Olugbenga Adesida

Is a co-founder and partner of Ihaba, a business development venture, and the knowledge Network, a strategy consulting firm. †He also works as Associate Director of the African Leadership Institute (www.alinstitute.org). Olugbenga has worked extensively in Africa as strategy consultant and earlier in his career he worked with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) between 1992 and 1998.
He has published articles in several journals and has edited or co-edited special issues of Foresight, Futures, and African Development Review. †He co-edited (with Arunma Oteh) the book, African Voices, African Visions in 2001. He is particularly interested in issues relating to the future and the interplay between institutions, innovation and national competitiveness. Olugbenga holds a BA and an MA in Economics from the City College of New York (US) and a PhD from the London School of Economics (UK) with a research on the role of intermediary institutions in the diffusion of complex technological innovations.

JosÈ Brito

Is a co-founder and partner of Ihaba, a business development venture, and the knowledge Network, a strategy consulting firm. He is the national Team Leader of the Cape Verde 100% Renewable Energy. He has over 35 years of professional experience in the Government arena.
He worked as vice president in charge of government relations for Ocean Energy, Oil Company in Texas, United States (1992-96). Brito managed ìAfrican Futuresî, a United Nations¥ program aimed at helping African Governments develop and implement long term strategic plans.
In Cape Verde he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2008-11), Minister of Economy, Competitiveness and Growth, (2006-08), Minister of Development and Planning and Foreign Aid (1977 and 1991). He was the Ambassador of Cape Verde in the United States, Canada and Mexico (2001- 2006). Brito holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Masters of Science in Physics and Chemistry from Cote díIvoire and †a Post Graduate Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the French Petroleum Institute, France.

Francis Etchie

Is a co-founder and partner of Ihaba. He is a computer and electrical engineer, has over 25 years of work experience, spanning the design, programming and consulting in the computing, communications and financial industries. He was instrumental in developing the state of the art, manufacturing division of V-band Corporation and creating the manufacturing technology department which was in existence until the eventual sale 12 years later to IPC systems. V-Band manufacturing division was responsible for developing the first digital trading Turret and the first integrated video trading Turret for the financial industry.
Over the last ten years, he has worked in the financial services sector providing technical support to firms such as FFTW, and BNP Paribas. Etchie has extensive experience in design and deployment of VOIP Services. Francis holds a BS in Computer and Electrical Engineering from the City College of New York and a Masters degree in Computer Engineering from Manhattan College.

Patti Anahory

Is co-founder of xu: innovations, an interdisciplinary practice that proposes a critical understanding of urban dynamics, environmental studies, architecture and inter-media studies.
Between 2009 and 2012 she served as director of CIDLOT- Research Center in Local Development and Territory Planning at the University of Cape Verde. During this time, the center proposed a critical analysis of settlement dynamics from an endogenous perspective in search of new paradigms for thinking cities in the global south.
She worked several years in architecture and design offices in New York and completed independent architectural projects in the USA, Cape Verde and Ghana.
She holds a degree in architecture from Boston Architectural College and a Masters in the same field from Princeton University (USA). In 2000 she was awarded the prestigious Rotch Traveling Scholarship which allowed her to travel extensively throughout the African continent to observe the dynamics of space making in Africa.

Is marketing and communication director at Ihaba. Prior to joining Ihaba, she coordinated various business activities and political and social events in Cape Verde and Brazil †including advertising campaigns, strategic marketing plans, †identity and promotional merchandise and customer service training. Monteiro is a specialist in promotional marketing and was founder and CEO of IsySolutions Promotional Marketing.
has served as sales and marketing director as well as public relations and operational manager at various companies. She was instructor of techniques of television expression, marketing and information systems for journalism and business management students.
She holds a BA in Advertising and Comunication from FANOR/Devry University (Brazil).