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.

Modupe Adefeso –  Olateju or more popularly known as ‘Mo’  is the Managing Director of Nigeria’s most recognized and prominent school improvement organization by the name of Education Partnership Centre while also channeling her philosophy of initiating community ownership and awareness regarding the importance of collecting evidence-based education data on learning as being the lead for implementing LEARNigeria which is Nigeria’s largest citizen held household assessment and advocacy programme that seeks to measure FLN of Nigerian children.

Mo brings her expertise of handling large-scale implementation projects, designing community-led interventions and initiatives, as well as her unwavering commitment to transforming the education landscape of Africa.

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.