ZuAfrique Foundation
Building the human layer for a post-AI world.
As AI makes technical capability abundant, what sets people apart is how well they connect, trust and build together. Africa is where we're testing this first, through residencies, fellowships and open research, before taking it to the world.
Why now
What matters more when machines can do more
The human layer
Technology and capital are becoming easier to access. Trust, shared context and the ability to build across backgrounds and disciplines are not. ZuAfrique invests in them.
Africa first
Africa is an active place of innovation, community and leadership, not an audience waiting for the future to arrive. Its traditions of interdependence, creativity and resilience make it the right place to test this model first.
Built to go global
ZuAfrique is not a retreat from technology. It is a response to it. The model starts in Africa and is being built to shape how people everywhere live, work and create together.
What we do
Three ways we build the human layer
01
ZuAfrique Residencies
Twenty-one days of living, learning and building together, where we test what the human layer makes possible.
Advancing education, including research into how people build trust, connection and collaboration, and publishing the results for public benefit.
Learn more →02
Fellowships & Scholarships
Funded places, so that who takes part depends on what people bring, not what they can afford.
Promoting community development and economic opportunity through capacity building and community-led learning.
Learn more →03
Learning & Research
An open library of what our community teaches, and honest research on how trust, connection and collaboration are built.
Advancing the education and skills of young people, especially in technology, enterprise and the creative industries.
Learn more →Impact so far
Two residencies, 2025 and 2026
120+
people have lived and learned together across two 21-day residencies in Kilifi, Kenya
Source: 2025 General Report p.3; 2026 General Report p.6
9
countries represented in 2026, across Africa, Europe and North America
Source: 2026 General Report, p.6
95.7%
of surveyed 2026 residents said their sense of what's possible expanded
Source: 2026 General Report, p.19
100%
of surveyed 2026 residents committed to follow-up action with someone they met
Source: 2026 General Report, p.19
Survey figures come from end-of-programme surveys: 26 residents in 2025 and 23 residents in 2026 (about 64% of those eligible). Read what we learned, including what didn't work →
In their words
Allow yourself to feel: residents on ZuAfrique 2.0
“When technology reaches its peak, human connection becomes the key differentiator between humans and machines.”
Michael Lawal, VP of Partnerships, AyaHQ
Accountable by design
You can see how we work
Independent trustees
A board of trustees, now being appointed, will oversee our work and answer for every pound we spend.
Meet the trustees →Public reports
We publish our reports in full, including the methods, the limitations and the risks.
Read the reports →Where money goes
We show how funds are spent, from venues and meals to scholarships.
See the breakdown →With thanks to those who made it possible
Our residencies have been funded by AyaHQ, by Lisk in 2025, and by individual donors in 2026. See where the money went →