Digital Economy Advisors
Accelerating Africa's Digital Growth
Team
Ben Roberts - Principal Advisor
Ben founded Digital Economy Advisors in 2024, as an established and awarded industry leader in the sphere of building and scaling digital infrastructure across Africa, with a vision to continue to Accelerate the Growth of Africa’s Digital Economy.
With over 20 years of experience as the Group Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, the leading communications solutions provider across Africa, he oversaw the company’s technology strategy and operations and drove innovation to deliver cutting-edge services to customers.
Additionally, Ben led the integration and business transformation as CEO of Liquid Telecom Kenya from 2013 to 2017 and thereafter served as board chairman of the company, as well as serving for over 10 years as a director of TEAMs Ltd and WIOCC Group, both subsea cable network operators.
Before joining Liquid, Ben was responsible for electronics design and satellite systems at Ericsson UK Limited. He also worked with Lotus Cars, the British sports car manufacturer, as an engineer. Ben holds a BSc Hons Physics from the University of Bristol in the UK.
Ben is passionate about STEM education and how it can be enabled by ICT and is Chair of the Board of Directors of Young Scientists Kenya (YSK).
Kasia Bielaczyc - Senior GIS and Planning Specialist
Kasia brings 19 years of expertise in network design across Europe, the U.S., and Africa. She specialises in optimising operations through advanced GIS, data transformation, analytics, and visualisation. She is dedicated to delivering innovative and efficient solutions that enable businesses to streamline processes and stay competitive in an evolving digital landscape. Kasia also has been actively involved in the UNICEF Giga/ITU initiative, focused on bridging the digital divide in developing countries. By partnering with ISPs to deliver internet access to underserved areas, she is contributing to expanding digital inclusion and creating new opportunities for those in need.
Robert Schumann - Principal Advisor
Robert is a strategy, business planning and regulatory expert in the electronic communications industry with a proven ability to architect and deliver major infrastructure deals and advise on regulatory or industry strategy. At Liquid Intelligent Technologies he helped deepen the relationship with major global customers leading to $100m+ deal value to the company. His work helped extend Liquid’s network across new borders to improve the economics of delivering service in inland locations. Prior to that, he had nine years’ experience in telecommunications consulting, from junior analyst to principal at Analysys Mason. He took responsibility for establishing a new office in Johannesburg (2012-2015), leading development of new accounts in Africa, and raising company profile through conferences, publications and meetings. Robert has strong research, analytical and numerical abilities, with a doctorate in theoretical physics from the University of Oxford and diploma in economics from University of London, and proven ability to deliver advisory projects to a value of USD1 million and beyond, and negotiate beneficial business deals of USD10 to 100 million value. He has globalexperience, having been based in Analysys Mason offices on three continents and delivered projects on-site to clients in over 10 other countries. His knowledge extends across fixed and mobile telecoms, media, data centres, cloud, and internet.
Kahil Ali - Senior Advisor - West Africa
Kahil Ali is a strategic advisor and digital transformation specialist with extensive experience in advancing technological innovation and human capital development across Africa. As Special Advisor to Sierra Leone's Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, he has lead critical initiatives in digital transformation and provided strategic direction on technology policy and implementation.
Previously, as Head of Project Design and Delivery at Sierra Leone's Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kahil successfully managed an $11 million portfolio of digital transformation projects, including the development and implementation of innovative healthcare solutions. His work has involved collaborations with prestigious institutions like MIT and international organizations including UNICEF and UNDP.
With a master's degree in Policy Studies from UCL and a background in both education and engineering, Kahil brings a unique perspective to digital development challenges. His expertise spans strategic partnerships, project design, and policy development, with a particular focus on leveraging technology to drive socioeconomic progress in emerging markets.
Florence Wachira - HR Director - Senior HR Specialist
Florence is a strategic HR professional with over 15 years of experience in human resource management and consultancy. Her experience in HR, Design & Development of organizational, performance management, budgeting and payroll in the public sector enable her to lead our internal Human Resources, as well as our HR Advisory practice.
Florence holds a Master in Business Administration in Strategic Management from Daystar University and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus on Human Resource Management from Kenya Methodist University. She is a Certified Human Resource Practitioner (K) and a full member of the Institute of Human Resource Management, Kenya.
Her published research on strategic planning and organizational performance demonstrates her commitment to evidence-based management approaches. Florence brings strong analytical skills, excellent communication abilities, and a collaborative mindset to her work in public service transformation.
