ILINA Program
ILINA Program is an African-led nonprofit research organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, advancing AI safety through Africa-centric evaluation research, policy engagement with African governments and multilateral institutions, and talent development via fellowships and seminars.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ILINA Program does
ILINA Program is an African-led nonprofit research organization founded in 2022 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, dedicated to advancing AI safety through research, policy engagement, and talent development. The organization operates with a core team of approximately 11 researchers and program staff, anchored by Coordinator Cecil Abungu (University of Cambridge PhD candidate) and a leadership bench of research associates and scholars drawn from Harvard Law, Columbia Law, and Strathmore University. Its work is explicitly framed around frontier AI risks from a Global South perspective, producing research on Africa-centric AI safety evaluations, governance frameworks, AI liability regimes, and the monitoring of AI impacts in African contexts.
The product surface consists of four interconnected offerings. The Junior Research Fellowship is a remote program with governance and technical tracks, includes a USD 7,000 scholarship per fellow, and runs annually from April to November. The 12-week Seminar on AI and global catastrophic risks is offered virtually (Friday 1-4pm GMT) and in-person in Nairobi (Saturday 2-5pm EAT), with a 4-hour weekly reading load and a certificate on completion. Research publications are distributed through ArXiv, Brookings, and CIGI Online, covering Africa-centric evaluations, regional AI safety capacity, and Global South engagement with highly capable AI. Policy engagement services target African policymakers, the African Union, and multilateral institutions including the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, with operational support to the Kenya AI Action Lab and direct assistance to the Kenya Bureau of Standards on its Code of Practice for AI Applications.
ILINA is funded as an independent nonprofit with no disclosed commercial revenue, venture capital backing, parent company, or institutional ownership. Its go-to-market is community-led: research outputs flow through academic and policy channels, talent flows through fellowship and seminar applications, and policy influence is built through direct engagement with African governments, multilateral institutions, and a network of partner AI safety organizations in the U.S. and EU including BERI, CARMA, AIWI, the Centre for the Governance of AI, and the University of Cape Town African Hub on AI Safety, Peace and Security. Effective customer segments are African policymakers, multilateral institutions, and junior researchers seeking AI safety careers, served without commercial pricing or transaction-based revenue.
ILINA Program firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ILINA Program
- Legal name
- ILINA Program
- Website
- https://ilinaprogram.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ILINA Program is an African-led nonprofit research organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, advancing AI safety through Africa-centric evaluation research, policy engagement with African governments and multilateral institutions, and talent development via fellowships and seminars.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ILINA Program industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Safety Research and Governance
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (HDAAAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Safety & Alignment Evaluation (red-teaming, harmful capability testing) (HDAAAMAL), Model Monitoring, Accountability & Incident Management (HDAAAMAF), Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services (BPAEAHAJ), Model Transparency, Explainability & Interpretability (XAI) (HDAAAMAB)
Keywords
Where ILINA Program is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
ILINA Program business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Research Grants and Fellowship Funding: The organization operates as a non-profit research initiative supported by partnerships with AI safety organizations and likely receives grant funding. The Junior Research Fellowship provides 7,000 USD scholarships to selected candidates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Junior Research Fellowship scholarship |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
ILINA Program product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ILINA Program is an African-led nonprofit that advances AI safety through applied research, policy engagement with African and multilateral institutions, and talent development via the Junior Research Fellowship (with governance and technical tracks, offering a $7,000 USD scholarship) and a 12-week Seminar on AI and global catastrophic risks. It produces Africa-centric safety evaluation research, mechanistic interpretability work, and policy submissions to bodies such as the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
Product overview
ILINA Program is an African-led organization dedicated to advancing AI safety through research, policy engagement, and talent development. The organization offers several interconnected programs: the Junior Research Fellowship (a remote program with governance and technical tracks offering mentorship, community access, and a $7,000 scholarship), the Seminar (a 12-week intensive course on AI and catastrophic risks available virtually or in-person in Nairobi), Research Publications on AI safety and governance, and Policy Engagement services with African governments and multilateral institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Junior Research Fellowship A fellowship designed to immerse selected candidates into the field of AI and global catastrophic risks, helping them develop high-impact projects. The program offers two tracks: governance (AI policy, regulation, and legal frameworks) and technical (AI safety evaluation and mechanistic interpretability). The program is remote with occasional in-person meetups and includes a $7,000 USD scholarship. Target audience is talented Africans with social science, humanities, or technical backgrounds.
- Seminar A 12-week intensive learning seminar on AI and global catastrophic risks. Participants can attend virtually via Zoom every Friday from 1 to 4 pm GMT, or in person in Nairobi on Saturday afternoons from 2 to 5 pm EAT. The seminar requires 4 hours of preparatory reading weekly and participants need to attend a minimum of 10 out of 12 sessions. Participants receive a certificate upon successful completion.
- Research Publications Evidence-based research publications covering AI safety, governance, policy recommendations, and responsible AI development for African contexts and the Global South. Distributed via the ILINA website, ArXiv, Brookings, CIGI Online, and partner publication platforms.
- Policy Engagement Engagement with African policy makers, multilateral institutions, and international fora to advance AI safety considerations and responsible AI governance frameworks. Includes joint submissions to bodies such as the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance and advisory contributions to the Kenya Bureau of Standards Code of Practice for AI Applications.
Quantifiable outcome
- Produced multiple research publications on AI safety in Africa including reports on monitoring AI impacts, Africa-centric evaluations, and Global South AI governance
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ILINA Program
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ILINA Program technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
ILINA Program partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AI Safety South AfricacoreCollaborates on joint research and field-building programs. Made joint submission to UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
- University of Cape Town AI InitiativecoreJoint research on Africa-centric AI safety evaluations. Made joint submission to UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
- Action Lab AfricacoreCollaborated on joint submission to UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance on AI governance.
- University of Cape Town African Hub on AI Safety, Peace and SecuritycoreTeam members serve as core members. Conducts Africa-centric AI safety evaluations under this hub.
- Centre for the Governance of AIminorTeam member Grace Chege undertook Summer Research Fellowship at this institution in London.
- Centre for AI Risk Management and Alignment (CARMA)minorTeam members Raqda Sayidali and Mark Gitau serve as Legal Fellows working on US and EU whistleblower protections.
- Centre for Long Term ResilienceminorFormer JRF Sharon Malonza now works as Research Contractor at this London-based institution.
- AI Whistleblower Initiative (AIWI)minorTeam member Jean Jeptoo serves as Legal Fellow designing frameworks for individuals to raise AI safety concerns.
- Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative (BERI)minorProgram Manager Natalie Gitau also works with BERI as Operations Assistant supporting AI safety organizations.
- Kenya AI Action LabcoreCoordinator Cecil Abungu supports the work of this Kenya equivalent of AI Safety Institutes (UK, US, Japan, Singapore).
- Kenya Bureau of StandardsminorTeam members assisted in developing the Code of Practice for AI Applications.
- UN Working Group on Business and Human RightsminorResearch Associate Marie Iradukunda consulted on the report 'The Use of AI and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights'.
- Global South AI Safety ReportminorCoordinator Cecil Abungu serves on the Expert Advisory Panel of this report.
- Vista Institute for AI PolicyminorJunior Research Scholar Mark Lenny Gitau won first place in the 2025 course project competition.
- Centre for Human-Compatible AIminorJunior Research Scholar Jean Jeptoo participated in the 2025 Workshop in Pacific Grove, California.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ILINA Program competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- RAND Corporation: Global policy research institute with established AI and emerging technology research programs. Comparable to ILINA's research-to-policy model, though operating at vastly larger scale across defence, health, and AI domains, and publishing through RAND outlets comparable to ILINA's Brookings and CIGI contributions.
- Future of Life Institute: Established AI safety advocacy and grantmaking organisation with global remit including policy engagement and field-building. Comparable to ILINA in mission but much larger, with broader portfolios across AI safety, biosecurity, and longtermism, operating worldwide rather than Africa-focused.
Direct peers
- BlueDot Impact: UK-based organisation running the AI Safety Fundamentals fellowship that alumni of ILINA's pipeline have completed. Directly comparable to ILINA's Junior Research Fellowship and Seminar programs in talent-development focus, with deeper technical curriculum and broader geographic reach.
- AI Now Institute: NYU-based research institute producing policy research on AI's societal impacts and governance. Comparable to ILINA's policy engagement and research publications mission, focused on AI accountability rather than Africa-centric framing.
- Centre for AI Safety: Berkeley-based research organisation focused on frontier AI safety, evaluations, and catastrophic risk. Closely comparable to ILINA's technical track including mechanistic interpretability and safety evaluations, and produces research on global catastrophic AI risks.
- Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER): Cambridge University research centre studying existential and catastrophic risks including from AI. Directly comparable research focus and hosts one of ILINA's former fellows (Michelle Malonza), with overlapping expertise in AI governance and global catastrophic risk.
- Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI): Research-driven AI governance organisation producing policy briefs and academic research on frontier AI risks. Directly comparable to ILINA in mission, methodology, and target audience (policymakers and researchers), though anchored in the UK/US rather than the Global South.
Emerging players
- Centre for AI Risk Management and Alignment (CARMA): Research organisation focused on AI risk management and alignment policy; hosts Legal Fellows working on whistleblower protections with whom ILINA team members are affiliated. Comparable in policy research methodology and overlapping researcher base.
- Apart Research: AI safety research organisation running fellowship-style programs (e.g., AI deception research) that ILINA's Technical AI Safety Researcher Sienka Dounia participated in. Comparable in field-building model and emphasis on mechanistic interpretability and AI deception studies.
- Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative (BERI): Operational and financial support organisation for AI safety and biosecurity groups. Comparable to ILINA in being a supporting infrastructure entity within the AI safety field-building ecosystem, though operates in a back-office capacity rather than direct research.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ILINA Program social profiles
Digital presenceILINA Program financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ILINA Program leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
ILINA Program funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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ILINA Program M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about ILINA Program
What does ILINA Program do?
ILINA Program is an African-led nonprofit that advances AI safety through applied research, policy engagement with African and multilateral institutions, and talent development via the Junior Research Fellowship (with governance and technical tracks, offering a $7,000 USD scholarship) and a 12-week Seminar on AI and global catastrophic risks. It produces Africa-centric safety evaluation research, mechanistic interpretability work, and policy submissions to bodies such as the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
Is ILINA Program a public or private company?
ILINA Program is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ILINA Program founded?
ILINA Program was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ILINA Program based?
ILINA Program is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does ILINA Program make money?
One revenue line is on record: research Grants and Fellowship Funding.
Who are ILINA Program's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are RAND Corporation and Future of Life Institute. Direct peers are BlueDot Impact, AI Now Institute, Centre for AI Safety, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) and Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI). Emerging players are Centre for AI Risk Management and Alignment (CARMA), Apart Research and Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative (BERI).
Does ILINA Program have an API?
No public API is recorded for ILINA Program.
What industry is ILINA Program in?
ILINA Program's product category is AI Safety Research and Governance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAMAA, AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms, with a secondary code of HDAAAMAL, Safety & Alignment Evaluation (red-teaming, harmful capability testing). Its NAICS code is 61143 and its SIC code is 7371.