About Ohala Africa

Ohala Africa Foundation is a Kenya-based nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring new thinking on Africa’s economic development. Rooted in the Lake Victoria Region and shaped by deep engagement with local communities and enterprises, our work connects lived experience to ideas, strategies, and models that speak to Africa’s future in a rapidly changing world.

Ohala Africa was founded and is led by Pete Ondeng, a development practitioner and thought leader with over three decades of experience in economic development, policy engagement, and institution building across Africa.

We operate at the intersection of community practice, enterprise development, and systems change. In contexts shaped by technological disruption, climate stress, and shifting global power dynamics, Ohala Africa seeks to translate local realities into actionable insights that inform policy, investment, and institutional reform. Our focus is not on isolated projects, but on strengthening the foundations—values, institutions, and markets—on which durable development depends.

In the Lake Region, our work has concentrated on unlocking the economic, social, and environmental potential of strategic value chains, beginning with aquaculture and the wider blue economy. We pursue this through stakeholder convening, policy advocacy, enterprise support, and the design of collaborative platforms that enable collective action and long-term value creation.

Since our inception, Ohala Africa has played a catalytic role in organizing and strengthening private-sector participation in Kenya’s aquaculture ecosystem. In 2023, we initiated and helped establish the Lake Victoria Aquaculture (LVA) Association, now the leading platform for industry coordination, policy dialogue, and engagement between producers, regulators, and market actors. Through this platform, we have supported sector-wide dialogue, challenged counterproductive regulatory approaches, and contributed to more constructive policy and legislative outcomes.

As our work has matured, Ohala Africa has increasingly focused on the role of finance, governance, and institutional capability in enabling inclusive economic growth. This has given rise to a number of flagship initiatives—including the SAFI Project—each designed to address specific constraints while advancing our broader mission of building credible, values-anchored pathways for enterprise and community development.

Across all our work, we remain grounded in place and guided by purpose—connecting local insight to systemic change, and investing in ideas, institutions, and people capable of shaping Africa’s next chapter.