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Board Chair
Gbenga Oyebode is the founder and Of Counsel at Aluko & Oyebode (Barristers & Solicitors), one of the largest integrated law firms in Nigeria. He is a philanthropist who is passionate about education and the arts and holds several key positions within the social sector. Gbenga is the Chair of Teach for All and is a trustee of the Ford Foundation. He is a member of the Board of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (NMAFA) and Cleveland Museum of Arts International Collectors Council.
Gbenga holds a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Ife and a Master of Law Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the International Bar Association (IBA). He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) (FCIArb). He holds one of Nigeria’s highest honors, as a member of the Order of the Federal Republic and is a recipient of the Belgian Royal Honor of Knight of the Order of Leopold.
Board Member
Nyimpini Mabunda is the CEO for Southern Africa at General Electric. He has 25+ years background leading major consumer goods, food franchise, and telecoms businesses across Africa and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining GE, he fulfilled roles at the Country/Divisional CEO level for two major multinational businesses – Vodafone/ Vodacom and Diageo.
His expertise in strategy, marketing, sales, digital transformation, data analytics, business turnaround, private equity, stakeholder management, and market development define him as a well-rounded leader who has an impressive track record of driving results and talent development.
Nyimpini is a recognized industry leader who sits on a few external boards as non-executive director and chairman. He is also a former senior advisor for Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where he assisted the partners to build the business in Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) and Consumer Good Practices across sub-Saharan Africa. Nyimpini who holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town is a regular speaker and panelist at industry events, some highlights include his role as a judge and panelist at the Stanford University’s Africa Business Forum start up initiative, emcee at the official Nelson Mandela Memorial in Uganda, and moderator at the ILLA Africa lawmakers conference.
More recently Nyimpini was appointed Chair of U.S. Chamber’s U.S.-South Africa Business Council, the premier Washington-based business organization dedicated to the economic relationship between the United States and South Africa. The Council represents America’s leading companies doing business with South Africa, and it is comprised of senior executives of U.S. companies from every sector investing in South Africa.
Board Member
Wale Adeosun, CFA, is the Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of Kuramo Capital Management LC (KCM or Kuramo Capital), an independent private investment firm driving catalytic commercial capital to fast growing African businesses to generate attractive returns and positively impact local communities. To date, Kuramo Capital has catalyzed over $3.5 billion to Sub-Saharan African businesses.
Wale serves on the Boards of several portfolio companies, and was the Chairman of the Investment Advisory Committee of the $280 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund. In 2014, he was appointed to serve on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA). For his ongoing commitment to advancing the private equity cause in Africa, Wale was awarded the LP Person of the Year in 2024 at the Private Equity Awards Africa in London.
Prior to founding Kuramo Capital, Wale Adeosun was Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he managed $1 billion in endowment and pension assets. Prior to RPI, he was a Managing Director in the Investments Group of the MacArthur Foundation in Chicago with oversight of $2 billion in U.S. equities and hedge fund investments.
Wale currently serves as the Chairman of the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF), a foundation based in New York City created by the MacArthur Foundation in 2004 to assist Nigerian Universities in preparing the next generation of global leaders.
Wale completed his BA in Economics and Business Administration at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa where he serves as a Board Trustee. He received his MBA from John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri with a concentration in Finance. He was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1995 and he is a member of the CFA Institute. He was inducted into the New York Chapter of the National Association of Security Professionals Wall Street Hall of Fame in 2008.
Board Member
Vanessa Moungar is Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at LVMH, where she supervises the global coordination of the Group’s actions on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
She previously served as Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society at the African Development Bank, where she led the Bank’s action on gender equality, women’s empowerment and civil society engagement. In particular, she led the development, resource mobilization and roll out of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) program, to unlock $5 billion in access to finance for women entrepreneurs across Africa’s 54 countries. As Senior Manager for Africa at the World Economic Forum between 2013 and 2017, she led large-scale publicprivate collaboration efforts across multiple industries to drive investment into the continent. There, she also led the Demographic Dividend agenda with a multi stakeholder group of global experts, with the aim of accelerating investments for women and youth. Between 2006 and 2013, she held various positions including Director of Sales and Marketing at Terrafina, an American company operating in the agri-business industry. As a student, she co-founded a consulting company, AV Consulting, to support young entrepreneurs in Africa and the Middle East through specific consulting missions.
A citizen of Chad and France, she sat on French President Emmanuel Macron’s Presidential Council for Africa between 2017 and 2022, was a member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council in 2019 and is a visiting lecturer at Sciences Po Paris.Vanessa holds degrees from INSEEC Paris and Harvard University, and was a WEF Global Leadership Fellow (in partnership with Columbia University, Wharton School of Business, China Europe International Business School, London Business School, and INSEAD).
Board Member
Swithin J. Munyantwali is Vice Chairman and co-founder of the International Law Institute African Centre for Legal Excellence, and the ILI-South African Centre for Excellence. He is Senior advisor to Appleton Luff. He has served as a party-appointed arbitrator under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (power and telecoms), and the World Bank International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (energy).
He has served as a Guest Professor at the Macau University of Science and Technology, as well as the City University of Hong Kong Law School. He has lectured at Case Western Reserve Law School (CWRU), University of Pacific McGeorge, the World Affairs Council in Sacramento, California, and Peking University (School of Transnational Law) in Shenzhen. He is an adjunct lecturer at the Loyola Law School Masters in Law (LLM) Pro Law Program; he has spoken at the Maine and Kreisky Forums. He has published broadly and been cited on the subject of legal and judicial reform. He is currently a Senior Advisor to the Absa Group Limited (JSE Limited); he previously served as Non Executive Director of the Absa Group, serving on the Audit and Compliance, Social Sustainability and Ethics, and Group Credit Risk Committees. He has served as Chairman of Barclays Bank, and Absa Bank in Uganda, serving as the Chairman of Human Resources and Compensation, and the Board Audit Committees. He serves on the Board of Directors of the ILI in Washington, DC, and the African Philanthropy Forum.
He has served on Special Advisory Boards including Interpol (biosecurity) and UN Habitat. He is Vice-Chair on the Staff Appeals Tribunal at the East African Development Bank. He is a member of the Visiting Committee, at the Center for International Affairs, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). He also serves on the Dean’s Cabinet For Global Legal Studies at CWRU Law School. He is a member of the American Law Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from St. Joseph’s University, a Juris Doctor from CWRU School of Law, and Masters in International and Comparative Law, from Georgetown University Law Center. He is licensed to practice (inactive) in Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Cosmos Club, and has been honored by International Bar Association (Innovation).
He is a Ugandan and British citizen, and US Permanent Resident. He is married to Lyvia Kakonge, a Canadian Barrister and Solicitor; they have 3 children and currently reside in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Board Member
English Sall is a data enthusiast and researcher at heart. English holds a Masters degree and is currently pursuing her PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology (IOP) at North Carolina State University. English specializes in Humanitarian Work Psychology and is interested in how IOP can be applied to cross-cultural leadership and work-force development within informal economies. English is also a board member of the Sall Family Foundation and is pursuing the role of a next gen philanthropist. Additionally, she is on the boards of CARE USA, The EndFund, Jacaranda, and Aspen Management Partnership for Health. English is also a member of Maverick Collective.
English is co-founder of the organization Impact Thread which uses IOP to address workforce and organizational development through a social good lens. Before co-founding Impact Thread, English was co-director for Aspen Institute’s Impact Careers Initiative.
English has also worked as a Data Strategist Fellow with Organize and as a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychologists-United Nations Liaison team. English is also the co-founder of Embark, a Gender Justice initiative powered by CARE. English served as Visiting Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Institute Duke University in the center for Advanced Hindsight. English is currently a principle at Community Health Acceleration Partnership as well as an Adjunct professor at UNC Gilling’s School of Global Public Health in the department of Health Behavior.
Pioneer Board Chair
Tsitsi Masiyiwa is an African philanthropist and social entrepreneur. She is the Executive Chair and Co-Founder of Delta Philanthropies and Higherlife Foundation, whose primary goal is to invest in human capital development to build thriving individuals, communities, and sustainable livelihoods. As a result of her work and experience establishing and growing the Higherlife Foundation over the last twenty-five years, Tsitsi serves on various social impact boards and has become an advisor and thought partner to universities, national leaders, and social entrepreneurs on issues of education, health, leadership, development, gender, and youth empowerment.
Board Member
Her Royal Highness the Nnabagereka (Queen) Sylvia Nagginda is the wife of the King of Buganda, King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II. She is a traditional and cultural leader of the people of Buganda, the largest Kingdom in Uganda occupying almost a quarter of the country with a population exceeding 7 million people, which is equivalent to 25% of the total population. Her Royal Highness is the first Nnabagereka (Queen) in the history of the Buganda Kingdom to set up a fully-fledged Office, a very crucial phenomenon that has greatly complimented the ongoing development work in the Kingdom and Uganda at large.
The Nnabagereka carries out charity work for and through the institution of the Kingdom of Buganda, international, national and local organizations and the Nnabagereka Development Foundation (NDF) which she founded in 2000. Using the Foundation HRH works for children, the youth and women through support for socio-economic development initiatives including education, health care, community empowerment and the advancement of good cultural values and practices.
A pillar of development and held in high esteem, HRH plays a major role in sensitizing and mobilizing the general population on issues of Health; Education Culture Preservation and Sustainable Livelihoods Promotion. Through the above, HRH has graciously supported and empowered marginalized groups of youth, women, children and persons with disabilities.
The Nnabagereka is a Good Will Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Uganda – working with Population Secretariat (POPSEC) and Partners in Population and Development (PPD-ARO). She is also a Torch Bearer for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG3); Ambassador for Mama Club – an initiative of mothers living with HIV/AIDS, a Champion in the Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS (CEPA) in Uganda. HRH is also a Patron of several organisations including: Hospice Africa Uganda, Child Fund Uganda, Female Sponsorship Foundation Makerere University, Special Olympics Uganda, Programme for Accessible Health Communication and Education (PACE), Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), and Buganda Tourism Board. She is also a visionary Founder Member of the African Queens and Women Cultural Leaders Network (AQWCLN) and Co Founder and Patron of African Royals for Culture and Development (AFROCAD). HRH is a core member on the African Philanthropy Forum and a member of the Board of Advisors on the Global Thinkers Forum. In addition, HRH collaborates with the Ministry of Health, and UN Agencies such as UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNICEF, and WHO as well as other NGOs on community health related initiatives.
Board Member
Mrs. Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is an expert on African agriculture and nutrition, philanthropy, and social innovation. She has over 25 years of international development experience and is a recognized serial entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and consultant. Through her work in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, she has led the design and execution of high-impact initiatives focused on policy, strategy, organizational design, ecosystem solutions, and growth.
Ndidi Nwuneli is the Managing Partner of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Ltd., which works across West Africa shaping agricultural policy, creating catalytic ventures, and implementing ecosystem solutions. She is also the co-founder of AACE Foods, which sources from over 10,000 farmers and produces a range of packaged spices, seasonings, and cereals for local and international markets. Ndidi is the founder of LEAP Africa which inspires, empowers, and equips a new cadre of principled, disciplined and dynamic young leaders in Africa. She is also the founder and chair of Nourishing Africa, a digital knowledge and data business focused on enabling agribusiness entrepreneurs to scale.
Ndidi started her career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, working in their Chicago, New York and Johannesburg Offices. She holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree with honors from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government at the Harvard Kennedy School and an Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow.
Ndidi was recognized as a Young Global Leader and Schwab Social Innovator by the World Economic Forum and received a National Honor from the Nigerian Government. Ndidi serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Foundation, AGRA, Nigerian Breweries Plc. (Heineken), Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. India, Fairfax Africa Holdings Canada, BusinessDay Newspapers, Royal DSM Sustainability Board, Netherlands, and the African Philanthropy Forum.
Ndidi is the author of “Social Innovation in Africa: A Practical Guide for Scaling Impact,” published by Routledge. Her new book titled “Food Entrepreneurs in Africa: Scaling Resilient Agriculture Businesses” will be published by Routledge in 2021. She is a TED Global speaker and her work has been featured on CNN, BBC, and a range of international and local media outlets.
