Young Changemakers

Erick Mutura is a Kenyan University of Nairobi student pursuing a BSc in Science, entrepreneur, actor and disability inclusion advocate.

He is the founder of Mwanga Aerospace, a Kenyan initiative focused on developing local capabilities in amateur rocketry, aerospace engineering and space exploration. He is also the founder of Mwanga AI, an initiative exploring the potential of artificial intelligence to create inclusive solutions for Africa.

Erick is also an actor and storyteller. He made his acting debut in 2020 and was nominated for Best Lead Actor at the 2021 Kalasha International Film and TV Awards. Through his work in technology, storytelling and advocacy, he is passionate about challenging perceptions of disability and inspiring young Africans to pursue ambitious futures. LinkedIn · ISS Africa Website · Connect on LinkedIn

Nafisat Abdullahi Balarabe is a Nigerian youth activist, education advocate, and sustainability practitioner driven by the belief that no child should lose the opportunity to learn because of conflict. As a Young Changemaker, she believes Africa’s future depends on more than ending the conflicts, but in ensuring that every child is able to continue learning through the conflicts. This is the Africa I strive to build. LinkedIn · ISS Africa Website · Connect on LinkedIn

Bekithema Ntoni is a South African policy practitioner, researcher and strategist working at the intersection of governance, international relations and African development. As a Young Changemaker, he argues that Africa’s relationship with outer space is a defining strategic choice for the twenty-first century. The decisions governments make today about whether to develop indigenous satellite capacity, how to engage with competing space powers, and what governance frameworks to advance internationally will determine whether Africa controls its own data, secures its own borders, and shapes the norms of a domain that will underpin the global economy. LinkedIn · ISS Africa Website · Connect on LinkedIn

Ndum Charlotte Ayeah is a Cameroonian civic engagement practitioner, community organizer, and founder of the Association of Adolescent Girls and Young Women Cameroon. Through years of community-based civic dialogue with young people and local councils in Cameroon's conflict-affected North West Region, she has come to understand that Africa does not have a participation problem. It has a design problem. As a Young Changemaker. she challenges political and private sector leaders to make space for community engagement (and to act on what communities design for themselves). LinkedIn · ISS Africa Website · Connect on LinkedIn

Immanuel Kiiluis the Head of Research and Policy at the Nala Center, a youth led think tank advancing sustainable development across Africa through research, policy engagement, and inclusive dialogue. As a Young Changemaker, he argues that the defining question facing the continent is not whether Africa possesses potential, but whether it will collectively make the decisions necessary to transform that potential into lasting prosperity. LinkedIn · ISS Africa Website · Connect on LinkedIn

Bouakkaz Aymen is a Political Science and International Relations student from Algeria with a strong interest in strategic foresight, regional security, and technology-driven governance in Africa. He grew up witnessing the gap between how policymakers discuss security and how communities actually experience it. His vision for Africa, as a Young Change Maker, challenges policy makers to stop treating their populations as threats to be surveilled, and instead design architectures where communities become primary authors of their own safety. More · ISS Africa Website · Connect on LinkedIn

Ann Nyagah is a Kenyan economist and public finance specialist with nearly a decade of experience across Kenya's national government institutions. As a Young Changemaker she points out that Africa loses billions every year to climate-related disasters, yet when the national budget is written, climate risk is essentially invisible. She argues that this is not a data problem or a technical limitation: it is a structural design failure in how African governments plan, budget, and spend — and it is a failure that can be fixed. More · ISS Africa Website · Connect on LinkedIn

Elijah Koome is a founder and senior education professional with experience designing and scaling initiatives across edtech, higher education, and the nonprofit sector. As a Young Changemaker, he explains how helping young Africans to understand and engage with the law, perhaps through an AI-assisted legislative translation platform, can unlock paricipation, progress and potential. LinkedIn · ISS Africa Website · Connect on LinkedIn