The AIRD Management
Fredrick Kasina
Fredrick is a development professional with 20 years of hands-on experience in the planning and execution of donor funded projects.
He is a business management expert with a passion for enterprise development and youth empowerment through entrepreneurship. He has deep experience in leading teams within fast-paced international NGOs, and offering consultancy services to NGOs in the development sector and foundations engaged in youth empowerment programs.
He is a strong administrator, having proven leadership skills in business development, program management,
monitoring and evaluation, managing teams, operational and financial supervision. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Initiative for Rural Development.
For the past five years, Fredrick has been the team leader for Diageo Foundation funded ‘Project Heshima’, at Africa Initiative for Rural Development. The project aims to build youth skills for employability. Other key programs led include; IFAD/CTA funded youth training project; Team Lead: Tujiajiri Youth Project, A project by KCB Foundation, and funded by MasterCard Foundation, whose task was to mobilize, train and link youth to various financing mechanisms.
Fredrick holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), degree, specializing in Strategic Management, Kabarak University, and a Bachelor of Education (arts), Economics and Business Studies. He is certified in value chain program design; M4P Market Systems approach for enterprise development, Springfield Center, and Market development and BDS approach in enterprise development, Aga Khan Foundation.
Tollander Wabwire
Tollander is a management consultant with 18 years experience in finance, development, and business consulting.
He developed and implemented projects across sub Saharan Africa, in agricultural finance, energy, public sector, life sciences, and consumer industries. He is currently the Business Development and Partnerships Director at Africa Imitative for Rural Development.
Tollander is a former Consulting Manager at Deloitte Consulting Limited, Nairobi, where he was instrumental in delivering several projects within Kenya and Across Africa, funded by various development partners including UN IFAD, UNDP, Mastercard Foundation, EU, JICA, Diageo PLC, Proctor & Gamble Foundation, USAID, SNV, UKAid, ILO Y2Y Fund, and Solidaridad.
Before joining Deloitte, he was a pioneer of the local capacity development facilitation concept, now strongly entrenched in development service provision in Kenya. Key outputs included the co-establishment of, and fundraising for a Kenya local capacity development facility, through an SNV/Act!/KCDF Partnership, and the establishment of one of the first Islamic Banks in East Africa.
Tollander holds a Masters degree in International Business Administration (MIBA), from United States International University – Africa; a BSC in Agriculture, and a range of certifications in Financial Services, Business Consulting, Digital, Cloud, and Analytics.
He is a Deloitte Alumnus, currently making impact as a Board member on Afrifoods Agribusiness Training Institute, AATI, A Management Consultant with Fineline Management Systems Limited, and is a member of several professional bodies, including; the International Food and Agribusiness Association (IFAMA), International Union of Food Scientists (IUFOST), and Food Science & Technology Platform of Kenya (FoSTEP-K).
Fredrick Lawrence
Lawrence is an international policy research and governance professional with over 25 years of experience in policy research and development, with particular focus on policy data mining and synthesis.
He is a policy researcher with a specific interest in application of digital technology for poverty reduction, bridging digital inequality gaps, improving ICT private investor regulations, fostering digital economy competitiveness in Africa.
He is a highly organized individual who has led research teams in providing political, social, and economic data and situation analysis as part of assurance services in support of donor partners who run projects in developing countries. As a Digital Policy Hub (DPH) Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Canada fellow, a Balsillie School of International Affairs/Global Affairs Canada Global governance fellow, and author of several peer-reviewed publications, including a 2013 position paper in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) at the model UN Conference in New York, USA, he brings a wealth of experience to both our Economic Empowerment, and Civil Society Strengthening thematic pillars.
He is currently our Associate Director, Policy, Programs and International Liaison, based at our North American Liaison Office in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Prior to the appointment, he was an international development consultant, Canada and Kenya, providing policy data, M&E and assurance services for development programs operating in Africa, as part of program management services to Canadian based funding partners.
Fredrick is admitted to a Doctoral Program in Digital Transformation and Innovation, at Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo. He holds a Master of Arts in Global Governance (Distinction), from the same University, and a BA in International Development Studies, St. Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.