Pamela Wesonga
Pamela Were Wesonga is a senior development executive with over 25 years of experience advancing youth empowerment, education, and workforce development across Africa. She most recently served as Deputy Chief of Party for the Young African Leaders Initiative Legacy Localization (YALI LL) Project at Arizona State University, where she provided strategic and operational leadership for a USAID-funded program spanning 49 African countries. In this role, she strengthened delivery systems, harmonized operational processes, and embedded learning and accountability frameworks to enhance program effectiveness and impact for young African leaders.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Wesonga spent more than thirteen years at USAID Kenya and East Africa in senior leadership roles overseeing youth, education, and workforce development portfolios, including leading the development of USAID's Five Year Strategic Plan (2020–2025).
She is also the Founder and former Executive Director of Youth Initiatives–Kenya (YIKE), a national NGO that has supported hundreds of youth-led organizations through leadership, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement initiatives. Ms. Wesonga holds a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies and is pursuing a PhD in African Women Studies at the University of Nairobi. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to inclusive, gender-responsive, and locally led development across the continent.