She is the Founder & Managing Director of The Radical Leap Group and Co-Founder & Director of Terra Preta Group.

She specializes in business strategy, technology, and market expansion, helping businesses and governments scale across Africa and globally.

Born in Kenya, Noreen moved to the UK at 17 to further her education, studying Information Systems and Management at Greenwich University and later trained in Executive Coaching at Noble Manhattan.  

In 2008, she founded The Radical Leap Group, a consultancy that helps businesses and governments with strategy, technology, and market expansion.

She advises CEOs, boards, and government bodies on scaling businesses, driving investment, and strengthening trade partnerships.

As Co-Founder & Director of Terra Preta Group, she is involved in sustainable business solutions across Africa.

The company works on market-driven solutions that promote sustainability, economic development, and job creation.

Noreen is deeply committed to Africa’s economic development, having founded Female Founders Africa, which helps women-owned businesses become investment-ready.

She also launched the Dream Accelerator Academy, an online resource hub for new entrepreneurs.

Her work focuses on job creation, business sustainability, and expanding African businesses into global markets.

Noreen believes that Africa’s future lies in strong business ecosystems, innovation, and global partnerships.

She is committed to helping businesses scale, create jobs, and drive economic transformation.

Through her companies and initiatives, she continues to shape Africa’s business landscape, ensuring that enterprises can compete on a global scale while promoting sustainable development.

He is known for his groundbreaking contributions to the African fintech ecosystem.

As the Co-founder and CEO of Mekka Group, he is revolutionizing how businesses conduct and receive payments, making financial transactions seamless, efficient, and more inclusive.

With a track record of launching and scaling successful fintech ventures, Ken is committed to driving financial inclusion and economic transformation across the continent.

His journey into the world of technology and finance is rooted in a strong educational foundation.

He holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from ISTEC Business School Paris, which he obtained in 2012.

Ken’s entrepreneurial career took shape in the early 2010s when he recognized the potential of mobile money and digital payments in Africa.

From 2013 to 2016, he worked as a Mobile Financial Services Consultant at Advise Consulting & Technology, where he gained deep insights into the challenges and opportunities within the fintech space.

In 2015, Ken co-founded Wizall Money, a mobile money platform designed to facilitate digital payments for businesses, organizations, and governments.

Wizall Money provided solutions for secure fund disbursement and collection, significantly improving financial accessibility across Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire.

The company quickly gained traction, helping governments distribute social welfare payments and enabling businesses to streamline their financial transactions.

In 2024, Ken Kakena co-founded Mekka Group, a fintech startup dedicated to streamlining business payments across Africa.

Mekka Group provides digital financial infrastructure that allows businesses to place orders, pay suppliers, collect payments, access instant credit, and monitor financial activities in real-time.

The company’s innovative solutions address critical inefficiencies in business transactions, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), fostering economic growth and sustainability.

Mekka Group stands out for its B2B-focused approach, creating a financial ecosystem that simplifies operations for African businesses.

By leveraging technology to enhance financial access and efficiency, Ken is improving the ease of doing business and empowering entrepreneurs and enterprises to scale their operations seamlessly.

Ken’s influence in the fintech space extends beyond business success; he has been instrumental in promoting financial inclusion and digital transformation in Africa.

Her mission is to demystify financial concepts and guide individuals toward financial autonomy.

Born in Dakar, Mariama earned a diploma in management in 2013, followed by a master’s degree in finance.

She holds certifications as a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI®) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

At 21, she began her career as an accountant, managing corporate financial statements.

Despite her professional role, she faced challenges in personal finance management, a struggle she noticed was common among her peers.

Recognizing a significant gap in financial literacy—stemming from the absence of financial education in schools and homes—Mariama established The UpTribe in 2019.

The organization aims to break the taboo surrounding money discussions and normalize financial education within the community.

Since its inception, The UpTribe has assisted over 5,000 young Senegalese in saving, managing, and investing their money wisely to achieve financial independence.

The UpTribe offers a range of programs tailored to various audiences, including Achieve: A financial wellness program designed for companies to enhance employees’ quality of life and productivity.

Others include PEFE: A program dedicated to entrepreneurs, strengthening their financial management skills to ensure business sustainability and Yokkuté Kom: An initiative providing financial education in local languages, aiming to overcome financial barriers in rural areas.

Additionally, The UpTribe is developing an innovative platform called FinEducation, to train 100,000 young people by 2026.

This platform is specifically designed for use in educational institutions.

Through The UpTribe, Mariama Ndiaye continues to revolutionize financial education in West Africa, empowering individuals and businesses to achieve financial stability and independence.

Born in Phokeng, Rustenberg, Nthite pursued a degree in mechatronics engineering at the University of Cape Town, where he researched speech-to-text technologies for under-resourced African languages.

The inspiration for Botlhale AI emerged from a personal experience.

Nthite observed his grandmother struggling to load prepaid airtime on her phone due to language barriers, as the device’s default language was English, while she spoke Setswana.

This incident highlighted the broader issue of language accessibility in digital services, motivating Nthite and his co-founders, Sange Maxaku and Xolisani Nkwentsha, to establish Botlhale AI in 2019.

Botlhale AI focuses on developing multilingual conversational bots and natural language processing tools tailored for African languages.

Their platform supports seven South African languages: English, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, and Sepedi.

These tools enable businesses to engage with customers in their preferred languages, enhancing accessibility and user experience.

Under Nthite’s leadership, Botlhale AI has garnered significant recognition.

In October 2024, the company won the Momentum Big Success Pitch, securing R500,000 for its innovative approach to breaking down language barriers in digital services.

Additionally, Botlhale AI was named the Best Startup at the Africa Tech Festival Awards in November 2023.

Nthite’s work is driven by a passion for social justice and leveraging technology to reduce inequalities across the African continent.

Through Botlhale AI, he aims to create a more inclusive digital future by enabling people to interact with service providers through platforms in languages they understand and trust, using both text and speech.

As the Co-founder and CEO of Lori Systems, Homawoo is spearheading efforts to digitize the trucking industry, optimize freight management, and enhance trade efficiency across the continent.

Homawoo, who has a background in engineering, product strategy, and digital innovation, has brought a deep understanding of how technology can drive economic transformation in Africa.

Founded in 2017, Lori Systems emerged as a solution to Africa’s chronic supply chain inefficiencies.

The startup operates as a technology-driven logistics platform that connects cargo owners with transporters, streamlining freight movement across borders and reducing the high costs of logistics that hinder trade and business growth in Africa.

Under Homawoo’s leadership, Lori Systems has evolved into one of Africa’s leading e-logistics firms, managing a vast network of over 20,000 trucks across 12 African countries and facilitating the movement of goods worth more than $10 billion.

Lori Systems has been recognized globally, attracting investments from top-tier investors, including Google’s $50 million Africa Investment Fund.

Through Lori Systems, Homawoo is bridging the infrastructure gap that has long hindered trade efficiency in Africa, offering a digital-first approach to solving logistical bottlenecks.

Homawoo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Drexel University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Finance Limited (RFL), Barigye leads the country’s efforts to establish and grow the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC).

The platform is designed to attract global investments and facilitate cross-border business transactions in a safe, compliant, and forward-looking environment.

Nick brings over 15 years of experience in financial management, investment advisory, and strategic leadership across Africa.

His career trajectory reflects a deep commitment to unlocking Africa’s economic potential and empowering businesses to thrive in a globalized economy.

Before his role at RFL, he served in key leadership positions, including as the managing partner at Karisimbi Business Partners, a consultancy firm focused on supporting businesses in achieving sustainable growth in Africa.

He also served as the Senior Executive at Crystal Ventures, Rwanda’s largest investment firm, where he oversaw multi-million-dollar investments, fostering business expansion and operational efficiency.

Since taking charge at RFL, Nick has been instrumental in shaping Rwanda’s ambitions to become a leading pan-African financial center.

Under his leadership, the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC) has gained recognition as a modern, transparent, and globally competitive financial hub that meets international standards.

Nick envisions Africa as a continent that thrives on economic sovereignty, intra-regional trade, and foreign investment.

Through KIFC, he is creating a gateway for global investors to connect with opportunities across Africa while supporting African businesses to access capital for growth and innovation.

Key priorities under his leadership include promoting Rwanda as a secure and pro-business destination for investors seeking opportunities in Africa and facilitating access to financing and international markets for businesses to scale and compete globally.

Nick holds an MBA in Strategic Management from Strathmore Business School in Kenya and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the National University of Rwanda.

With over a decade of hands-on experience in the design, construction supervision, and maintenance of high-voltage electricity infrastructure, Carol has emerged as a leading figure in Africa’s energy sector, known for her innovative approach to solving critical energy challenges.

Carol holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Nairobi.

Her thirst for knowledge and commitment to excellence led her to pursue a Master of Science in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Management at the University of Glasgow, where she earned the prestigious Graduate Award for Leadership.

Carol’s professional journey began at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO), where she played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s energy infrastructure.

Notably, she served as the construction supervisor for the Suswa Converter Station, a critical part of the Ethiopia-Kenya interconnector transmission line project.

Carol is the founder and CEO of E-Safiri Charging Limited, a Kenyan startup focused on developing solar-powered charging stations for two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles.

The company focuses on the development and deployment of solar-powered charging stations for two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs), a transformative initiative aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector.

The transportation sector in Kenya and across Africa is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

At the same time, millions of people lack access to affordable and clean energy, creating barriers to sustainable development and economic growth.

These twin challenges are compounded by the limited infrastructure to support electric mobility, such as charging stations, which makes the transition to cleaner transportation options difficult.

E-Safiri was founded with a mission to promote the widespread adoption of electric mobility solutions by addressing critical infrastructure gaps.

Carol envisions a future where solar energy powers transportation, drastically reducing dependence on fossil fuels while making clean mobility accessible to urban and rural populations alike.

E-Safiri Charging Limited develops and operates solar-powered EV charging stations, designed specifically for two- and three-wheeled vehicles, which are widely used for both commercial and personal purposes in Kenya.

These vehicles, such as motorbikes (commonly referred to as boda bodas) and tuk-tuks, are integral to the country’s transportation system but are often powered by polluting and inefficient engines.

Currently, Carol is a researcher at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy, contributing to the African School of Regulation (ASR) initiative.

Her research focuses on fostering partnerships within Africa’s energy sector and identifying capacity-building opportunities to enhance energy access across the continent.

She is also an ardent advocate for gender equality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

She has mentored countless young women, encouraging them to pursue careers in engineering and energy.

Carol’s contributions have been widely recognized, earning her Kenya’s highest civilian honor, the Head of State Commendation (HSC), awarded by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2020.

This accolade acknowledged her exceptional role in implementing major transmission lines, mentoring women in energy, and championing clean energy innovations.