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A deep skin toned Black man is smiling with his mouth closed. He is wearing a dark t-shirt. He has short Twisted hair and a full mustache and beard. The photo is black and white and the background features two colored circles, one which is orange and the other pink .

Okong’o Kinyanjui

Leaders Africa 2023

Role

Co-Founder and Executive Director, Queer African Network

Location

Kenya

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Biography

Okong’o Kinyanjui is the co-founder and executive director of the Queer African Network (QAN), a social and professional networking platform for LGBTQ+ persons of African heritage. QAN’s membership has expanded to 2,500 members in 18 countries. The organization continues to co-design and build its platform with its members to ensure they can make safe connections, access opportunities, and exchange resources. In 2022, Okong’o gave a TED Talk about QAN, which has received over 1 million views, and he has also presented his work before the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Okong’o values interdisciplinary approaches to problems and believes that for projects to be successful, we must recognize the deep interconnectedness across all issue areas.