Dr. Fonteh Akum is executive director at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). He previously served as head of the Lake Chad Basin program in ISS’s regional office in Dakar, Senegal. Prior to joining ISS as a senior researcher in the Peace and Security Research program in 2017, he worked for the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, the UN University for Peace’s Africa program, and the International Monetary Fund. Akum’s research covers violence, governance, and human security in the Lake Chad Basin. He has a PhD in politics and international studies from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

Dr. Frances Z. Brown is a vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Brown served on the White House National Security Council (NSC) staff over the past three presidential administrations. Before re-joining Carnegie in February 2025, she served as special assistant to the president and senior director for Africa on the Biden NSC. Previously, from 2016-17, she served as director for democracy and fragile states on the NSC under the Obama and first Trump administrations.  Prior to the NSC, Brown worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Transition Initiatives, managing conflict and transition programs in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Other experience includes roles in the private sector, in non-profits, and at the Defense Department. She holds a DPhil from Oxford, and MA from Johns Hopkins, and a BA from Yale.

Désiré Assogbavi is a jurist and international development expert currently serving as Advocacy Advisor, at the Open Society Foundations (OSF). Prior to joining OSF, he led the ONE Campaign’s Francophone Africa Office in Dakar, Senegal, for four years. Previously, he has been successively the Resident Representative to the African Union and Director of the Liaison Offices of three international organizations namely Oxfam International, Plan International, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for 13 years combined, where he worked on a wide range of issues, including social and economic justice, human security, democratic governance, humanitarian diplomacy, gender justice, and climate change. Désiré has published and presented over 100 articles and papers addressing Pan-African and Global issues such as international humanitarian law, international justice, human security, and African politics. He also led the drafting team of the first reference manual on the African Union, the “African Union Compendium.”

Freda Yawson is a consultant working on infrastructure & innovation under the Innovation & Digital Policy focus area. Freda has over 10 years of combined experience in international development, engineering, management consulting, and project/portfolio management. Her strengths lie not only in the development of strategic initiatives for the government and private sector but also in the implementation of these solutions in a global context. Her experience in program management, institutional reform, management consulting and international development span projects in eight countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Honduras, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the United States). Her areas of work have included youth and skills, renewable energy, manufacturing, and water and sanitation. Freda received her master’s in international Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University; and her BScE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Alize le Roux is a senior researcher in the African Futures and Innovation (AFI) programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). Over the past 16 years she has supported various policy- and decision-makers with long-term planning support. Alize has a wealth of experience in spatial data analysis and holds a master’s degree in geographical sciences from the University of Utrecht, specialising in multi-hazard risk assessments.

Dr. Lesley Anne Warner is a seasoned foreign policy expert with over 20 years of experience at the nexus of political transitions, stabilization, and security cooperation. Most recently, she served as Deputy Assistant Administrator in USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, where she led key offices and managed a $261 million foreign assistance budget across 72 countries to combat democratic backsliding and support human rights. She has held high-level advisory roles, including as Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield and as principal adviser on Sub-Saharan Africa for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she helped author key legislation. Dr. Warner holds advanced degrees from King’s College London, Georgetown, and Carleton College, and is a published author and respected voice in international affairs. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of several prestigious national security programs.

Dr. Moses Isooba is the Executive Director of the Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF). He is also a member of the Re-Imagining INGOs (RINGO) Social Lab – a group of Practitioners reimagining INGOs through disruption, innovation and systematic thinking. As a thought leader in the area of Localization, he has accompanied a number of INGOs who desire to start their journey on locally led development. He is very passionate about how local national NGO actors can be the pivot for the localization agenda. Dr. Isooba currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Forus International Governance Council and is a member of the Board of the Africa Philanthropy Network.

Prof. Pierre Nguimkeu is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution, currently on leave from his professorship in Economics at Georgia State University. A leading voice in development economics, Professor Nguimkeu’s research spans econometric theory, digital innovation, and inclusive growth, with publications in top journals such as Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Economic Development & Cultural Change and Journal of Econometrics. He has advised global institutions including the World Bank, IMF, AfDB, and USAID, and serves as a Resource Person for the African Economic Research Consortium. Professor Nguimkeu brings a unique blend of academic rigor and policy insight into the challenges of financing development in Africa among other key policy issues. His contributions to volumes like The Future of Work in Africa and Industrialization in Sub-Saharan Africa have shaped discourse on structural transformation and digital inclusion. As an economic adviser to many entrepreneurs and top leaders, he bridges research and private sector strategy to foster sustainable growth in Africa.

Nneoma Nwogu is a Senior Counsel at the World Bank’s Legal Vice Presidency where she leads the legal knowledge agenda out of the legal knowledge and advisory unit to support the organization’s strategic priorities and operations. Prior to that role, she worked in the development finance unit on strategic resource mobilization, aligning the needs of recipients, the Bank’s institutional priorities, and priorities of funding partners through a variety of funding instruments including serving as the lead lawyer on the establishment of the Pandemic Fund. She has also represented the Bank in Africa and the Middle East, notably in project structuring, negotiations, and compliance in international development finance transactions and advisory services across a diverse portfolio that includes agriculture, food security, social safety net, maternal and infant health, climate change, education, energy and natural resources governance.  Nneoma leads the African Mining Legislation Atlas Project that created the leading resource on the laws on mining across the African continent and an intensive training course in mineral law for advanced law students and faculty in Africa. She is currently leading the establishment of the African Tax Legislation Atlas, a replication of the AMLA initiative in tax laws to support domestic resource mobilization. Prior to joining the Bank, she was an international business transactions associate at a global law firm in New York and Washington DC. She has worked with the South African Human Rights Commission and the United States Justice Department. Ms. Nwogu received her BA from Wellesley College, an MPhil from Oxford University and JD from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She has served on the board of the Washington Foreign Law Society and as a term member of the United States Council on Foreign Relations. She is an adjunct Professor at the Washington College of Law, American University where she teaches the law of international development finance institutions.

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is the President/CEO of the ONE Campaign. Ndidi started her career at McKinsey & Company, then served as the Executive Director of the FATE Foundation. She is the founder of LEAP Africa, a non-profit committed to developing dynamic, innovative and principled African leaders and African Food Changemakers, which provides support for African entrepreneurs to start and scale resilient and sustainable agribusinesses. She is also the co-founder of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Ltd. and AACE Foods Processing & Distribution Ltd. Ndidi serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Foundation, Chanel Foundation, Stanbic IBTC Group, the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum, the Bridgespan Group, and Data4SDGs. Ndidi is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Blessing Chipanda joined the African Futures and Innovation (AFI) programme in January 2023. Before joining the ISS he worked as an assistant lecturer/ research assistant at the University of Pretoria, Department of Economics. He is particularly interested in tasks within the wider realm of international trade, development economics, public policy, monetary policy, and econometric modelling. Equally interested in economic and socio-economic activities that impact social welfare. Blessing has a PhD in economics from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Enoch Randy Aikins is a research consultant with the African Futures and Innovation (AFI) programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). Prior to this role, he served as a research and programmes officer at the Institute for Democratic Governance in Accra, where he led initiatives on local governance reforms, poverty and inequality, and public sector transformation. Enoch’s research interests span African politics and governance, economic development, public sector reform, and social equity. He is a Young African Fellow at the School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute in Florence. He holds an MPhil in Economics from the University of Ghana, Legon, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School as an Edward S. Mason Fellow.

Uzra Zeya joined Human Rights First (HRF) as President and CEO in April 2025.  In this role, she leads HRF efforts to advance human rights for all, defend democracy at home and abroad, uphold the rule of law, and protect vulnerable populations fleeing oppression.

As U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights from July 2021 to January 2025, she led global U.S. diplomacy to advance human rights, strengthen rule of law, support refugees, elevate the fight against corruption, and combat transnational crime and human trafficking from 2021-25. Concurrently, she was U.S. special coordinator for Tibetan issues, rallying international partners to support Tibetans’ human rights and preserve their unique identity.

As president and CEO of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, she led a non-partisan network of 150+ organizations working on peaceful conflict resolution in 180+ countries. Her distinguished diplomatic career included senior roles at U.S. embassies in France and India, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and advising Secretaries of State Rice and Clinton. She also served in Syria, Egypt, Oman, and Jamaica, and speaks French, Arabic, and Spanish.

Zeya co-authored a 2021 Council on Foreign Relations report that shaped State Department modernization. She is on the University of Notre Dame Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies Board of Advisors. She was awarded the French Legion d’Honneur and the Cross of Commander of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas in recognition of her contributions to a more just and peaceful world.

Professor Maru is Adjunct Professor at SAIS Europe and a Part-time Professor, School of Transnational Governance and Migration Policy Centre, European University Institute, Florence. He has more than 23 years of teaching and research experience in geopolitics, peace and security, law and governance, migration and humanitarian affairs, and professionally worked in multilateral and transnational governance bodies including the United Nations, the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and other transboundary regulatory bodies. A graduate of Harvard and Oxford universities, he holds a PhD in Legal Sciences from JL Giessen University, Germany, an MPA from Harvard, an MSc from the University of Oxford and an LLB from Addis Ababa University.

Ms. Neema Chusi, is the Head of the Secretariat of the Peace and Security Council, and has served in this position since 2020. The PSC Council is the standing organ of the AU for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. It was established to be a collective security and ‘early warning’ arrangement with the ability to facilitate timely and efficient responses to conflict and crisis situations. Ms. Chusi has over 14 years working within the Africa Union. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Law from Tumaini University, and a Masters in Law, focused on human rights and constitutionalism from Pretoria University. She also holds a Diploma in Peace and Security in Africa from Uppsala University.

Dr. Joseph Sany is the former Vice President of the Africa Center at the U.S. Institute of Peace. With over 25 years of experience bridging civil society, government, businesses, and international organizations, Dr. Sany has dedicated his career to promoting peace, development, and human-centered security in Africa. His expertise encompasses Africa’s political, development, and security challenges, facilitating innovative peacebuilding strategies and system-strengthening projects in Africa. As the inaugural Vice President of the Africa Center at the U.S. Institute of Peace, till May 2025, he led Security and peacebuilding initiatives across Sub-Saharan Africa. A recognized thought leader, he has published works on peacekeeping, geopolitics and security in Africa.

Oge Onubogu is a foreign policy leader with two decades of practical experience shaping engagement and policy on Africa and U.S.-Africa relations, including working with African governments, international organizations, civil society, academia, and the U.S. and African private sectors. Her career spans the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and has included designing and leading projects at the intersection of governance, development, and security. Onubogu recently served as director of the Africa Program at the Wilson Center, where she led scholarship-driven analysis and programs that centered African knowledge and agency in advancing actionable options to address some of the most critical issues facing Africa and U.S.-Africa relations. Before the Wilson Center, she was director of the West Africa program at the U.S. Institute of Peace. She has led governance and democracy support programs and managed multidisciplinary teams in Washington and across multiple countries in West, Central, and Southern Africa with the National Democratic Institute and the National Endowment for Democracy. Onubogu has an MA in international development from the Heller School at Brandeis University and a BA in international and area studies from the University of Oklahoma. She also has a Public Leadership Credential from the Kennedy School at Harvard University and is completing a doctorate in international affairs at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Almaz Negash is a global leader in social innovation and was an inaugural member of President Biden’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement. She is the Founder and CEO of the African Diaspora Network (ADN), a premier platform activating the intellectual, philanthropic, and entrepreneurial power of the diaspora. Under her leadership, ADN has launched flagship programs such as the African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS), Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF), Accelerating Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship (ABLE), and the African Scientific Community Engagement (ASCE).

Currently, Almaz is spearheading the African Diaspora Innovation Fund in partnership with Myriad USA and leading ADN’s “Beyond Remittances” campaign to drive sustainable investment in Africa.

Recognized as one of Silicon Valley’s 100 Women of Influence and one of the 50 Leading African Corporate Women, she serves on multiple boards and served as an Executive in Residence at San Jose State University. She is also one of the founding board members of the Black Corporate Board Readiness (BCBR) program at Santa Clara University.

Haitham Elnour is a Sudanese American human rights advocate and a peace, justice, and democracy activist who was among the first Sudanese in the diaspora to join the Girifna (“we are fed up”) non-violent movement, founded in 2009 by university students in Sudan to oppose war, corruption, dictatorship, injustice, and discrimination against minorities. During the 2018 December Revolution, he continued his struggle by supporting the newly formed nonviolent resistance committees, fostering peaceful resistance among Sudanese youth. Following the October 25th military coup d’état, Elnour intensified his engagement with these committees, working closely with them to mobilize the public—especially youth—to peacefully oppose the military’s illegitimate seizure of power. He led advocacy campaigns that amplified the youth’s rejection of the coup to the international community, organizing meetings and briefings with U.S. government and European Union representatives. A graduate of George Mason University’s College of Science with a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology and Bioinformatics, Elnour currently works at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. government’s primary agency for biomedical and public health research.

William Carew serves as the Head of Secretariat for the African Union’s Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Development Planning and Public Administration at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. He holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Management from the University of Derby, UK, and brings over 20 years of international development experience across several African nations—Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, and Zambia—as well as Southeast Asia, where he supported programs in the Mekong region. Currently leading the ECOSOCC Secretariat team in Zambia, William focuses on enhancing civil society engagement within the African Union framework, leveraging his deep understanding of institutional operations to oversee action plans, programs, and sectoral cluster activities. He has held high-level technical and senior leadership roles with the African Development Bank, ActionAid International, World Vision International, and the IPPF Africa Regional Office, with expertise spanning project planning, coordination, program development, monitoring and evaluation, training, and government engagement. Notably, he spearheaded the DFAT-funded LIFT Project in the Mekong region to strengthen civil society engagement and supported ActionAid Ghana in embedding human rights-based approaches into strategic priorities. Known for his strong leadership, advisory, and organizational skills, William is recognized for his ability to operate effectively in multicultural and high-stakes environments, with a steadfast commitment to inclusive development and the empowerment of civil society.

Professor Gibril Faal is a business and development executive with expertise in socially responsible business models and sustainable development. He is the co-founder and director of GK Partners and a visiting professor at the London School of Economics’ Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa. He serves as a council member of the Carnegie African Diaspora Program and as Lead Consultant to the African Union Commission on development and diaspora finance. With a global advisory role to governments and development institutions, he has contributed to shaping the UK’s social enterprise structures and founded RemitAid in 2003 to convert remittances into sustainable development finance.

Semhar Araia is the CEO and founder of The Diaspora Academy and a globally recognized thought leader in diaspora engagement, African affairs, women’s leadership, and global development. A lawyer by training, she has held influential roles at Meta, UNICEF USA, Oxfam International, the U.S. House of Representatives, and The Elders, and began her career implementing the Eritrea-Ethiopia peace agreement. Semhar has advised high-level institutions including the U.S. Senate, UN bodies, and global conferences. Honored by President Obama as a White House Champion of Change and named among the Most Influential People of African Descent, she is featured in the Smithsonian’s Next-Generation Voices exhibit and has been widely recognized by major media and institutions. Born in New York to Eritrean immigrant parents, she now resides in Washington, D.C.