Wairimu is an Associate Partner at Axum. She has over fifteen years of experience designing and leading programs that support resilient and inclusive economic development in sectors such as youth employment, urban development, and digital inclusion.

In her previous roles, Wairimu worked with the Rockefeller Foundation, serving as the country lead for Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa for the Foundation’s $83 million Digital Jobs Africa initiative. In this role, she managed a portfolio of grants and investments of over 10 million dollars.

Before joining the Rockefeller Foundation, Wairimu worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Nairobi office and the Kakuma refugee camp in the North of Kenya. In this capacity, she monitored refugee-related court cases and addressed refugee-related concerns.

Wairimu holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, a Master’s in International Law (LLM) from the Washington College of Law, and is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

Fridah is an Associate Partner at Axum based in the Nairobi office, where she leads their Climate work in Africa. She has extensive experience designing strategies, orchestrating their implementation, and setting up and running strategic pan-African initiatives in Climate, health, and private sector development.  

Fridah has also worked at The Climate Action Platform-Africa (CAP-A), where she led strategic engagements and partnerships aligned with the organization’s mission to drive inclusive economic growth in Africa through climate action. 

The combined experience at Axum, Dalberg, and CAP-A allows Fridah to drive strategic initiatives and partnerships to design and implement transformative climate action in Africa. 

Fridah holds a first-class honors degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Nairobi. Fridah has also completed an executive program at Harvard on Leading and Scaling Initiatives. 

Maureen Gitata is an Associate Partner at Axum based in Kenya, specializes in advising organizations across the public, private, and social sectors on strategic issues to enhance their effectiveness and drive economic development and social impact.

With a focus on Agriculture and Food Systems, Healthcare and Health Systems, and Gender and Job Creation, Maureen has collaborated with leading organizations in Africa, including the Mastercard Foundation, AGRA, African Development Bank, CIFF, and UN entities. She has also provided strategic counsel to private sector clients and governmental bodies, including Offices of the President and Prime Minister in multiple countries. Prior to joining Axum and Dalberg, Maureen gained experience in financial institutions in Boston, USA, and the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI).

Maureen holds an Executive Certificate in Leading Economic Growth from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Lawrence University, NY.

Beth is an Associate Partner based in Kigali.

Prior to this, Beth served as an Associate Director at Dalberg Implement, and before that, as a Senior Expert with Dalberg Advisors. With 20 years of experience at the intersection of strategy and implementation, Beth’s expertise spans across various sectors including policy, ICT, health, and conflict. Beth has led initiatives such as the Elimu-Soko education program, pioneering low carbon energy access technologies with the World Bank, and driving public policy innovation at UNDP Kigali.

Beth’s approach is marked by a commitment to systems change, integrating behavioral insights, and embracing adaptive leadership as core guiding principles. These principles not only shape her strategic thinking but also ensure the effective design, implementation, and impact of programs.

Pamela is an Associate Partner at Axum’s Accra office.

Pam leads Axum’s presence in Accra where her work focuses on financial inclusion, trade and investment and youth employment. Pamela led the execution of the $140 million USAID West Africa Trade and Investment Hub Program across seven countries spanning viable investment pipeline development across selected value chains, SME investment readiness support and investment facilitation.

Joseph is an Associate Partner based in Nairobi.

Joseph leads the development of projects in fragile states including addressing funding proposals for multilateral institutions, promoting investments for energy, water, agriculture, and biodiversity through the private sector, and reinforcing organization’s structure, operations, and governance.

Before Axum, Joseph was a former Associate Partner at Dalberg. He played a pivotal role in Mali’s health sector by aiding the government in devising a strategic plan to expand health services in the northern regions. His achievements include spearheading COVID-19 response strategies at national, regional, and local levels and bolstering budgeting and fundraising efforts for immunization campaigns, with backing from USAID, Gavi, AFD, UNICEF, and the World Bank. Additionally, he secured $50 million from the Green Climate Fund for an agricultural project and collaborated with USAID, Norfund, and IFU to identify investment opportunities across Mali.

Joseph holds a Master of Science in Physics, enriched by further studies in Business and Finance at HEC Paris, and a postgraduate certificate in strategic planning from Harvard University.

Sandra is an Associate Partner based in Nairobi.

Sandra’s expertise spans strategy and policy advisory across various sectors including agriculture, economic development, and sports. She leads Axum’s Sports and Entertainment practice and co-founded Twende Sports. Sandra has led initiatives such as the design of the Digifarm farmer education and financing platform, coordination of Kenya’s efforts to raise $ 4 billion for the 2021 Global Partnership for Education campaign, and development of Kenya’s post-COVID economic recovery strategy.

Tracy is a Program Officer at Axum based in the DRC. She is an experienced lawyer specializing in education, governance, human rights, and gender in Central Africa, with nearly a decade of professional experience. Her extensive knowledge of national institutions’ operations such as ministries and parliaments, and her work with the Ministry of Education in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as well as international donors such as USAID, UKAID, AFD, and ENABEL, positions her as an expert in the education sector in the region.

Before starting at Axum, Tracy spent two years at Dalberg Implement, leading the Caterpillar Foundation TVET program in DRC.

Tracy brings a wealth of experience in institutional communication, collaborating with prominent figures and institutions including the Presidency of the Republic, Ministers, and Members of Parliament in the DRC. She is skilled at establishing and maintaining inter-institutional relations and coordination, acknowledged both at the national administration and donor level. Tracy has contributed to numerous projects spanning education, governance, employability, private sector, youth leadership, gender, and public policy. Her extensive knowledge extends to French-speaking civil society organizations.

Tracy holds a degree in International Strategy Analysis with expertise in Prospective and Geopolitics from the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS SUP France). She also majored in Public International Law at The Hague Academy of International Law.