the most influential men in digital transformation

Kunle Awosika Managing Director of the Africa Transformation Office (ATO) (Nigeria)

Kunle Awosika is a highly experienced professional in the ICT field with over 22 years of international experience.

He was appointed as the Managing Director of the Africa Transformation Office (ATO) in September 2022, where he leads Microsoft’s efforts to drive strategic transformation initiatives across Africa.

The ATO, which was established in 2021, has been a driving force behind initiatives and partnerships across Africa to build digital infrastructure, support small and medium-sized enterprises with digital capabilities, and promote innovation and skill development among the workforces. ATO, which opened offices In Nigeria and Kenya in 2022, plans to provide local solutions with global scalability as well as offer employment opportunities and further enhance technological in Africa.

Awosika has had a long and successful career with Microsoft, holding various leadership positions, including Director of Enterprise Business, Country Manager for Microsoft Kenya, and Director of Small and Medium Corporates for Emerging Markets, where he has helped to bring transformative technology opportunities to organisations in both the public and private sectors.

He is a respected leader and role model in the technology industry and has held leadership roles in organisations such as the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the Presidential Digital Talent Programme (PDTP), as well as serving on several boards such as AIESEC International and the I-Chose Life Board (NGO).

Jit Bhattacharya, CEO, BasiGo (Kenya)

Jit Bhattacharya is championing for the adoption of green public transportation in Africa. As the founder and CEO of BasiGo, a Kenyan e-mobility start-up, Bhattacharya is leading the charge in the effort to drive mass transit Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption in East Africa.

BasiGo is shaking up the public transportation industry in East Africa by assembling EV buses in Nairobi, Kenya using parts sourced from China’s EV manufacturer BYD. The company then sells these innovative buses to bus owners, helping to reduce emissions and improve air quality in the region.

Last year, BasiGo secured $4.3 million in seed funding to set up an assembly plant in Nairobi and to launch the sales and delivery of its electric buses. This bold move paid off, as in January this year, the company added 15 more electric buses to its fleet of two after successful piloting.

With the demand for EVs forecasted to rise in the coming years in Africa, BasiGo recently entered a partnership with the Associated Vehicle Assemblers Ltd (AVA) to assemble 1,000 of its buses in Mombasa, Kenya. This partnership will allow the company to bring even more of its fully electric buses, which have a range of 250 km daily and go for $46,698, to the masses. Basigo also has alternative financing where operators pay $0.16 per km.

Jit Bhattacharya and BasiGo are truly at the forefront of a green revolution, pushing for sustainable transportation and making a real impact in Africa and beyond

Muhammad Algawish, Co-Founder, iSchool EdTech (Egypt)

Algawish co-founded iSchool, an edtech start-up which provides STEAMfocused training to children as young as six to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. an Electrical and Electronics Engineer, he studied entrepreneurship and business management at Kelley School of Business - Indiana University. He has over eight years’ experience serving as a Business & Growth Consultant where he has helped start-ups raise $5.85M+ in funding, an degenerate $7.63M+ in revenue.

iSchool is the first accredited Egyptian African EdTech start-up, an online coding platform for 6 to 18 year old students that offers 1:1 or 1:6 live coding classes in artificial intelligence (AI), data science, game development, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, with more than 9,000 graduates in 10 different countries helping them to start a technology-based career, freelancing, or even launch their own start-ups.

His effort and work in the EdTech sector, has gotten him a number of recognitions including being mentioned in the Forbes MENA (Middle East and North Africa) 30 Under 30 list in 2022. He was also the first-place winner in the AIM UAE start-up pitching competition 2022 and bagged the EdTech Leadership Award by EdTechDigest 2022. Algawish was also recognised as an HSBC C3 Impact Accelerator Winner in 2022.

In 2021, he bagged the Global Start-up Awards Northern Africa Founder of the Year 2021, and was selected in HolonIQ’s Top 50 Best Edtech start-ups in the MENA and North Africa 2021.

Moses Okundi, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Absa Bank, Kenya (Kenya)

Who else would be the topmost influential man in digital transformation than the person who took home the top award in digital transformation, the dx100 CIO of the Year Africa 2022, Moses Okundi. He is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Absa Bank, Kenya, and prides himself as a purpose driven dx and technology steward.

He was critical in Absa’s incorporation of SD-WAN, a move that bagged him the coveted award. Absa partnered with Huawei on an SD-WAN Solution and built a new digital foundation for branch networks. The bank’s IT Team led by Okundi, developed the solution because the bank needed to build a new infrastructure to improve the efficiency of various banking services, reduce operation and management costs, and enhance user experience at branches.

Okundi is a long-seasoned IT professional, with over 20 years pan-African experience in telecommunications, telco Value Added Services, mobile money, fintech and most recently banking and its associated operations. He is an ardent advocate of digital transformation ensuring technology operates as a business enabler powering growth and contributing to Sustainable Development (SDGs).

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from University of Manchester, focusing on Communication & Control Engineering, Electrical, Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering.