MEET THE TEAM

 My Story: Why I Founded ITIKI Africa

I founded ITIKI Africa because I have spent most of my life at the intersection of technology, people, and purpose.

I am a computer scientist by training and a problem-solver by conviction. Over more than two decades in research, teaching, and academic leadership, I have worked with advanced technologies, including as artificial intelligence, mobile computing, and the Internet of Things. Yet, some of the most powerful insights that shaped my journey did not come from laboratories or journals, but from conversations with farmers, community elders, and local innovators across Africa.

Early in my research career, I began asking a simple but uncomfortable question: Why do many well-funded, technically sound systems fail to serve the very communities they are meant to support?

In my work on drought prediction and climate risk, I repeatedly encountered a disconnect. Scientific models were improving, data was increasing, yet small-scale farmers still relied heavily on indigenous knowledge passed down through generations. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, I recognised it as an opportunity.

That realisation led to the birth of ITIKI, which stands for Information Technology and Indigenous Knowledge with Intelligence.

ITIKI began as a research idea, then became a prototype, and eventually evolved into a living system co-created with communities. By combining artificial intelligence with indigenous knowledge, mobile technology, and sensor data, we demonstrated that locally grounded intelligence could significantly improve climate and agricultural decision-making. More importantly, it restored trust. People were more willing to use technology when it respected what they already knew.

As ITIKI grew beyond a research project, it became clear that Africa needed more than pilots and papers. It needed scalable, sustainable platforms designed on the continent, for the continent. That is when ITIKI Africa was born.

Today, ITIKI Africa is unfolding into a pan-African technology company delivering AI-powered, climate-smart decision-support solutions starting with Eastern and Southern Africa. Our work supports farmers, communities, development partners, and institutions to better anticipate droughts, manage climate risks, and strengthen resilience. We focus on solutions that are scientifically robust, ethically grounded, and practical in real-world conditions.

My journey as a professor, researcher, and entrepreneur has allowed me to move between global and local spaces. I have advised international organisations, reviewed major research and innovation programmes, and spoken on global platforms about Africa’s role in shaping the future of AI. At the same time, I remain deeply committed to engaging directly with communities on the ground. Both spaces matter, and meaningful innovation lives in the space between them.

At the heart of ITIKI Africa is a belief that technology must serve people, not the other way around. Innovation should amplify local wisdom, not erase it. Africa’s challenges are complex, but so is its intelligence. When we integrate scientific rigor with indigenous knowledge, we unlock solutions that are not only smarter, but fairer and more sustainable.

This is why I founded ITIKI Africa.

Not just to build technology, but to build trust, relevance, and impact, at scale.

Dr. Paulina Phoobane is a lecturer at Walter Sisulu University and a researcher in Information Technology with a strong focus on data-driven solutions for public health, climate resilience, and digital innovation. She holds a PhD in Information Technology from the Central University of Technology. Her doctoral work produced an intelligent infectious disease prediction tool that integrates machine learning, big climate data, and Indigenous Knowledge, contributing a novel, interdisciplinary approach to malaria early warning and climate-linked health challenges.

Dr. Phoobane’s research contributions have been recognised through competitive funding awards, including the Research and Innovation Systems in Africa (RISA) grant to develop a digital technology application in 2022, and a Research and Innovation Recognition Certificate from Walter Sisulu University in 2023. Her ongoing projects further position her as a growing contributor to technology-enabled solutions for health, education, and societal development.

Khopotso Motsienyane is a researcher and an IT specialist focused on integrating modern technologies with local Indigenous knowledge systems to monitoring the degradation of medicinal plants. Khopotso completed her ERASMUS Master’s program at http://yildiz.edu.tr/en in Turkey and obtained her postgraduate diploma at the Central University of Technology, Free State (South Africa), where she is currently pursuing her Masters degree. Khopotso’s research interests include remote sensing, machine learning, and the application of ICT tools for environmental sustainability.

Mr Filipe Sitole is a farmer in Espugabera, Manica Province, Mozambique. He is the current ITIKI country project manager for Mozambique. He works closely with other farmers and the ITIKI ambassadors.