Benson T
AfriLabs has announced that Nekesa Were is the pan-African organization’s new executive director. The former Managing Director of iHub in Nairobi will resume as AfriLabs’ Interim ED.
The move to appoint Were received the seal of approval from the pan-African tech network’s board of directors.
Nekesa Were has worked in the African tech ecosystem for over ten years, amassing a wealth of experience and expertise.
She joined the Kenyan innovation hub in 2010 and became its director of operations two years later. In 2016, she took over as the director of community and then as MD in May 2018.
Experienced manager
She has held managerial positions at the innovation hub for seven years and been part of its growth curve for the last ten. In that time, over 700 startups have received iHub support. Another 150 startups have graduated from its accelerator programs.
Commenting on the appointment in a blog post, Nekesa Were noted that the new role was only a “[D]ifferent vehicle, same mission.”
Nekesa already held a Board Member position at the Lagos-based group. She resumes her role as ED as Anna Ekeledo proceeds on maternity leave.
Rebecca Enonchong, AfriLabs Board Chair, said the appointment is great for the organization. In a press release, she commented that Nekesa is one of the most prominent members of the African tech ecosystem. The organization is thus “incredibly blessed” as they tap into her wealth of experience.
AfriLabs brings together 202 tech innovation hubs spread across 46 countries in Africa. Nekesa will lead the AfriLabs secretariat.
