About Buntu
A long-term ecosystem for African talent.
Buntu Foundation was created in response to a structural gap: the absence of early, coherent, ethically grounded pathways that guide young Africans from secondary education into advanced scientific, technological, and research careers, with purpose and global relevance.
We start where most others stop. Our scholarship coaching has already helped 50+ African students win fully-funded Master's and PhD seats around the world, and our AI4 Youth Summer School brings 100+ high-schoolers a year into ethical, hands-on AI.
Our mission
Help African students and professionals unlock the funding, training and networks they need to lead in science, AI and research, from high school all the way to PhD.
Our approach
Depth before breadth. We replicate a tight, values-driven model rather than chase scale, every cohort gets the same care as the first.
Our values
Excellence, empathy, collaboration, responsibility. Soft skills are treated as prerequisites for powerful technologies, not as garnish.
Our reach
Africa-first, with active diaspora partnerships in Canada and Europe. Mostly francophone today, expanding to English.
Founder
Elnathan Tiokou
AI researcher · MasterCard Foundation Scholar · Storyteller
Watch Elnathan on YouTube →Elnathan is a PhD candidate in Artificial Intelligence at Polytechnique Montréal and a researcher at the MILA Quebec AI Institute, one of the world's leading AI labs. His research focuses on responsible and robust AI systems via federated learning, with applications in health, finance and education.
Before his PhD, he earned the prestigious MasterCard Foundation Scholarship for his MSc in Data Science at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). His academic journey started at the Université de Douala, Cameroon, where he completed his Bachelor's and M1 in Computer Science and won several prizes for academic, social and entrepreneurial achievements.
Elnathan is also the founder of CHRONEXIS, an African tech startup, and a sought-after speaker who uses his own story, growing up in the chaotic neighborhoods of Douala, to inspire the next generation across the continent.
The long-term vision
"A world-class innovation and research hub located in Africa, designed to attract exceptional minds from across the continent and the world, a fully funded environment where researchers can live and work without concern for basic needs."
. Stay Hungry, Stay foolish.