ILINA Program

The ILINA Program is an African-led research program founded in 2022 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Its mission is to build talent, generate impactful research, and shape policy to advance AI safety, with a particular focus on ensuring African perspectives are included in global conversations about AI safety and governance.

The program operates two primary tracks. The ILINA Seminar is a 12-week educational program that introduces exceptional undergraduate and recently graduated students from across Africa to how AI works, the catastrophic risks it could pose, and AI governance ideas receiving attention today. It is offered both in-person in Nairobi and virtually across Africa. The Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is a research-focused track for recent graduates, requiring a minimum 20-hour weekly commitment over several months. JRFs receive personalized mentorship and a scholarship (currently $5,000 USD) as they develop high-impact research projects in either a governance or technical track.

ILINA's research focuses on the governance of highly capable AI to prevent catastrophic risks, technical AI alignment, biosecurity, and the distinctive role that developing countries and Global South perspectives can play in shaping international AI safety governance. The program's coordinator, Cecil Abungu, is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge studying AI and labour law, a Research Affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) and the Institute for Law and AI, and holds degrees from Strathmore University and Harvard Law School.

ILINA's alumni have gone on to participate in prominent programs including the GovAI research fellowship and the AI Futures Fellowship. The program's researchers have published through the Brookings Institution, and team members collaborate with organizations such as the Centre for AI Risk Management and Alignment (CARMA) on whistleblower protections for AI safety. Cecil Abungu was named Co-Chair of the AI and Emerging Technologies Track at RightsCon 2026.

The program is fiscally sponsored by the Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative (BERI) and received a $369,000 grant from Jaan Tallinn through the Survival and Flourishing Fund's 2025 S-Process round.