Who We Are
Our Founders
InnoVuntu’s leadership team includes renowned experts and practitioners based in Zambia, South Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and the United States. They work across disciplines—in systems, innovation, leadership development, and strategic planning as well as climate, food systems, youth engagement, women’s empowerment, and enterprise development. The team is led by Daniel Kamanga, ALT Foundation founder and InnoVuntu executive director, and Seema Patel, founder and CEO of GKI. Both bring decades of experience in systems-based approaches to challenges in Africa.
InnoVuntu was founded to convene change-makers to generate a collective future vision for their country, identify and refine solutions, form new partnerships, catalyze new investments, and create a new impact to address the crises facing Zambia and neighboring nations. Leadership development and systems tools are integral to the InnoVuntu approach, powered by a partnership between two nonprofits, ALT Foundation and the Global Knowledge Initiative (GKI).
They share a collective passion and commitment for a future where people, ecosystems, and economies thrive in Zambia whose food systems are secure and resilient.
ALT spearheads leadership training to create an Africa that works for everyone, working in collaboration with African universities and like-minded organizations in target countries.
GKI activates collaborative networks globally to deliver the innovative solutions needed to build more resilient systems. Its programs foster the environment, the mindset, and the experiences necessary to enable stakeholders to gain clarity of purpose, relationships, and momentum needed to transform systems.
Our Team…
Daniel Kamanga
Seema Patel
Dr. Kabwe Mubanga
Mutukwa Mooya
Dr. Kapambwe Mwelwa
Tuliswayo Muteba
Akufuna Muyunda
Monika Aring
Joni Praded
Larry Hulbert
Shafeea Zubair
Rachel Barwell
Lola Salako
Our Values
Affiliate Organizations
The University of Zambia is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia’s largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966.
The Center for Climate Change Policy and Integrated Research (CCCPIR) is a professional and multi-disciplinary body that aims to contribute to climate change research and socio-economic development in Zambia through:
Young Volunteers for the Environment Zambia is a youth-driven movement founded on the premise of mobilizing and strengthening youth voices for climate justice and environmental sustainability in Zambia. YVE concentrates its activities around three main areas: Energy-Climate-Development, which mainly focuses on the utilization of improved stoves and solar energy solutions; Natural Resources Management, focusing on forest and land management, access to safe drinking water and sanitation; and Citizen’s Engagement, in which ecological conscience and social justice are achieved through promoting volunteering, environmental education, radio and TV programs, and empowerment of vulnerable communities, especially those directly affected by the climate crisis.
The InnoVuntu team is in the process of developing partnerships with other organizations such as The Hunger Project and Lusaka City Council.