The Future of Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

BeDoCare Conference

The BeDoCare forum is a movement aimed at bringing together, inspiring, and supporting individuals and initiatives committed to leaving a positive mark on their communities.

The forum is an offshoot of events and consultations in view of the 2028 Centenary celebrations of Opus Dei, an institution founded by St Josemaria Escriva. Strathmore University ‘s establishment in 1961 was inspired by St. Josemaria.

Strathmore has been selected to host the third forum in October 2025 in partnership with Harambee Africa International.

Collaboratively, the two institutions are seeking to explore Africa’s challenges and opportunities in light of aspirations articulated in the Africa Agenda 2063 by the African Union.

The BeDoCare Initiative

To this event we are inviting representatives of the African Union, global and African focused development institutions, the private sector and entrepreneurs,
youth and civil society, universities and other educational institutions and international partners including NGOs and foundations.

In May 2013, the African Union made a declaration dedicating Africa towards the attainment of the Pan African Vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena.

This birthed the Agenda 2063, a concrete manifestation of how the continent intended to achieve this vision within a 50-year period from 2013 to 2063. With the Agenda setting forth flagship programs to be implemented at National levels, all Actors in Africa, individual and institutional, have a role to integrate the growth process for an equal, inclusive and harmonious human and infrastructural development.

It is in this context that an academic institution such as Strathmore University, a core player in Africa’s capacity development, wishes to host a forum to examine what has been done, what can be done and what needs to be done to ensure that the continent is on a path to attain the Agenda 2063 aspirations.

BeDoCare Conference Provisional Schedule

DAY 1

1st October 2025

Keynote 1: Africa in 50 years: Challenges and Opportunities
Keynote 2: Integral Human Prosperity

Workshops theme: Education

Parallel Workshop 1: Universities as Engines of Social and Educational Development Exploring how leading universities in Africa contribute to improving educational systems and fostering social progress.

Parallel Workshop 2: Overcoming Educational Barriers in Low-Income Communities Exchange amongst NGOs on the challenges facing lower-level education, including resource scarcity infrastructure issues, and the specific needs of rural communities.

Keynote lecture - Transforming Africa Network

Workshop Reports and Conclusions

DAY 2

2nd October 2025

Theme: Work

Keynote 1: Exploiting the youth dividend in Africa by education and skill transfer
Keynote 2: Navigating Africa's Evolving Job Market: Work Opportunities and Financial Access

Workshops theme: Future of Work

Morning Parallel Workshop 1: Shaping Leaders for the Evolving Job Market This session explores how educational institutions are adapting to the growing demand for entrepreneurial skills and leadership in Africa’s evolving job market.

Morning Parallel Workshop 2: Innovation and Startup Ecosystems by young people: Discussions with young African entrepreneurs about launching startups. Highlight incubators and accelerators supporting entrepreneurship.

Workshops theme: Youth

Afternoon Parallel Workshop 1: Vocational Training: Bridging Skill Gaps for Employment Focusing on how vocational training programs are meeting the needs of the changing labour market, particularly for youth in Africa

Afternoon Parallel Workshop 2: Youth and New Technologies: Empowering the Next Generation for Digital Transformation

Afternoon Parallel Workshop 3: Youth Leadership and Youth Engagement: Shaping Africa’s Future

Launch of BeDoCare Hub

DAY 3

3rd October 2025

Theme: Empowerment and Social dynamics

Keynote 1: Pathways to Progress: Innovation, Empowerment, and Solidarity for Africa’s Future

Keynote 2: Telling the African Story

Morning Parallel Workshop 1: Workplace: Efficiency Across Corporate and Public Sectors

Morning Parallel Workshop 2: Women in Entrepreneurship: Empowerment Through Business and Innovation

Workshops theme: Sustainable development and societal transformation

Afternoon Parallel Workshop 1: Green Technologies and Environmental Sustainability Focus on innovations in resource management, climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture.

Afternoon Parallel Workshop 2: Arts, Culture and Communication as Development Tools Reframing Africa’s global image. Examining the role of African arts, cinema, and literature for social awareness.

Afternoon Parallel Workshop 3: Health Initiatives: Feature successful health projects in Africa: how they started, financial sustainability, staff training, relationships with the patients.

Confirmed Speakers

Dr. Vincent Ogutu

Dr. Vincent Ogutu is the Vice Chancellor of Strathmore University in Kenya. An Organizational Behavior scholar, Dr. Ogutu specialized in the Psychology of Meaningful Work while studying at Rutgers University. He investigated how social entrepreneurs come to see their work as a calling. Not content with studying how meaning is constructed, Dr. Ogutu tries some of the best theory out when helping individuals and organizations find or create meaning, including at Strathmore itself.

Mamadou Biteye OBE

Mamadou, a seasoned agricultural economist and development expert, is the Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). He joined ACBF from VISA, where he served as Vice-President, Global Head of Inclusive Growth and before that as Regional Head of Social Impact for the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region. He also worked as Managing Director Africa for the Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing the organisation’s work across Africa. Prior to joining the Rockefeller Foundation, Mamadou served as Oxfam’s Regional Director for West Africa.

Prof Luis Gabriel Franceschi

Prof Luis Gabriel Franceschi, LLB, LL.M, LL.D is the Assistant Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation of 56 countries, 2.7 billion people, one third of the world. He coordinates the Political, Democracy, Electoral, Public Sector Governance, Peace, Rule of Law, Judicial Transformation, Human Rights, and Countering Violence and Extremism work in the 56 member countries. He is also the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting - CHOGM Conference Secretary, and, together with the Head of the Host Country Task Force, oversees the organisation and negotiations throughout the meeting.

Nneka Okekearu

Director of the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University. Today, EDC-PAU is a leading enterprise development centre within the continent of Africa.

Ito Diejomaoh

Ito Diejomaoh is the current hospital director of Niger Foundation Hospital, a private not-for-profit
hospital. He studied Economics in the University of Ibadan and has a background in economic and
social policy research, working in an economic research institute for about 5 years. For the last 15
years he has been fully involved in hospital management both at the strategic and
operational levels.

Tayo Fagbule

Tayo is the Editor of BusinessDay, Nigeria’s leading business daily newspaper. He has over a decade of experience working in the media industry. Prior to his career in journalism he was the MBA director at Lagos Business School, a role he combined with teaching anthropology and analysis of business problems on the full time MBA programme.

Enase Okonedo

Vice-Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria)
Previously, she was the Dean of Lagos Business School for 12 years until December 2020. She sits on management education industry boards such as the Global Schools Network (GBSN), the Principles for Responsible Management Education (UNPRME; and the Academic Advisory Council of the Blatnavik School of Government t, University of Oxford, as well as on various company boards.

Alfred kouakou

Is a Lecturer at the Université des Lagunes of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire where he teaches private international law, law of contracts, and mediation. As an academic researcher, he has contributed to research in topics such as : decoloniality of law, legal positivism, legal naturalism.

Marie Noelle N’Guessan

Marie Noelle N’Guessan has a PhD in managerial decisions at IESE Business School. She is a Leadership, Ethics and Marketing professor at MDE Business School in Côte d’Ivoire. She also works closely as a consultant with many SME managers in sub-Saharan Africa, in the food and beverage, and cosmetics industries.

Manuel Lago

A naval engineer, he has worked in shipbuilding in Spain.

He has been in Côte d'Ivoire for over forty years. After teaching at an inter-African engineering school for almost twenty years, he helped set up the Walé Medical and Social Centre in Yamoussoukro, where he plays an active role in managing the centre and developing and implementing projects aimed at improving the health and quality of life of the region's most disadvantaged populations.

Hermann Hokou

Hermann Hokou has led for 10 years many projects and studies on topics such as Global and Local Governance, Democracy in Africa, and Human Rights. Assistant Lecturer, Coordinator of the scientific committee at Audace Institut Afrique, an independent think tank; Dr. Hermann Hokou holds a Ph.D. in International Law.

Lynda Kasina

Lynda Kasina is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Kianda Foundation, where she oversees strategic resource mobilisation. With over 15 years of experience in TVET development, she has successfully managed the design and implementation of projects in partnership with both local and international organizations. She also serves as the Managing Principal at Kibondeni and Kimlea Colleges.

Prof. Philemon Muamba Mumbunda

- Ph.D. Political and Administrative Sciences (2008) at the University of Kinshasa.
- Academic Secretary of the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the Catholic
University of Congo (2011-2014).
- Honorary Dean of the Faculty of Political Science at the Catholic University of
Congo (2015-2021).

Cécile Kianda

Project Coordinator, Association pour la Formation et le Développement (ADEFOR)
Experienced professional in project management and training. Specialised in the
design, management and evaluation of development projects. Significant experience
in coordinating social, agricultural and vocational training projects in the DRC. Skills
in educational leadership and training of trainers, particularly in the hotel sector.

Cédrick Tombola Muke

Cédrick Tombola Muke is currently Director General of the DRC's National
School of Administration. He previously spent 6 years as Director General of
the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale des Agents Publics de l'Etat (CNSSAP)
in the DRC. He has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank and the
Agence Française de Développement.

Charly NSHOKANO

Secretary General, Association pour la Promotion Sociale de la Culture (APSC asbl)
and Harambee Africa International delegate for DR Congo.
He is currently involved in a number of development and human promotion projects
for young people, mainly in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, run by APSC asbl.

Eder MBI-MASIALA

He has been General Manager of Monkole Hospital Centre
since January 2021, where he previously held the position of Director of Operations.
Before joining Monkole, he was in charge of administrative matters for the non-profit
association CECFOR, which owns Monkole.

Tanoh Marie Noelle

Tanoh Marie Noelle holds a master’s in community law from the Catholic
University of West Africa and a specialization in international solidarity project
management from the Jesuit University of Côte d’Ivoire. With a decade of
experience coordinating multi-sector projects in health, education, and
empowerment, she is dedicated to youth and women’s development.

Guillaume FANDJINOU

Guillaume FANDJINOU is Deputy Managing Director and Director of Programmes at
MDE Business School in Abidjan.
A Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Automation graduate, he also holds an AMP
(Advanced Management Program) from MDE/IESE. AMP (Advanced Management
Program) from MDE/IESE and took part in the International Faculty Program (IFP) at
IESE in Barcelona.

Marielle Villegas Arcenas

Marielle Villegas Arcenas holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from the
University of Asia and the Pacific in Manila. Since 2000, she has been actively
involved in various initiatives focused on the formation and personal
development of young people in Côte d’Ivoire. She currently serves as the
Vice Director of École YARANI, a vocational training school specializing in
hospitality education for women. Over the past three years, with training and
support from Desk Hospitality based in Switzerland. she has participated
actively in establishing the school’s dual education system.

KOUASSI née ASSOVIE Olga

Directrice Générale, Fondatrice de Bureau Norme Audit

Administrateure Certifiée CAS-UEMOA

Ingénieure agronome de profession, Mme KOUASSI née ASSOVIE Olga est actuellement la Directrice Générale de la société BUREAU NORME AUDIT (BNA), 1er organisme de certification accrédité ISO 17021 et ISO 17065 en Afrique subsaharienne francophone. Elle totalise plus de 28 années d’expériences professionnelles. Première femme Ivoirienne auditrice certifiée en management de la Qualité. Ses domaines de compétences sont : la certification, l’administration d’entreprise, le management des opérations, le management de la qualité etc.

Jess Castellote

Jess Castellote has been in Nigeria since 1984. He holds a master’s degree in architecture and a doctoral degree in Art History. He is the Director of the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) of the Pan-Atlantic University, in Lagos. He is a founding member of the Foundation for Contemporary and Modern Visual Arts, as well as the Society for Art Collection. He also served on the Advisory Board of Art X Lagos, showcasing his deep commitment to the art world in Nigeria. He has made significant contributions to the field of Nigerian Art, having authored, co-authored, or edited six books on the subject. He combines his professional work with an intense involvement in several not-for-profit organizations dedicated to advancing development and educational initiatives within the country.