Our Team

Kah Walla: Envisioning a better life for the people of Africa, Edith Kahbang Walla, more popularly known as ‘Kah Walla’ is a Cameroonian politician, entrepreneur, and social activist. Her philosophy revolves around building inclusive systems that reflect an individual’s integrity and dignity while being a staunch advocate of grass root level reforms and movements in Africa particularly focusing upon creating inclusive communities and protecting the rights of women and youth. Globally she is widely recognized for her deep understanding of Africa’s development issues, expertise in strategy and management through her now 24-year-old leadership and management firm which currently works across 5 continents by the name of STRATEGIES! She was also the first woman ever in Cameroon to run for the presidency.

HCA welcomes her on board and is excited to witness how her problem-solving skills and exceptional leadership capabilities will help in steering HCA towards achieving its vision.

Erastus J.O Mwencha has a dream of a regionally integrated Africa to resolve its development woes and issues.  He was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Common Market for Eastern and South Africa (COMESA) from 1998 to 2008  where he played an instrumental role in establishing COMESA  as the first regional body to achieve the status of a ‘Free Trade Area’. After being elected as a deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission in 2008, Erastus played a significant role in supporting continental development in Africa while enhancing the capacity of its institutions through his immense experience.

At HCA, Erastus will embolden the organization’s resolve to inspire governments and policymakers in Africa to collaborate with HCA in order to resolve Africa’s educational woes at a regional level.

Trevor Manuel is recognized as one of the world’s astute advocates for the developing world. Not only has he achieved the accolade of being South Africa’s longest-serving Finance Minister having served under 4 different Cabinets but he has also spearheaded widespread initiatives and reforms to fundamentally transform South Africa. Under his stewardship, South Africa entered its longest period of growth ever and is considered as Africa’s most respected finance Minister across the world.

HCA is honored to have a person of his stature be a member of our board. He will leverage his immense first-hand experience, and expertise in implementing successful interventions, to achieve HCA’s vision of providing quality FLN education to the youth of Africa.

Dr. Modupe (Mo) Olateju is a fellow at Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education where she leads the Knowing-Doing Network Leadership Coalition (KDNLC) which is a global network of eleven organizations researching education systems transformation towards a breadth of skills for all children and young people. Prior to this, she founded and led The Education Partnership (TEP) Centre; Nigeria’s pioneering education partnership organization and led the implementation of the LEARNigeria citizen-led programme which was focused on assessing and strengthening foundational learning across Nigeria. She co-established the annual pan-African education innovation summit, NEDIS, which is now in its 8th year.

Mo has supported policymakers, international think tanks and corporations, and led workstreams on a range of donor-funded education sector support initiatives. In 2023 she was appointed to the 3-person Presidential Policy Advisory Council (PAC), where she helped to articulate education sector priorities for Nigeria’s current national government. Previously, she drafted a section of Nigeria’s 2011-2015 education strategy and was a member of the technical team which developed Nigeria’s Medium- and Long-Term National Strategic Plans.

She chairs the global board of Malala Fund and serves on the boards of Human Capital Africa, Slum-to-School Africa and the FCDO-funded Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crisis (ERICC) programme. She was a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges (Evidence Commission) at McMaster University, Canada, and has provided advice and guidance on technical review and advisory committees convened by UNESCO GEM Report, Education Cannot Wait, Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Lego Foundation and Lever for Change.

As a Centenary Scholar, she graduated from the University College London Institute of Education (UCL-IOE) with a PhD in Education and International Development and holds a masters’ degree with distinction from the same university. She is a Fellow of the Asia-Global Institute in Hong Kong.

Chinweizu Joy Umeh-Ujubuonu is a dedicated, disciplined and skilled accountant with strong HR practice experience in various businesses. She is currently working as a Senior Associate Human Capital Africa, Nigeria, where she develops strategies to enable HCA to effectively achieve its goals, vision, and mission, leads the implementation of key strategies and actions under the leadership of the CEO and project director, and supports the development of agendas for external meetings and workshops, among other responsibilities.

Previously, Chinweizu worked as a Program Officer at OGIP (Open Government and Institutional Partnerships), Budgit Foundation, Nigeria, where she played an integral role in the administrative, operational, and technical aspects of the OGIP program, supported the development of technical tools, and maintained positive relationships with stakeholders, among other responsibilities.

Before joining OGIP, Chinweizu worked as Head HR/Admin at Hermon and Hanniel Limited, Asokoro, Abuja, Nigeria, where she maintained administrative staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees, accomplished staff results by communicating job expectations, and monitored and appraised job results, among other responsibilities.

Chinweizu also worked at the United Nations Development Program (African Adaptation Program), Abuja, Nigeria, as an Administrative Assistant and as a Human Resource and Finance Assistant, where she provided support to the operational and administrative activities of the AAP National Coordinator’s office, ensured implementation of operational strategies, supported procurement processes, and managed cost recovery reports, among other responsibilities.

Chinweizu has a post-graduate professional diploma in accounting from the Nigeria College of Accountancy, Nigeria, and a Bachelor of Science in accountancy from Ebonyi State University, Abakiliki, Nigeria.

Santos Akhilele (Communications Associate) is a multi-potentialite driven by his love for impactful and positive change, especially on the African continent.

A data scientist, communications specialist, writer, photographer, programmer, and a former representative of the Nigerian Taekwondo National team, Santos brings a wide range of skills to the table, while driven by his passion for transforming education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Santos presently leads communications for HCA, and supports the team on the work with the HCA Foundational Learning scorecard.

Kenechi Chiadikaobi Ajayi is the Accounting and Operational Associate of HCA. She is a seasoned and experienced accountant with extensive experience managing financial, administrative, and operational resources for optimum performance in several sectors including Government, Non-Governmental Sectors, and Microfinance Development, and scaled up with experiences within and outside Nigeria.

She is a Certified National Accountant, a Fellow of Chartered Certified System Accountants, a trained Microfinance trainer, a Higher National Diploma holder in Accounting, and obtained her Masters’ Degree in Human Resource Development from Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nasarawa State.