The Rockefeller Foundation has launched its inaugural Africa Big Bets Fellows cohort, selecting 10 innovators from six countries to scale solutions addressing energy access, food security, healthcare, climate resilience and financial inclusion.
The fellows were announced at the AfricaXchange Summit in Nairobi, where leaders, funders and policymakers gathered to discuss locally driven development across the continent.
The five-month fellowship brings together innovators from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania, each working on community-led solutions ranging from mobile healthcare and clean energy to AI-powered agriculture and climate intelligence tools.
“This fellowship backs a new generation scaling ideas that expand opportunity and resilience,” said Rajiv J. Shah.
The launch comes as Africa continues to face major development gaps. Around 600 million people on the continent still lack access to electricity, while climate financing remains disproportionately low despite Africa’s growing exposure to climate risks. Experts say up to 76% of Africa’s energy needs could be met by renewable sources by 2040 with the right investments.
According to William Asiko, the selected fellows demonstrate how locally rooted innovation can deliver scalable and globally relevant solutions.
The cohort includes Kenya’s Rosinah Mbenya, who is linking school feeding programmes to regenerative agriculture; Nigeria’s Stanley Anigbogu, building solar-powered hubs for off-grid communities; and Tanzania’s Careen Joel, developing real-time climate data tools to support migration decisions.
Other fellows include Ghana’s Osei Kwadwo Boateng (mobile primary healthcare), Malawi’s Nthanda Manduwi (AI-driven agriculture systems), South Africa’s Sydelle Willow Smith (solar-powered mobile cinemas), and several Nigerian innovators working across financial inclusion, clean energy and climate-smart farming.
The fellowship coincides with the 60th anniversary of the foundation’s Africa Regional Office in Nairobi, underscoring a long-standing presence on the continent. Established in 1913, The Rockefeller Foundation now allocates roughly one-third of its global funding to Africa, focusing on energy access, nutrition and health systems.
The Africa Big Bets Fellows programme builds on similar initiatives previously launched in Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the United States, positioning African innovators at the center of solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges.