AfriLabs has announced the commencement of a leadership transition process to appoint its next executive director to expand its footprint as the largest pan-African network of innovation hubs in Africa.
The new executive director will be critical to shaping AfriLabs’ strategic direction, continental relevance, and global impact over the next decade. “This transition represents both continuity and renewal,” the organisation said. “It is an opportunity to honour what has been built while positioning AfriLabs and Africa’s innovation ecosystems for an even more ambitious future.”
The organisation has experienced unprecedented growth and rising continental and global influence under Anna Ekeledo, outgoing executive director, growing from just over 40 hubs to more than 520 innovation hubs across 53 countries. A major landmark of the Ekeledo tenure was the development of AfriLabs’ long-term moonshot project contributed one trillion dollars to Africa’s economy.
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The process of selecting the next executive director is being overseen by a Transition Committee working closely with the AfriLabs Board and guided by its core values of integrity, collaboration, inclusiveness, and shared ownership, with a focus on the strength of its governance framework and the depth of its community-driven structure.
To maintain continuity during transition, AfriLabs retained Anna Ekeledo as a member of its Advisory Council to provide strategic guidance and institutional memory.
AfriLabs has deepened its influence as a global thought leader, weaving a web of strategic alliances between governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector. This expanded footprint has allowed the organisation to amplify Africa’s innovation narrative on the world stage.
By launching a suite of flagship programs and high-level convenings, AfriLabs catalyzed vital startup financing and became a pivotal voice in the policy dialogues that paved the way for modern startup acts across the continent.
This transition marks a deliberate leap forward. It is a strategic pivot designed to deepen the organisation’s continental impact while amplifying its influence on the global stage.