic growth portfolio.
Before DFID, Hashim worked for OTF, part of the Monitor Group, a global sector competitiveness consulting firm, in South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, and Angola. Earlier in his career, Hashim also spent many years as a Senior Policy adviser for Uganda’s President’s Office.
Hashim is a graduate of the Masters in Public administration (MPA) at Harvard Kennedy School, and has an MSc in Economic Policy management from Strathclyde University- Scotland, UK.
Liz Muange
Investment & Value Chain Lead, SUED
Liz Muange
Investment & Value Chain Lead, SUED
Liz Muange is the Investment & Value Chain Lead at Sustainable Urban Economic Development Programme (SUED).
Liz is a Board member of the LéO Africa Institute and a Young and Emerging Leaders Fellowship fellow.
William Babigumira
Chief Executive Officer Pentascope Strategy
Awel Uwihanganye
Founder, LéO Africa Institute
Awel Uwihanganye
Founder, LéO Africa Institute
Awel Uwihanganye is the Founder & Senior Director at the LéO Africa Institute. He is a privileged Board Member Global Health Corps, a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative—East Africa, and a Member of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network.
Awel is passionate about media production and communications, entrepreneurship, personal and leadership development, psychology and mental health, international relations and diplomacy, travel, and reading. He believes in the power of people and networks to change lives, shape society, and advance development.
He envisions Africa as a frontier for opportunity and growth with a confident, self-aware generation of rising African leaders at the center of this renaissance.
Julie Gichuru
Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer, Mastercard Foundation
Julie Gichuru
Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer, Mastercard Foundation
"Julie is the Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer at the Mastercard Foundation" overseeing corporate, programmatic, policy & thought leadership communications, and a team spanning Africa and Canada. Prior to her role at the Foundation, Julie had a two decade career in the fields of broadcast, print, digital media and development communications.
At the start of her career Julie pioneered investigative news television and programming. She conceptualized and launched numerous top news and current affairs shows and developed the pan-African television show, Africa Leadership Dialogues. Following the 2007 elections, Julie’s peace specials resonated with viewers. As a result of her calls for non-violent action in 2008 she was awarded the Martin Luther King Salute to Greatness. Following this pivotal period, determined to contribute towards a more informed and responsible generation, Julie established the Great Debaters Contest, a high school debate platform focused on teaching students that differences need not result in conflict and violence. Her career focus then shifted to curating impactful engagements and driving conversations focused on African leadership, growth, and development.
Over the past decade Julie has worked with key institutions, including the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, various UN agencies, and the World Economic Forum. Julie is part of a number of Fellowships, including the Tutu Fellowship, the Aspen Global Leadership Network/Africa Leadership Initiative and is an alumni of the Young Global Leaders under the World Economic Forum.
Julie has received numerous awards and recognitions. Avance Media listed her as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women of 2019, and New African listed her as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2019. Julie was born in Nairobi, Kenya. She attended university in the United Kingdom where she earned her LLB Law and MBA from Cardiff University’s Law and Business Schools respectively. Julie is a dedicated wife and mother and a passionate afro-optimist
Dr. Prosper Ahimbisibwe
Medical Doctor
Dr. Prosper Ahimbisibwe
Medical Doctor
Dr. Propser Ahimbisibwe is a medical doctor, healthcare innovator, entreprenuer and thought leader on a mission to shape a happy and healthier world.
He is a Global Shaper under the World Economic Forum and a Young Emerging Leaders Project fellow under the LéO Africa Institute.
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Moses Gashirabake
Chief Executive Officer, Mo Gashi & Partners
Moses Gashirabake
Chief Executive Officer, Mo Gashi & Partners
Moses Gashirabakeis a business and community leader recognized for his civic engagement. In 2018, he was appointed to serve on the board of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
He also currently serves on the boards of the Foundation for Genocide Education (FGE), the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR) and is co-founder of the International Rwanda Youth for Development (IRYD).
Nkatya Kabwe
Manager Strategic Communications, Central Bank of Zambia
Nkatya Kabwe
Manager Strategic Communications, Central Bank of Zambia
Nkatya is a Young and Emerging Leadership Project fellow of the LéO Africa Institute and Manager Strategic Communications at Central Bank of Zambia.
Kwame Rugunda
Chief Executive Officer, Crypto Savannah
Kwame Rugunda
Chief Executive Officer, Crypto Savannah
Kwame Rugunda is a technology entrepreneur interested in emerging technologies, particularly those designed to address the challenges of global development.
Kwame a member of Faculty at LéO Africa Institute and the Chief Executive Officer of CryptoSavannah, a firm focused on solutions, advisory, and training in blockchain technology.
Lucy Mbabazi
Head of Africa Advocacy and Partnerships, Better Than Cash Alliance
Lucy Mbabazi
Head of Africa Advocacy and Partnerships, Better Than Cash Alliance
Lucy Nshuti Mbabazi is one of the most avid and committed champions of the LéO Africa Institute and Chair of the Board of Directors –Emeritus.
Lucy serves as the Head of Africa Advocacy and Partnerships of Better Than Cash Alliance, a UN-hosted partnership of governments, companies, and international organisations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.
Linda Umutesi
Founder, Umutesi Open Library
Ojok Okello
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Okere City
Ojok Okello
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Okere City
In 2019, Ojok Okello founded Okere City, an ambitious integrated rural development project on a journey to build a sustainable city in his remote and rural village in Otuke District, Northern Uganda.
He is an Ashoka Visionary Fellow, PfAL Fellow at LSE, and an alumnus of President Barack Obama's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) in East Africa.
Twasiima P. Bigirwa
Segal Family Foundation
Twasiima P. Bigirwa
Segal Family Foundation
Twasiima P. Bigirwa is a feminist lawyer and writer from Uganda working with Segal Family Foundation, where she drives strategy and oversees grantmaking in the country.
Twasiima also serves as a part of the Board of Trustees at Womankind Worldwide and is on the advisory committee of FRIDA, The Young Feminist Fund. She has an LL.B. from Makerere University and an LL.M. from Georgetown University – Law Center.
Emmanuel Langoya
Business Banker, Stanbic Bank Uganda
Emmanuel Langoya
Business Banker, Stanbic Bank Uganda
Emmanuel Langoya is a Business Banker at Stanbic Bank Uganda and a 2019 recipient of LéO Africa Institute's Young and Emerging Leaders Project Fellowship.
Ellis Ralph Akorabirungi
Head of Public Education Unit, Bank of Uganda
Ellis Ralph Akorabirungi
Head of Public Education Unit, Bank of Uganda
Ellis is the Head of Public Education Unit at Bank of Uganda. He is passionate about financial inclusion and the role of leadership in transforming communities.
Ralph is a Young and Emerging Leadership Project fellow of the LéO Africa Institute.
Gabriel Karsan
Founding Director at Emerging Youth Initiative
Gabriel Karsan
Founding Director at Emerging Youth Initiative
Gabriel Karsan is the Founder of Emerging Youth Initiative an NGO with advocacy for equitable inclusion of technological transformation, evolution, and adoption to all youths in Tanzania and Africa.
He is a renown orator across the East African region and is passionate about finding the purpose and progression of humanity within the "Afrocan Dream.
Karsan is a Board member of the LéO Africa Institute and a 2018 fellow of the Young and Emerging Leaders Project Fellowship.
Annet Mbabazi
Governance Specialist
Annet Mbabazi
Governance Specialist
Annet Mbabazi has over ten years of development experience with international and local organizations and programs and the Government of Uganda.
Annet has experience in local and social accountability, governance, anti-corruption, extractives sector governance, youth empowerment, and health.
Annet is a Member of the LéO Africa Institute Faculty.
Lyndah Mwaura
Founder, Leona Foundation
Lyndah Mwaura
Founder, Leona Foundation
Lyndah Mwaura is the Founder of Leona Foundation, a non-profit in Kenya and has over 7 years’ experience implementing community projects.
She is an advocate of ending violence against women and girls. She is a fellow of LéO Africa Institute's Young and Emerging Leaders Project class of 2019 and is also a Fellow of the Female & More 2019.
Benefique Magadju
Programme Assistant, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung DR Congo
Benefique Magadju
Programme Assistant, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung DR Congo
Benefique Magadju is a Programme Assistant at Konrad Adenauer Stiftung DR Congo and a Young and Emerging leaders Project fellow of Léo Africa Institute.
Day 2 Performer
Day 3 Speakers
Barbara Kasekende
Head of Social Corporate Investment, Stanbic Bank Uganda
Barbara Kasekende
Head of Social Corporate Investment, Stanbic Bank Uganda
Over the years, Barbara has learnt that she lives her purpose by doing what she is passionate about and adding value to this universe.
Her journey has driven her to work with young people for close to twenty years. Barbara loves working with women, especially around mindset change and creatives to change passion to monetary value.
Cleofash Alinaitwe
Managing Partner, Agri Planet Uganda
Cleofash Alinaitwe
Managing Partner, Agri Planet Uganda
Cleofash Alinaitwe is a co-founder of Agri Planet Academy, which seeks to replicate and test climate-smart farming technologies from research stations and other farming communities before incorporating them into a practical agricultural training curriculum that promotes practical agricultural learning in schools and communities.
Cleofash is the 2017 Young and Emerging Leaders Project Fellowship valedictorian.
Mohamed Okash
Head of Innovations, SIMAD iLab
Mohamed Okash
Head of Innovations, SIMAD iLab
Mohamed Okash is a Researcher, Consultant, and Ecosystem Builder. His work focus on Innovations, Development, and Public Policy.
He is YELP Fellow and the Valediction of the class of 2019, a Global Shaper, and Climate Reality Leader. Currently, he is the Head of Innovations, SIMAD iLab in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Okash is a Young and Emerging Leadership Project fellow of the LéO Africa Institute.
Malath Ochieng
Head of Programs, Childline Kenya
Malath Ochieng
Head of Programs, Childline Kenya
Malath is a fellow of LéO Africa institute's Young and Emerging Leaders Project fellowship with over five years’ experience in child-centered program gained through first-hand practical experience in program work that spans beyond Kenya’s jurisdiction.
Malath is a child protection, youth and women empowerment, and community development specialist. She is also an active member of the Rotary e-club Safari Kenya.
Conrad Mugisha
Entrepreneur
Conrad Mugisha
Entrepreneur
Conrad Mugisha has experience working in the retail industry. He is skilled in Business Development, Retail Sales, Project and Product Management.
Conrad is a Board Member of LéO Africa Institute and a 2019 Young and Emerging Leaders Project fellow.
Day 3 Performer
Hosts
Partners