KinaLabs

KinaLabs bridges the gap between technology and domain expertise in organizations with AI and ML solutions to drive innovation and social impact. 

Guided 300+ global leaders through AI transformation, focused on equipping professionals for effective AI integration.

Creators of AgriLink Nexus, is an AgriTech innovation hub focused on empowering farmers with data-driven tools for sustainable agriculture.

Offer scalable, intuitive tools and that support collaboration between tech and frontline experts. 

Our comprehensive AI implementation engine includes:

- AI Consultation

- AI Strategic Assessment Framework

- Executive training and Implementation workshops

- Strategic AI Leadership support

Founder

FOX Academy 

Here are core Areas Covered in the Course

✅ 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Where traditional farming wisdom meets AI innovation

✅ 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Transform every acre into a smart, data-generating powerhouse

✅ 𝐀𝐈 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Cutting-edge tools that are reshaping farming forever

✅ 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬: Turn your farm into an intelligent, data-driven ecosystem

✅ 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Learn from pioneers who've already transformed their farms

✅ 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Shape the future of sustainable farming

TAKE the course: https://www.foxacademy.jp/course/ai-powered-precision-farming-for-sustainable-agriculture

Instructor

Global Alumni 

"AI-Driven Leadership: Strategies for the Future" offered by Stanford Online alongside Professor Melisa Valentine delivered in collaboration with Global Alumni 

In this course you will:

- Explore the AI-driven decision-making process and its real-world industry applications.

- Understand how implementing AI technologies will support specific business objectives, improve operational efficiency, drive innovation, and accomplish strategic goals.

- Gain the ability to design, organize, and assess the development of algorithmic capabilities.

I encourage those who want to learn more about this and other offerings to check the following link: https://online.stanford.edu/courses/xgal0002-ai-driven-leadership-strategies-future

Course Facilitator | AI-Driven Leadership: Strategies For The Future

AgriLink Nexus

Creating AgriLink Nexus felt like assembling an all-star team, not for a heist, but for something even more rewarding—transforming agriculture. 

I wanted a place where farmers wouldn’t just work harder, they’d work smarter. 

A platform where tech meets tradition, where agriculture isn’t just a profession, it’s a shared purpose.

Here’s how we brought AgriLink Nexus to life:

✦ Collaborative Knowledge Sharing 
Farmers, enthusiasts, and experts came together to share tried-and-true techniques. It’s like having a library of agricultural wisdom, filled with real advice, real solutions, and real results. Every member contributes, ensuring that this collective knowledge only grows richer over time.

✦ AI-Powered Crop Management 
Enter CropSmart AI—an intelligent assistant. With tailored crop calendars & specific support, our AI takes care of the heavy lifting, optimizing tasks so farmers can focus on what they do best. It’s smart, efficient, and makes farming simpler for everyone involved.

✦Creating the AgriLink Knowledge Hub 
Think of it as a vault of optimized practices and preserved knowledge. The AgriLink Knowledge Hub is where everything comes together, shared and strengthened for future generations. It’s more than a resource; it’s a legacy for today’s farmers and tomorrow’s.

And the impact? It’s powerful:

✦ Boosted productivity with AI-driven crop management that’s transforming how we farm.
✦ A connected community of agri-urbanites and collaborators, sharing insights and working together toward a common goal.
✦ Sustainable agriculture in action, with urban farming practices that support local food production and reduce environmental impact.

AgriLink Nexus isn’t just another platform—it’s a movement. From urban farming initiatives to hands-on community events like our Harvest Festivals, we’re growing smarter, together.

Ready to make an impact?

Join AgriLink Nexus

Tanzania AI Community

Board Member

Vision 2030 Fund

✦  The Vision 2030 mission is to effect a food independent region while reducing poverty and hunger wherever we invest. ​
✦  Vision 2030 is an African pre-seed and seed stage social innovation fund for agriculture, food, and 
water startups. 
✦ Vision 2030 invest into cutting edge, adaptable, affordable, and profitable interventions that confront Africa’s agriculture inefficiencies.

University of Chicago

Over the past 2+ years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as an Instructional Assistant for the AI & Data Science for Leaders program at the University of Chicago. 

This experience has been all about helping 150+ business leaders bridge the gap between AI theory and impactful, real-world strategy.

Now Here’s a sneak peek at what we cover:

✦ Leadership & Data as a Competitive Edge: Leaders learn how data-driven strategies create business advantages, setting them apart in a competitive landscape. Something that is more important that you can imagine.

✦ AI Transformation: We dive deep into what it takes to build and lead AI-powered teams, exploring the nuances of AI and ML implementation.

✦ Real-World Applications of AI as a Service: Through hands-on use cases, participants get firsthand experience with the business potential of AI, from predictive analytics to automation.

Core Skills: A.I. decision science | Data Strategy | GenAI | Business Transformation

I should say, helping leaders adopt and leverage these skills has been a rewarding journey—because in today’s world, knowing how to lead with AI is as essential as the tech itself. 

Ready to see where this knowledge can take you? Reach out

AI & Data Science for Leaders | Instructional Assistant

Accenture

Accenture Strategy & Consulting - Data & AI | A.I Decision Science

Tokyo University of Agriculture

It’s kind of like being handed the keys to the Sahara desert... and asked to make it bloom.

When Tokyo University of Agriculture approached me to work on a project in Djibouti, there was no hesitation. I was all in. No blah blah Just To Do it.

Imagine this: a $4.5 million project, 30+ researchers, and the goal? To uncover the greening potential in one of the most challenging climates on earth. The stakes were high—500,000+ lives potentially impacted by climate risk.

What happened next?

✦ Built deep learning models for land surface fault detection using geospatial images (think satellites and drones working overtime).

✦  Developed simulations to locate underground water sources—essential for semi-arid areas like Djibouti.

✦ Trained 10+ young scientists in applied AI for agriculture, turning knowledge into real-world solutions.

Oh wait, did we make a difference? Yes. We. Did!

Safe to say, Djibouti has a future in climate resilience...

And that is when you see Emerging Tech making the impact we want to see.

P.S. My tech stack? ArcGIS, Python, R, drones, and a whole lot of determination.

Want to learn more? Pack your bags for Djibouti. I might just show you around.

Research Scientist | Machine Learning | Geospatial Analysis

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

It’s kind of like being given the keys to explore, innovate, and create real-world impact.

During my 5 years as a PhD and MSc Applied Data Scientist in Tokyo, I focused on applying data science and emerging technologies to make a difference for low-resource communities.

Here’s how it unfolded:

✦ Emerging Tech for Good 💡

Leveraged data science and deep learning to improve production processes for underserved communities, resulting in 5+ research publications that shared our insights globally.
Leading International Research 

✦ As principal investigator
I led a collaborative research project with 3 universities, securing $140,000+ in grants from META, NODAI, and the Japan Government. This work resulted in 5+ publications and 10+ conference presentations, bringing our advancements to the global stage.
Mentorship and Global Collaboration 

✦Guided 5+ graduate students in data analysis and research, while annually leading 20+ undergraduate students in an intercultural exchange program between Japan and Tanzania, fostering cross-cultural partnerships and learning.

These years were about more than research; they were about using data science to drive meaningful impact, mentoring the next generation, and building international connections. 

It was an experience I’m excited to bring into every new challenge ahead.

Applied Data Scientist l Research Scientist Gained as a PhD and MSc

Plant Biodefenders

A biotechnological start up producing a patentable organic biopesticide to fight Fall Army Warm , Tomato and cotton pest – a major threat to food security in Africa and economic stability. 

✦  Leading all strategic developing and partnership

✦  Planning and lead research of integration of emerging technology to enhance farm usage of biopesticide

✦  Resource (fund) mobilization and planning for growth and expansion 

✦  Impacted more than 13000+ farmers of maize, tomato, fruits, vegetable - mainly women

Co-Founder - Strategy

"𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝘼𝙄, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙩𝙮 & 𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨"

As an AI Strategy Advisor & Stanford Online AI Leadership Facilitator, I guide organizations through this complexity to successful AI transformation & implementation, having generated $440M in value for Fortune 500 companies while revolutionizing agricultural communities through data-driven solutions.

My proprietary technical-to-Business AI Framework ensures implementations deliver concrete ROI across regulated environments, like reducing food waste by 50% in retail chains and scaling climate resilience initiatives that impacted 500,000+ lives.

With a Ph.D. in Engineering focused on Applied AI Integration to Increase Production & MSc in Agribusiness Management-Information Network, I bridge technical capabilities with executive priorities, ensuring AI initiatives align with business objectives from pilot to enterprise scale.

As the Founder of KinaLabs, I specialize in transforming AI potential into measurable business outcomes across Healthcare, Agriculture, Retail, and Environmental sectors, having guided 300+ C-suite executives through successful digital transformation at institutions.

𝘔𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯: Transform how organizations implement AI, ensuring measurable outcomes while improving human livelihood through sustainable innovation.

Connect with me to explore how we can transform your AI initiatives into measurable business success: https://www.kinalabs.org/

Denis Pastory ,Ph.D.

African Development Bank Group

Summary of Role:

Lead financial inclusion in 27 anglophone-speaking countries across Africa (East, South and parts of Northern and West Africa), working closely with the ADFI and AfDB teams. Support the development and execution of ADFI’s three pillars – digital payments infrastructure; policy and regulation; and products and innovation. Drive gender mainstreaming in ADFI’s works; champion engagement strategy of government ministries, regulatory and regional economic bodies. Support cross-team collaboration on resource mobilisation for financial inclusion in Africa; donor management and reporting; and new business development 

Summary of Key Achievements:

Designed and executed projects in I) Empowerment of women smallholder farmers through digital microinsurance across Kenya, Zambia and Nigeria); ii) Modernizing the national digital payments switch of Ethiopia (alongside BMGF and EthSwitch); iii) Gender mainstreaming in digital financial services (DFS) policies and regulations across ECOWAS; iv) Technical assistance towards the realization of a single payments and settlements system for ECOWAS region; v) Testing the applicability of smartphone-enabled DFS services for women; vi) Design of the Africa Fintech Hub; vii) Capacity Building of African central banks in digital financial services policies and regulations; and emerging innovation. Co-ideated with partners and worked through calls for proposals to identify new project pipelines. Supported internal and external fundraising for ADFI. Played a critical role in donor and sub-grantee reporting and documentation of case studies. Supported the review of ADFI’s strategy and monitoring and evaluation framework. Worked with country teams and partners to integrate innovations and financial inclusion in AfDB’s country strategic papers (CSP) of Egypt, Ghana, South Sudan, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, and Zambia. Supported digital strategies, project development cycle, funds disbursement, and project management cycle.

Digital Financial Services Specialist, Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility

Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion

Summary of Role

Support the establishment of the Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion; the development and formalization of strategic cross -sector partnerships; the development of a strong pipeline of ideas through co-ideation with external partners and internal teams at Mastercard; and facilitation of pilots/scale of products through partner collaborations. Lead the development of project sustainability through the design of new revenue streams and approaches to pricing that work for the base of the pyramid; support cross-team collaboration on innovations, design thinking, human-centered design approaches, and requirements definition of projects/agile methodologies. Lead resource mobilization through shared valued partnerships to unlock catalytic funding to test or scale ideas.

Summary of Key Achievements

Successful setup of the Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion; designed a new project in financial inclusion in education (Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) education financing solution) in Uganda working closely with Ministry of Education and Sports, local governments, UNICEF Uganda and other strategic partners reaching over 800,000 parents and students in a span of 18 months. Initiated a pilot in Agriculture innovation with smallholder farmers in Kenya and Tanzania with planned strategic expansion into Rwanda and Uganda (The agriculture value chain covered horticulture, pyrethrum, sunflower, coffee and beans). Led key work with small scale traders in informal setups in Kenya; workstream that extended to Egypt.  Supported resource mobilisation for the solutions in pilot to enable scale.

Director, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships

Corporate Learning Solutions plc

Summary of Role

Lead business development for CLS in Africa across private and public sector; design and delivery of senior leadership management training working closely with specialist trainers from Europe; work with corporates to unpack the real-life work challenges of adopting innovation and change management; resistance; performance management/turning around failed teams etc and designing transformational and coaching processes; and monitoring and evaluation to determine impact of programs and suggest areas of improvement

Summary of Key Achievements

Generated business leads to train managers and diverse teams on various aspects of leadership, change management, talent management, and business development; worked with the CLS team on the design and execution of senior level/board level training for a series of organizations; and facilitated analysis of feedback from clients, integration/contextualization based on organizational needs and challenges; and identified trainers in Africa that were paired with experts from Europe. This role was executed on a consultancy basis combined with other consultancy works in developing cross-sector partners to deliver innovations at scale - Agriculture, Health and Education. Some of the key clientele included the ministry of health Kenya; World Vision; Aga Khan Foundation; USAID/ICF Macro; Avallain Africa and Safaricom.

Africa Representative

Praekelt Foundation

Summary of Role

Expand Praekelt’s Foundation work into East Africa; design new projects and concepts for East Africa; expand projects from Southern African to the East African region; develop and formalize cross-sector partnerships with NGOs, foundations, governments, and private sector. Support resource mobilization and business development

Summary of Key Achievements

Led the setup and expansion of Praekelt Foundation’s work in East Africa; established partnerships and networks with NGOs on behalf of the foundation, developed relations with development partners and mobile solution providers (in line with adopting mobile solutions for development in the areas of Health, Education, Child Protection, Livelihoods, Governance and Accountability); supported contractual and contract processes; supported grant proposal development and overall resource mobilization processes; supported the sourcing of human resources and building an effective team; project management across multiple NGOs; resource mobilization, market research, budget Management; and overall representation of the Foundation at different levels at regional level

Regional Program Manager, East Africa

Plan International, Mozambique

Summary of Role:

Lead the design of the country strategic plan alongside the Country Director and Technical Advisors; support the design and execution of country programs and projects in health, education, livelihoods, disaster risk reduction, gender, child protection and human rights. Lead resource mobilization efforts in alignment with the country strategy, programs and projects; manage a team of technical advisors and field project managers including their performance standards and targets; partnership management; operational management; and design of the monitoring, learning and evaluation strategies.

Summary of Key Achievements:

Launch of country strategy, programs and projects – worked in a consultative process with the government entities in Mozambique, the communities, the partners, the country director and internal teams to deliver the strategy that subsequently designed the programs and the projects. Delivered core projects in maternal and child health, ICT4D projects, in socio-economic empowerment of women and youth and in advocacy for gender, human and child rights. Supported fundraising and resource mobilisation for a disaster resilience program in Mozambique; women economic empowerment (coconut oil extraction project); projects to construct schools and a dormitory project for girls; and child rights programs including facilitating community-led early childhood development centers (ECCDs) Managed a complex team of technical advisors, community and field program staff to focus and deliver projects in a timely basis that in turn built the confidence and trust of donors in our fundraising efforts.

Operations Manager

Plan International, Region of East and Southern Africa

Summary of Role

In collaboration with the grants team, coordinate the regional grants: support the proposal development for regional grants (East and Southern Africa); grant portfolio trend analysis; and support donor relations/reporting processes. This was a transition role while waiting for work permits to Mozambique to be sorted out/The role in Mozambique was a promotion based on talent pool development. 

Summary of Key Achievements

Co-authored grant reports for 12 countries covered in the region; reviewed the quality of sponsorship communications, sponsorship systems and procedures and extended field review support to program countries. Input into the global strategic plan for the organisation as well as program quality improvement initiatives. Key role in review of the role of program technical advisors.

Sponsorship and Grants Coordinator

Plan International Headquarters, UK

Summary of Role

Lead the overall technical accountability for the project in all 64 countries covered by Plan International; application and infrastructure requirements definition; identification of vendors and management of software and infrastructure development; change management working closely with country managers; software change management process; remote team management and cross-team collaboration. Pilot, test and roll-out of solution (training, setup of help desk linked to application real-time monitoring enterprise solutions; technical budget management and resource allocation; management of steering and technical working groups)

Summary of Key Achievements

Launched the project/Go live in one day across 64 countries; remote team management, and collaboration across different time zones such as India, UK, Australia, Germany, Norway and America); and strategic change and transformation management.

Technical Lead, Global ICT Project

Plan International, Kenya

Summary of Role

Lead the design and execution of the Country ICT Strategy and ICT4D strategy; 
participate in Country Strategic Team meetings to align ICT strategy with the goals of the organization; manage IT staff across 8 sub-regional offices; support the rollout and management of corporate solutions; lead skills development for ICT staff; and manage contracts and audits for ICT works in close liaison with the procurement and legal teams

Summary of Key Achievements

Led the development and alignment of the Information Systems and Communications strategies to the country strategic plan; supported the realisation of ICT for development; supported the development of ICT processes to support daily business including the development of network and telecommunications infrastructure; key and active member of the country management team; secondment to the UK for one year to support an email project for the whole organization; resource mobilization/proposal development that supported the establishment of Child Helpline (toll-free number where children call in to report cases of child abuse); key role in country restructuring process; team development including key role in staffing and selection processes; key role in budget management

Country Information Systems and Technology Manager

Khalila is spearheading financial inclusion across 27 countries alongside Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI) Team Members. ADFI is a multi-donor initiative that is hosted by the African Development Bank. In the past, Khalila played a pivotal strategic role of setting up the Mastercard labs for financial inclusion - initiating new projects in Agriculture, Trade and Education through a multifaceted approach with cross sector partners. The work included exploring the potential of digital payments to people living at the base of the pyramid and extending it to overall society (instalment payments - mobile and bank; micro savings, micro loans and financial literacy that promotes resilience). She provided the leadership, the vision, the projects concept definition and development; product and project management; cross sector partnership management; resource mobilization and overall risk management. Prior to joining the work with MasterCard - Khalila worked as a lead consultant for a large scale mHealth innovation (Maternal and child health); executed a system gaps analysis for disease surveillance culminating into a drug susceptibility concept and other international works on application of innovations in large scale humanitarian disasters. She supported core innovations in mAgriculture, mEducation and mGovernance. Khalila is credited with the formation of Kenyan national mHealth and eHealth forum alongside the Ministry of Health. Other initiatives in health include critical strategic input into mental health and non communicable diseases. Khalila supported Corporate Learning Solution in critical business development works in Africa. Khalila is a board member to an East Africa Social Justice Fund and she was also a key person working with African Media Initiative in selection of journalists/Tobacco free children fellowship. 

taplio

The Battle

Denis Pastory ,Ph.D.

Khalila Salim

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