Obadias Ndaba

Connector

Obadias Ndaba

Obadias is Co-Founder at Jenga Ventures, whose mission is to invest in and accelerate bold entrepreneurs solving pressing social challenges in Africa’s Great Lakes region. He has over a decade of leadership experience in commercial banking, international and economic development, and think tanks. Obadias regularly writes on development issues, African affairs and economic trends. His articles and views have appeared in The Huffington Post, The Voice of America, Libre Afrique and The Africa Review, among other publications. Obadias holds an Executive Master’s in Development Studies from The Graduate Institute Geneva, Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Kigali Independent University and a certificate in Nonprofit Financial Management from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Obadias has extensively traveled and lectured on global issues in over 25 countries in five continents.

Describe the Impact of a Project you’re focused on.

I am working on a new project, Jenga Ventures, which is slated for launch in early 2020. Our goal is to foster inclusive economic growth in Africa’s Great Lakes region through investment in and support for impact-driven ventures solving pressing social challenges. Jenga Ventures does this by finding, funding, accelerating and connecting bold entrepreneurs who are solving social problems in a sustainable way. We'll be deploying catalytic capital, a bespoke acceleration program, and business advisory services through other experienced entrepreneurs in the same industry.

What results do you hope for when the impact is amplified?

We want to mobilize capital and talent to invest in and accelerate 50 impact-driven ventures in Africa’s Great Lakes region by December 2025, with the goal of impacting the lives of 1M people We want to establish Jenga Academy, an innovation and entrepreneurship hub where entrepreneurs from across the region will come together to learn, explore, test and build socially impactful ventures.

What do you have to offer as a connector? What can you give as expertise to others?

For those seeking to work in/on Africa, especially in East Africa, I have an extensive network of friends and professionals in the area. I understand economic trends and social issues there. I have run two nonprofits, I could be helpful for those trying to improve their nonprofit operations/processes.

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