The Progress of the East Africa Community

The East Africa Group serves as WILDLABS first regional hub, established in 2022. This group creates a space to foster connections between conservation and technology players in East Africa through tools, resources, and events that facilitate knowledge sharing and adoption of conservation technology that help solve conservation challenges in the region. 

As we continue expanding our work and network across East Africa, we recognise the importance of incorporating Kenyan and Tanzanian community group leaders to promote the inclusion of local contextualized voices and perspectives from across the East African Community. We hope that next year's cohort can include local Rwandan and Ugandan curators to represent the entire East African conservation technology landscape and ecosystem.  

Welcoming our new Group Leaders 

For the next year, our two new group leaders Catherine Njore (Kenya) and Agriphina Cletus (Tanzania) will help curate resources and engagement activities that grow and support their local conservation technology communities across the region. If you see them around WILDLABS, please give them a warm welcome and get in touch with them regarding tech4wildlife in their respective countries to start great conversations!

Catherine Njore - Kenya

Catherine Njore is a Kenyan cartographer with over 17 years of experience, now specializing in children cartography. She has authored 8 books, 7 of the books on maps prepared using GIS. Her passion is to introduce maps and map-use to young learners addressing real life issues, mostly environmental conservation. She is a member of Kenya Forest Club that aims at solving climate change challenges through early childhood education and training in actively involving them in mitigation measures with a focus on forest conservation. You can watch her InConversation interview with us on delving into tech4wildlife innovation here. 

Feel free to reach out to Cathy on her WILDLABS account here

Agriphina Cletus - Tanzania

Agriphina Cletus is a dedicated female conservationist hailing from Tanzania, deeply committed to nature and ecosystem conservation and community empowerment. She has immersed herself in community-based projects, advocating fervently for the integration of local communities into conservation initiatives. Currently, she is spearheading the "Fostering Human-Elephant Coexistence in Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem" project at the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), orchestrating efforts to harmonize conservation goals with community needs. Her background is a testament to her unwavering dedication, leadership, and problem-solving skills, all aimed at fostering positive outcomes. Agriphina is also part of our exceptional cohort of Women in Conservation Technology Programme 2024 which you can read more about here. 

Feel free to reach out to Agriphina on her WILDLABS account here. 

About the Group Leadership Programme

The WILDLABS Group Leadership Programme is a volunteer-based, year-long cohort programme that invites WILDLABS community members to curate vibrant spaces where people in conservation tech can get help, connect with peers, find support, and meaningfully engage within a niche group. This year's cohort is running from July 2024 to July 2025. To learn more about the Group Leadership Programme, review the handbook here.

We would love to hear from you

If you want to learn more about the East Africa Community and how you can get involved in our work, reach out to Esther Githinji. Feel free to also share your thoughts and ideas about growing our regional community in the discussion thread here:

Read "East Africa Community Monthly Catch ups: Share your ideas! | WILDLABS" on

East Africa Community Monthly Catch ups: Share your ideas! | WILDLABS