About.
INSPIRED BY COMMUNITY.
I build communities to develop innovative solutions that transform societies, protect dignity and impact economies positively.
The world urgently requires sustainable solutions for the daily challenges humanity encounters. My mission is to collaborate with individuals and organisations in building vibrant communities that nurture problem-solving cultures.
Communities serve as the fertile ground where trust, credibility, and accountability flourish, enabling innovation to thrive and catalyse profound societal transformation.
I am currently the Director of Community at Medic, which serves as the technical steward and core contributor to the Community Health Toolkit (CHT), an open-source platform that supports health workers as they provide essential care in their own communities. For over 10 years Medic has advanced equitable care and strengthened community health systems by building, innovating, applying, and scaling open-source, low-cost digital health tools in collaboration with communities, governments, and implementers. As Director of Community, Nekesa is working to scale the positive health impact achieved with the Community Health Toolkit, by building and fostering a vibrant community of practice.
Tested.
TRACK RECORD MATTERS.
I have worked at the heart of Africa’s technology and innovation ecosystem for over a decade.
For the last decade, I have worked at the heart of Africa’s technology and innovation ecosystem. I was the Director of Strategy at AfriLabs where I was responsible for supporting the executive in the development and execution of a strategy that ensured a thriving innovation economy in Africa driven by the power of the AfriLabs community. AfriLabs currently has a network of over 400 innovation centres spread across 53 African countries and delivers value to members through capacity building, financing, policy advocacy, and providing insightful, reliable data .
I was also Strategy Advisor at SNDBX, a collective of SME experts working together to ensure sustainable growth for SMEs across Africa by delivering targeted and affordable long term training as well as business coaching.
I have served as a co-convenor at African Crossroads, a community of future-oriented African thinkers and doers which collaborates all year long and critically reflects on the most cutting-edge entrepreneurial, scientific, artistic, and technological developments anchored in African intellectual and technological traditions.
I was previously the CEO of the iHub, Kenya’s leading innovation hub where I led an open innovation culture that was integral in ensuring quick maturity of the Kenyan innovation ecosystem.
I regularly convene, deliver and speak at high-level sessions to surface the best thought leadership for policy and practice in innovation. This has included sessions with the African Union, UNCTAD, the World Bank, Google, Chatham House, Mozilla, Overseas Development Institute, GIZ and Women Leaders in Global Health.
I was named one of The 100 most influential African leaders in 2023 by Connecting Africa and the Africa Tech Festival.
Currently.
STILL DRIVING IMPACT.
My mission remains unwavering. If it doesn’t work for the community, I won’t do it!
I am the Director of Community at Medic, which serves as the technical steward and core contributor to the Community Health Toolkit (CHT), an open-source platform that supports health workers as they provide essential care in their own communities. For over 10 years Medic has advanced equitable care and strengthened community health systems by building, innovating, applying, and scaling open-source, low-cost digital health tools in collaboration with communities, governments, and implementers. As Director of Community, Nekesa is working to scale the positive health impact achieved with the Community Health Toolkit, by building and fostering a vibrant community of practice.
I am currently a Board Member at Kiron, an EdTech nonprofit that provides quality education for refugees & underserved communities. I also sit on the advisory board for Toffee Tribe, a one-stop platform for remote workers and freelancers to find co-working spaces, workations, and remote jobs.
You’ll also find me supporting the organisational capacity development initiatives for the African Crossroads community.