Chidi is a prolific educator, serving as product faculty and instructor at the Center for A Reimagined Africa, Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, General Assembly, African Leadership University School of Business. Based in Atlanta, he works across three continents connecting African, American, and European organizations through product thinking and digital transformation.

Chidi Afulezi advises and coaches leaders and teams on how to build products, services, and organizations that create real value. He is a product guy, digital insurgent, educator, and an entrepreneur with a day job as Managing Principal of redKola Digital Labs, a product management and digital transformation advisory shop. He was Managing Partner of theZVG, a boutique communications products firm, where he designed strategic communications programs and products for partners including WHO and Mastercard Foundation, and produced the Unstoppable Africa gathering at UNGA from 2022–23. He also co-founded aKoma Media, a platform for the creative and cultural industries in Africa, and The Core Ventures.

His work spans product strategy, leadership coaching, program design, and institutional transformation, across Fortune 500 companies, African government ministries, multilateral bodies, and high-growth startups. He chaired the 2025 Inspire Africa Conference in Kigali, Africa's largest product conference, and co-founded the Product Leadership Accelerator, a Pan-African product management program.

Jason Masai is a digital transformation leader operating at the intersection of business, technology, CX, strategy, and design. With over 18 years of experience across banking, telecommunications, and fintech, he has built a track record of leveraging technology and innovation to create a competitive advantage while delivering measurable customer and commercial impact. He currently serves as Head of Product – Digital at M-Pesa Africa, where he leads the digital transformation agenda across consumer and merchant ecosystems. He oversees the strategy and execution of the M-Pesa Consumer and Business super apps across six markets — driving commercial growth, innovation in payments, financial services, and embedded digital experiences at scale.

Previously, as a Product and Innovation Manager at Absa Bank Kenya PLC (formerly Barclays Bank Kenya), Jason led the development, launch, and commercial scaling of Timiza, a mobile-first virtual digital wallet proposition offering micro-lending, payments, savings, insurance, and lifestyle solutions — positioning it as a pioneering digital banking model in the market.

Jason is also an active thought leader in the global digital and fintech ecosystem. He is a regular keynote speaker and panelist at international industry conferences and forums, where he contributes insights on digital payments, super apps, financial inclusion, product leadership, and emerging technologies shaping the future of financial services. He is a graduate of the University of Nairobi and an alumnus of MIT Executive Education, where he completed the Innovation of Products & Services program. A Certified SAFe® Professional, he also holds an Executive MBA in Strategic Leadership from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

Kedi has nearly a decade of experience working with African partners, leading the implementation of interoperability solutions and supporting digital transformation and knowledge exchange initiatives. Aktors has been one of the core contributors to the development and global deployment of X-Road-based interoperability solutions, as well as key public sector systems including justice sector digitalisation platforms. The company has implemented large-scale digital solutions internationally, with projects across Africa and the Middle East, and the Caribbean.

CEO and Board Member of Aktors, an Estonian software development company specialising in e-governance and interoperability solutions based on X-Road technology. Aktors delivers end-to-end custom software solutions, from analysis to implementation, with a strong focus on the digitalisation of justice, finance, and homeland security sectors.

In addition to her role at Aktors, Kedi serves as Vice President of the Board of the Estonian ICT Association. She is also an active contributor to international digital development initiatives, including the EU Digital for Development (D4D) Hub, Global Gateway Business Advisory Group and GovStack.

Previously he has managed change as the head for Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Climate of the Republic of Estonia and industry decarbonisation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. He has co-chaired the IEA Working Party for Industrial Decarbonisation. His EU-level experience stems from work at the European Commission for the Commissioner for Energy, where his responsibilities included energy end-use consumption and decarbonisation, including efficiency and storage. Prior to that he worked at DG Energy as an expert for industrial energy efficiency. Having gathered experience in EU level negotiations and policy in Brussels for over a decade, he has also covered the EU internal market, competitiveness, intellectual property, transport and energy affairs.

He is educated in international affairs and is a graduate of Paris I Panthèon Sorbonne (cum laude) and the École Nationale d'Administration (with recognition).

Aziz Boughourbal is a distinguished entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience and a prominent figure in both the economic and sporting spheres of Mauritania. As CEO of Africa Ocean Group, he has steered the company's growth into one of the most influential players in the national fishing industry, employing nearly 3,000 people and collaborating with key markets across West Africa, Asia, and Europe — including the Baltic States. His achievements have earned recognition in leading international media such as Forbes Afrique, Financial Afrik, TV5 Monde, Le Monde, BeIn Sports, and Jeune Afrique.

Beyond the business world, Boughourbal has made a lasting impact in sports. In 1999, he co-founded Football Club Nouadhibou, which has since become one of Mauritania's most successful and respected football clubs. From 2002 to 2006, he served as President of the Mauritanian Football Federation (FFRIM), where he led efforts to revive Mauritanian football from near collapse. Deeply committed to the development of sports nationwide, he currently serves as First Vice President of FFRIM. Aziz Boughourbal holds a master's degree in Management and Finance from the Lincoln International Business School. Through his dynamic leadership and cross-sector influence, he exemplifies a new generation of West African leaders driving change at the intersection of business and sport.

Eddie Sembatya is a seasoned impact investment and economic development professional with over 19 years of experience supporting social and climate-smart MSMEs, investors, and development partners across East Africa. He is the Founder and CEO of Finding XY Group, a platform dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship, investment readiness, and access to finance through innovation for inclusive and sustainable development.

Eddie has led and advised programmes focused on climate technologies, gender-lens investing in agriculture, the circular economy, and green finance. His work includes facilitating market and feasibility studies that promote green growth, with particular emphasis on energy and climate-smart technologies in East Africa.

An Oxford University alumnus, Eddie also serves as a Board Member of the Uganda Solar Energy Association, contributing to the advancement of renewable energy policy and market development in Uganda.

Sidee Dlamini is the Chief Executive Officer of African Leadership University (ALU), a pan-African institution dedicated to developing ethical, entrepreneurial leaders who will drive Africa's growth and transformation. As CEO, she oversees ALCHE and ALU's strategic direction, operational excellence, organizational culture, and financial sustainability. Sidee served as a founding member and leader within ALU and the African Leadership Group for a decade of her career.

Prior to this, Sidee served as Chief Ecosystem and Partnership Officer at Delta40 Venture Studio, where she connected and empowered entrepreneurs — particularly women — to build scalable, sustainable ventures driving disruptive change across Africa and raising millions of dollars for ventures. She played a critical role in strengthening ecosystem partnerships, supporting founders in their venture-building and fundraising journeys, and connecting global partners to the African innovation ecosystem, particularly in entrepreneurship and climate innovation. During her time at the African Leadership Group (ALG), Sidee was a "multiplier," delivering transformative outcomes across the organization. She built and led teams that earned ALG recognition as Fast Company's #1 Most Innovative Company in Africa, played a pivotal role in securing a landmark $400 million fundraise through key partnerships, and spearheaded the creation and growth of key functions, including Human Capital & Talent, Fundraising & Stakeholder Engagement, Member Opportunities, and Key Account/Business Development Management.

Sidee holds a BA in International Economics from Texas Christian University and a Master's Degree in Development Economics and International Development from UC Berkeley. Her experience at UBS Wealth Management further strengthens her position as a connector at the intersection of strategy, operations, and finance.

Pius is the founding CEO of Nabo Capital, and his passion is to connect investors to lucrative opportunities across Africa. He passionately believes that investors cannot afford to ignore the continent, a key topic when he speaks at global investment forums. Quick to acknowledge he has the best job in the world, Pius believes Africa is the best place for anyone wishing to make a remarkable difference and leave a legacy.

With more than 15 years experience of successfully investing in Africa, he has overseen investment transactions in excess of $500Mn and investment returns in excess of $82mn. On the back of remarkable success, Pius led his team at Centum to spin off into an independent fully-fledged investment boutique, Nabo Capital, which is now managing over $200mn in AUMs and has helped reputable institutional clients from US, Europe, Asia and Africa acquire sizeable stakes and break into top ten shareholders of some of the most coveted blue-chip companies on the continent. Pius leverages a wide network and with unique, boots-on-the-ground experience operates across multiple asset classes such as equities, fixed income, private debt, private equity and real estate. Pius was part of the dream team that formulated and successfully implemented the now famous "Centum 2.0 Strategy" that began the exciting journey of transforming Centum, a once laid back $60 million investment firm, into a $1 billion AUM outfit.

His colleagues occasionally refer to him as the "Resident Bishop" because of his deep spiritual orientation and personal values. Pius does not consider what he does to be a job, but rather his divine purpose to enrich society and people's lives. Pius is a CFA charter holder, Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Institute of Public Accountants of Kenya, holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, and is also a Tutu Fellow and a Certified Life Coach.

Risto manages some of the most challenging markets in Bolt's real estate portfolio — Africa, global expansions, and warehouses — where quick, out-of-the-box thinking is essential to capture scarce opportunities. His background in analytics, sales, and marketing has shaped an approach built on solving problems on the go.

Risto graduated from the Estonian Business School with a degree in International Business Administration. During his studies, he spent a year in the Netherlands — first in Amsterdam, then Rotterdam — where he extended his extracurricular involvement through Erasmus University, JCI, and the Watertalent organization, becoming one of the top-performing students in the city. He has also served as a member of the Administrative Council of the Tallinn City District.

Over the past four years, he has overseen more than 1,000 real estate contracts, built out over a dozen offices, and delivered 250+ warehouses across the globe — giving him the ability to get up to speed in any environment and deliver fit-out premises on tight timelines.

Paul Ndungutse is a Senior Digital Specialist with the World Bank, supporting digital transformation initiatives across Eastern and Southern Africa. His work focuses on strengthening Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Data Governance, AI for Development, and expanding resilient Digital Infrastructure, helping countries design inclusive digital systems that drive economic growth and social inclusion. Paul was a Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.

In her work, Aune focuses on promoting sustainable fashion consumption and advancing the circular economy, offering the fashion industry an environmentally friendly and economically viable alternative.

Aune Aunapuu is the founder and CEO of Yaga. Under her leadership, Yaga has grown into the most popular secondhand marketplace in Estonia and South Africa, with over 2 million users and more than 6 million fashion items recirculated. Yaga recently raised €4 million to continue expanding in Africa and the Middle East.

Evelyn Kaldoja is the head of the foreign news desk at Postimees, Estonia's oldest national daily newspaper, and also contributes regularly to the main radio program of Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR). In her daily work, she combines hands-on journalistic field reporting with planning and coordinating the work of other journalists.

While her reporting assignments most frequently take her to Brussels, she has also covered regional affairs, diplomacy, and multinational military operations in various parts of the world, including assignments in Africa — such as Mali, Djibouti, and the Central African Republic — as well as the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

Joel Karubiu is a seasoned business leader and market development strategist with over 20 years of experience driving growth, building brands, and unlocking new market opportunities across Africa.

As the Export Adviser in Kenya for the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, Joel plays a central role in advancing trade and investment between Estonia and East Africa. He works closely with Estonian companies to identify high-potential sectors, build strategic partnerships, and successfully enter and scale in the African market — bridging Estonian innovation with opportunities across the continent. With extensive board experience across financial services, education, manufacturing, and the digital ecosystem, Joel brings a well-rounded perspective on governance, innovation, and cross-border collaboration — key themes shaping the future of Africa–Europe partnerships.

At this forum, Joel brings not only his professional expertise, but also a deep understanding of how to connect ecosystems, translate opportunity into action, and drive meaningful partnerships between Estonia and Africa.