Perpetual Nin-Yenle
Committee Chair
Perpetual Napoga Nin-yenle聽is a Research Assistant for the SGI (Sustainable Growth Initiative) Office of Sustainable Africa under the 涩里番 Desautels Faculty of Management. She is a Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program聽alumnus聽of 涩里番, where she earned her master鈥檚 degree in Bioresource Engineering with a specialization in Integrated Water Resource Management. During her time at 涩里番, she also served as a Council Member for the 2024 cohort of Mastercard Foundation Scholars.聽
She holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Ghana and has a strong passion for tackling food and water scarcity challenges across Africa. Driven by this mission, Perpetual co-founded聽Featherycare聽Ltd., an聽Agri Tech聽startup that聽leverages聽artificial intelligence to enhance productivity in the poultry industry.聽Featherycare聽was named the winner of the 2025 Mastercard Foundation-Dobson Startup Award for its innovative impact on poultry farming and has also received multiple awards recognizing its impact and innovation.聽
Perpetual is deeply interested in creating an impact in the lives of everyone she聽encounters聽and is committed to helping others in any way she can. She also volunteers with YCEM (Your Choice聽in聽Engineering Matters), where she supports young people, especially girls, through mentorship, capacity building, and initiatives that encourage them to pursue engineering and STEM pathways. Her long-term goal is to advance sustainable agricultural practices and聽equitable聽water access across the continent.聽
Outside of her professional pursuits, she is passionate about community service and enjoys聽travelling聽and cooking in her spare time.聽
Abdulwasiu Onigbinde
Committee Member
Abdulwasiu Onigbinde聽is a聽Mastercard Foundation Scholar and a聽graduate student in Bioresource Engineering at聽涩里番聽with interests in sustainable food systems, postharvest technology, and innovative approaches to improving food security. His work focuses on exploring practical solutions that improve food production, storage, and processing while reducing environmental impact.聽
Through his academic and community engagements, Abdulwasiu is passionate about connecting knowledge, innovation, and collaboration to address global challenges. Being part of the Umoja Summit聽planning committee聽has provided him with a meaningful platform聽where聽he has gained valuable experience working with diverse teams, coordinating impactful initiatives, and contributing to a movement that celebrates knowledge, culture, and innovation.聽
He is committed to contributing to initiatives that foster innovation, knowledge exchange, and sustainable development across communities.聽
Bietiel Goniche
Committee Member
Bietiel Goniche is a Master of Science in Public Health (MScPH) candidate at 涩里番 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Eritrea. She has clinical and research experience in healthcare and public health, with a focus on epidemiology, health equity, and population health.聽
She currently works as a Research Assistant at 涩里番, contributing to population health research using large administrative and survey datasets, with work focused on health disparities and neurodevelopmental outcomes.聽
Bietiel鈥檚聽research interests include epidemiology, maternal and child health, and the social determinants of health, particularly among immigrant and underserved populations. Beyond her academic work, Bietiel is actively involved in community and student-led initiatives that foster dialogue and collaboration within African and diaspora communities.聽
Gideon Aggrey
Committee Member
Gideon Aggrey is a Food Safety specialist at 涩里番, building on a strong foundation in food science from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana.
His research sits at the intersection of food sustainability and safety, with a particular focus on leveraging artificial intelligence and models to anticipate, detect, and mitigate risks across the food supply chain.
As an entrepreneur, Gideon oversees quality operations at BeaCoPure in Ghana, a company dedicated to transforming raw coconuts into affordable coconut oil and haircare products. He is also the founder of the Lots of Potentials Foundation, an organization committed to helping young people discover their purpose and equipping them to drive meaningful societal change.
Nontuthuzelo Ncube
Committee Member
Nontuthuzelo聽Summer聽Ncube is a聽Mastercard Foundation Scholar聽and a聽Master鈥檚聽student in Bioresource Engineering at 涩里番, specializing in Integrated Food and Bioprocessing.聽She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe).聽
Nontuthuzelo is passionate about advancing sustainable food systems, food safety technologies, and innovative bioprocessing solutions that address global food security challenges. Her work explores how engineering, environmental sustainability, and technology can transform agricultural and food production systems.聽
聽Beyond Academia, she is actively involved in leadership and community initiatives that promote knowledge exchange and youth-driven innovation across聽remote populations in Africa,聽advancing STEM and bridging knowledge gaps, especially for the girl child.聽Through her work, she aims to bridge engineering, sustainability, and food systems to聽support resilient,聽sustainable global food production.聽
Olajesutofunmi Akinyemi
Committee Member
Olajesutofunmi聽(Ola) Akinyemi is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar and MSc Public Health candidate at 涩里番's School of Population and Global Health. With a clinical foundation in biomedical science, she brings over three years of front-line diagnostic and infectious disease experience at institutions partnered with PEPFAR and the Global Fund.聽
Ola has led public health programs targeted at underserved communities, including delivering free chest X-rays, malaria, and HIV screenings to individuals with Down syndrome, and championing youth development and health awareness through school outreach programs.聽
Beyond academia, she is the co-founder of The聽Levare聽Foundation, an organization advancing girls' education in Nigeria, and a writer whose creative work was longlisted for the SEVHAGE Prize for Creative Non-Fiction 2024.聽
Stephen Johnson
Committee Member