The YAIS
archive.
Four editions at Yale. Revisit the speakers, Innovation Labs and gatherings that shaped each year.
People / Programmes / Photographs
Follow the journey
2022YAIS I1 Innovation Lab
2024YAIS II9 Innovation Labs
2025YAIS III13 Innovation Labs
2026YAIS IV13 Innovation Labs
2027 · NextYAIS V15 – 17 April 2027
YAIS I · 2022
The first Innovation Lab
The first edition began a conversation that continues today. Its Uncommon.org case explored connectivity challenges in Zimbabwe.
1 Innovation Lab
Explore the programmeScroll through the chapters
Yale University
YAIS IV
Edition IV / 2026
The programme
Three days of talks and Innovation Labs
Three days at Yale, with conversations on stage, collaborative Innovation Labs and a wider gathering of the YAIS community.
YAIS IV / The photographic record
From the room
to the working table.
Conversations on stage continued around Lab tables, where participants worked through real cases and developed proposals.
In the room
The programme brought together perspectives from business, public service, technology and the arts.
Innovation Labs
Participants worked together on cases introduced by Lab leaders. The subjects and people behind those discussions are recorded below.
YAIS IV · 2026
Speakers & Innovation Labs
The historical programme for this edition. The YAIS V lineup will be announced separately.
- Speakers and Lab leaders
- 13
- Innovation Lab cases
- 13
Scaling Creative Economies in Emerging Markets: The Case of Nollywood and Africa's Film Industry
Read the case
The challenge
The case describes filmmakers working around limited financing, weak intellectual-property protection, distribution gaps and regulatory uncertainty. It asks what would make growth more sustainable.
The Lab
Banky Wellington’s case brought these barriers into a single strategy question. Participants were invited to consider how investment, policy and industry infrastructure could work together.
Led by
Banky Wellington
Rethinking Workforce Development in the Age of AI
Led by
Jeph AcheampongFounder and Director, Blossom Academy
Who Owns Nature’s Molecules? Capturing Value in the Bioeconomy
Led by
Akim DaoudaFounder and CEO, Mwaana Inc.
Rethinking Healthcare Access in Rural Communities
Led by
Nasser DialloFounder and CEO, Clinic+O
Harnessing AI for Africa's Socioeconomic Transformation
Led by
Kahlil MorseInnovation Economy executive, J.P. Morgan
Engaging Armed Groups to Protect the Rights of Civilians
Read the case
The challenge
The case asks how humanitarian principles can translate into changes in armed groups’ behaviour and greater protection for people affected by conflict.
The Lab
The brief invited participants to identify pathways for strengthening humanitarian norms and new fundraising approaches to support Geneva Call’s work. Groups were asked to develop their ideas and identify the stakeholders involved.
Led by
Abdirahman Ismail IsseDeputy Director of Operations, Geneva Call
The Monetization of African Artists on the Global Stage
Led by
Taylor WebsterVice President & Head of Music, Metro PR
Creating Early Trust for Mobile Money
Led by
Michael JosephFounding CEO, Safaricom
Designing Pathways: Women, Opportunity, and Economic Access
Read the case
The challenge
The brief describes barriers to finance, business infrastructure, markets and professional networks. It asks how economic participation can translate into lasting opportunity.
The Lab
Leena Awolesi’s Lab invited participants to rethink how support reaches women entrepreneurs. The accompanying exercise used a business scenario in Arua to make the constraints concrete.
Led by
Leena AwolesiFounder, Young FoundHer’s Club
Governance Transitions in a Rapidly Evolving Economy
Led by
Njoya TikumDirector, UNDP Sub-Regional Office for West and Central Africa
From Concept to Equitable Care: Reimagining Maternal and Newborn Health in Liberia
Led by
Yeatoe Gloria McIntoshPublic health leader · Co-founder, The Tosh Foundation
Innovation and Investment in African Public Health
Led by
Dr. Wubrest BekelePhysician and global health professional
From Cultural Exchange to Economic Infrastructure: Reimagining Sister City Partnerships for Global Economic Development
Led by
Eben PobeeCEO, Deep Technologies and EPOBS Solutions
Beyond the programme
An evening
in good company.
The YAIS IV board and invited speakers gathered for a jazz soirée after the day’s sessions.
Yale University
YAIS III
Edition III / 2025
The programme
350+ attendees from 30+ universities
Innovation Labs, a fireside conversation on medicine and technology, storytelling, final presentations and the YAIS Gala.
Read the YAIS III written recap (PDF)- Attendees
- 350+
- Universities
- 30+
YAIS III · 2025
Speakers & Innovation Labs
The historical programme for this edition. The YAIS V lineup will be announced separately.
- Speakers and Lab leaders
- 16
- Innovation Lab cases
- 13
Impact investing in agriculture
Led by
Amanda Turner EgeExecutive Director at elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization
Strategies for entrepreneurial excellence
Led by
Augustine DegorlCEO of Symposia; Social Media Influencer
M-PESA and Africa’s digital future
Led by
Sitoyo LopokoiyitCEO of M-PESA
Epimack MbeteniM-Pesa Director, Vodacom Tanzania
Financial access in East Africa
Led by
Jamaludin ShamjiNon-Executive Director, Diamond Trust Bank
Health research in Africa
Led by
Dr. Bamba GayeExecutive Director, Alliance for Medical Research in Africa
African fashion and global influence
Led by
Maysa ShemsModel and CEO of RMA Apparel
Sustainable African farming communities
Read the case
The challenge
The case describes long supply chains, delayed payments and uneven access to pricing information. It considers how these conditions affect farmers’ bargaining power and income.
The Lab
Soraya Hosni’s case explored direct trade, traceability, local processing and farmer education. Its three country examples let participants compare a shared problem across different crops and markets.
Led by
Soraya HosniYale World Fellow
African SMEs entering digital markets
Led by
Alice MalongteConsultant in Leadership and Management
Responses to FGM and gender violence
Led by
Mariama Keita-ThieroFounder of MKCommunications Consulting Firm
Africa’s political future
Led by
Madame Kah WallaCameroonian Presidential Candidate
Africa’s digital economy
Led by
Euler BroplehFounder and Managing Partner of VestedWorld
African narratives in digital content
Led by
Grace AmakuSocial Media Influencer
Personal and professional growth
Led by
Tina CharismaGlobal Consultant
YAIS III / Celebrating African culture
Culture
in the frame.
YAIS celebrates the many cultures that shape the continent and its diaspora. Through dress, music and shared traditions, we honour our heritage and the creativity that carries it forward.
Yale University
YAIS II
Edition II / 2024
The programme
150+ attendees from 10+ universities
Labs brought questions of digital transformation, healthcare, finance and civic participation into collaborative working sessions.
- Attendees
- 150+
- Universities
- 10+
YAIS II · 2024
Speakers & Innovation Labs
The historical programme for this edition. The YAIS V lineup will be announced separately.
- Speakers and Lab leaders
- 14
- Innovation Lab cases
- 9
Mobile money and civic participation in Liberia
Read the case
The challenge
The Lab connected a financial technology with a wider civic question: how people participate in public life.
The Lab
Participants were asked to explore the relationship between mobile money and civic participation in Liberia. The documented topic opens up questions about access, trust and the institutions involved.
Led by
Senator Amara KonnehLiberian Senator · Former Minister of Finance and Development Planning
Digital transformation strategy for Ghana
Read the case
The challenge
A national strategy needs to connect technology with the people and institutions that will use it. The Lab placed that strategic question in the Ghanaian context.
The Lab
The published programme records a strategy-development brief. It offers a starting point for thinking about priorities, implementation and how the benefits of digital change could be assessed.
Led by
Angela Kyerematen-JimohNational Digital Transformation Lead for Microsoft Africa
Architecture and the bioeconomy
Led by
Mokena MakekaSpecial Advisor to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, The Cooper Union
Africa’s creative economy
Led by
Deniece Laurent-ManteyExecutive Director, President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement
Sovereign wealth funds and innovation
Led by
Ousman Sahko SowManaging Director of No Noise Venture Management LLC
Investment in Africa’s digital economy
Led by
Eunice AjimFounding Partner of Ajim Capital
Maternal health through African narratives
Led by
Stephanie LinusAward-Winning Actress and Filmmaker
Fake news and misinformation in journalism
Led by
Stephanie BusariCNN Senior Editor for Africa
Local healthcare development in Africa
Led by
Dr. Lali ChaniaIMA World Health Country Director for Tanzania
Beyond the programme
An evening
of celebration.
The YAIS II gala brought guests together for African cuisine, fashion and performances.
Yale University
YAIS I
The first edition / 2022
The programme
The first edition and its first Innovation Lab
November 11 – 12, 2022
The first edition began a conversation that continues today. Its Uncommon.org case explored connectivity challenges in Zimbabwe.
First-edition announcementInside the Innovation Labs
Connecting learning
to opportunity.
Zimbabwe / Technology & education
Free technology education.
A world of possibilities.
Uncommon.org builds solar-powered computer labs in low-income communities in Zimbabwe, helping young people develop coding skills for the digital workforce.
The Lab challenge
How can reliable internet become affordable?
Internet access makes that learning possible. But expensive data packages were putting pressure on Uncommon’s budget. The first YAIS Lab asked how to secure quality connectivity at a financially sustainable cost.
- Technology
- Explore satellite, fibre and other ways to connect the labs.
- Financing
- Consider donors, earned income and partnerships that could sustain access.
The continent at the centre
Explore the impact
we’re building together.
Start with the places, questions and Innovation Labs that have brought us together.
Countries connected through YAIS
Select a gold country to explore.
Zimbabwe / YAIS I
YAIS and Uncommon.org.
A recommendation from the first YAIS Innovation Lab helped Uncommon.org switch to Starlink, leaving more of its budget available for free technology education in Zimbabwe.
Uncommon.org has sponsored YAIS every year since then.
Annual data costs
- Before Starlink
- $17,000
- After Starlink
- About $2,400About $200 a month