Naserian Axis Consulting: African Women-Led Consultancy for Gender Equality, Governance, MEL and Ethical AI

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Welcome to

Naserian Axis Consulting LLC

Naserian Axis Consulting LLC is a US-based social impact consulting firm with a global reach, founded by two African women development practitioners who bring 30 years of combined experience across Africa, multilateral institutions, civil society, and donor settings. Our work sits where Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Governance, and Ethical AI meet, because lasting impact depends on all three.

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Governance Advisory & Political Economy Analysis

Development organizations keep producing programs that look good on paper and underperform on the ground. We help mission-driven organizations turn strategy into results. We support INGOs, CSOs, foundations, and public institutions with practical advisory, capacity building, and evaluation services grounded in local context and global standards.

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Organizational Development & Institutional Capacity

Capacity assessments, Organizational Development strategy, leadership development, and board governance for INGOs, CSOs, government institutions, and the private sector designed with equity and inclusion structurally embedded.

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Intersectional GESI Analysis, Policy Advisory & Program Design

We integrate gender equality and social inclusion structurally at the design stage, not retrofitted at reporting time. We provide GESI analysis, policy advisory, and program design support that embeds equity across strategy, operations, and measurement.

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Ethical AI for Development: A Perspective the Sector is Missing

We help organizations assess bias, strengthen digital inclusion, and adopt ethical AI practices that protect communities and improve decision-making.

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Women, Peace & Security

We support WPS framework development across conflict-affected, fragile, and transitional contexts, with political economy analysis, gender lens programming, and direct experience in African conflict and post-conflict environments.

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Gender-Responsive Climate Adaptation and Mitigation

We support gender-responsive climate mitigation and adaptation for communities most exposed to climate risk and least represented in adaptation policy.

Our partners
Trusted by organizations driving structural change
The Chanzo Initiative logo with styled text and a wave line under 'Initiative'.Bluefin Solutions Ltd company logo with stylized blue and gray shapes forming a fin.FADev logo with a shovel and pickaxe crossed above the text Foundation for ASM Development.Silhouette of a woman holding balanced scales labeled 'Law' and 'Justice'.Local2Global Lab logo with an abstract oval pattern beside the text.
Our Difference & Impact
Analyze systems through intersectional insight empower
organizations with sustainable reform, and inspire structural change across Africa.
Testimonials
What our partners
say about us
Real references from colleagues and partners across civil society, bilateral donors, and international organisations.
"Jamila has been a team player, innovative and very engaging with her independent analytical thinking."
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Michael John Dalali
Senior Development Analyst
Global Affairs Canada (High Commission of Canada)· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Jamila has been a team player, innovative and very engaging with her independent analytical thinking.

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Michael John Dalali
Senior Development Analyst
Global Affairs Canada (High Commission of Canada)· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

She is operationally sharp and strategically grounded: the rare professional who can design the framework, manage the budget, and train the team, all with the same standard of excellence.

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Joel Ntile
Co-Founding Editor
The Chanzo· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Iman's engagement with Norwegian Church Aid has been impactful and aligned with our mission. Her ability to connect advocacy with practical, community-level action has made her a valuable contributor to advancing social justice and inclusive development.

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Nizar Seleman Utanga
Advocacy and Communications Officer
Norwegian Church Aid· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Iman has demonstrated a strong understanding of gender issues and a commitment to promoting equitable opportunities. Her contributions to community development and social inclusion programming were consistently thoughtful and results-driven.

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Anna Marwa
Gender Specialist
PELUM Tanzania· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Iman inspired me both professionally and personally, and gave me valuable insights I have carried ever since. She was a valued colleague who consistently motivated others while fostering a warm, enthusiastic work environment.

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Ingrid Perbo Amare
Desk Officer, Africa Unit
Folke Bernadotte Academy· 🇸🇪 Sweden

Iman consistently distinguished herself as a committed and collaborative team player, bringing both strategic insight and practical execution to our work. She played a key role in engaging government officials and Members of Parliament, contributing meaningfully to high-level advocacy across multiple sectors.

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Elinami John Mkhumbi
Manager: Advocacy and Engagement
Policy Forum· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Working with Iman was a great experience. She brought simplicity and clarity even to the most demanding work. Her approach to GESI strategy has a lasting impact on the institutions she works with.

GW
Goodluck Willy
Program Manager
UN Association of Tanzania· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Jamila Lugembe is a results-oriented professional with expertise in gender and political economy, grounded in the Tanzania and broader East African context. She brings a strong understanding of how social and economic dynamics shape development outcomes, applying this insight through practical, context-sensitive approaches. Known for her professionalism, analytical thinking, and clear communication, she contributes effectively to advancing inclusive and sustainable development in the region.

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Fortunata Kitokesya
Program Manager, Human Rights
· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

She was a valuable member with ability to analyse situation and communicate with clarity. Her ability to engage with people from various works of life was also very key in building useful bridges that we all benefited from at the Embassy.

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Oscar Mkude
Team Leader - Economic Diplomacy
Embassy of Denmark in Tanzania· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Jamila is an incredibly thoughtful yet humble professional whose confidence inspires those she works with into being the best versions of themselves. Her leadership is grounded in her integrity and attention to detail. She's a go getter whose passion drives her into what seem insurmountable challenges until she breaks them. Working with Jamila is truly refreshing because of her consistency and indomitable commitment to the shared goal.

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Deus Valentine Rweyemamu
Chief Executive Officer
Center for Strategic Litigation· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Jamila has maintained consistent and constructive engagement with our organization through several professional interactions over time. We have met on multiple occasions, during which she has shown genuine interest in the work of Tech & Media Convergency (TMC). Her engagement has been professional, insightful, and aligned with values of inclusive development.

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Asha D. Abinallah
Chief Executive Officer
Tech & Media Convergency (TMC)· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Experienced leader and expert in governance, gender and reforms. She has a long working experience i managing civil society projects donours and unternational organisations

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Goodluck Willy (Executive Director)
Program Manager
· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Jamila is an exceptionally capable professional with deep expertise in gender-related work and a proven track record in advancing gender equality. I witnessed her outstanding contributions during her time with TAWLA and later with Danish Embassy (Danida) in Tanzania, where she supported civil society initiatives, while I worked with the Foundation for Civil Society. She brought strong analytical and strategic skills, and is particularly effective in building and maintaining positive relationships that value partner contributions and align well with donor expectations. Her professionalism, integrity, and results-oriented approach make her highly suited for a senior leadership role in gender-focused programming.

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Francis Uhadi
Program Manager
Foundation for Civil Society· 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Jamila Lugembe is a transformative leader who operates at the rare intersection of high-level strategic advisory and principled, frontline advocacy. Throughout her tenure, she demonstrated a profound ability to translate complex human rights frameworks into tangible, community-centered outcomes. What distinguishes Jamila is her analytical rigor combined with a deep, intuitive understanding of political economy. She does not merely manage portfolios; she shepherds them with a clarity that ensures gender equality is treated as a core structural necessity rather than a secondary objective. Whether she was navigating the shifting civic spaces of the Sahel or coordinating multi-sectoral responses to gender-based violence, Jamila remained the 'analytical anchor' for our team.

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Aida H Oualate
Program Manager, CEO/FOUNDER
· 🇺🇸 USA
News & Updates

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Frequently Asked Questions

Got questions? We've got answers.

Everything you need to know about working with Naserian Axis Consulting. Still curious? We'd be glad to talk it through.

Book a discovery call

What types of organizations do you work with?

We work with organizations that are serious about making development, governance, and gender equality programming actually work, not just on paper.

Our clients include civil society organizations, bilateral donors such as USAID, FCDO, GIZ and the EU, international NGOs, foundations, United Nations agencies, and impact-driven private sector actors with ESG mandates. In the United States, we regularly engage with NGOs, INGOs, and community-based organizations working on Africa-focused programming, women's rights, and global development. We also work directly with women-led organizations and women-led businesses that need rigorous advisory support to strengthen their evidence, governance, and strategic positioning.

If your work touches gender equality, governance, political economy, monitoring and evaluation, organizational development, or responsible AI, we are likely the right partner.

Where do you operate geographically?

Naserian Axis is based in Minnesota and Michigan, and we operate across Tanzania, East Africa, and globally. Our fully remote infrastructure means that geography is not a constraint. We bring the same analytical rigour and contextual depth to engagements in Dar es Salaam, Washington DC, Geneva, or Nairobi.

We are an African women-led firm with deep roots in East African development contexts, and we carry that grounded perspective into every engagement, wherever in the world it takes place.

What makes Naserian Axis different from other consulting firms?

Three things set us apart, and none of them are cosmetic.

First, we do not treat gender equality, governance, MEL, and organizational development as separate disciplines, the way most consulting firms do. We built Naserian Axis on the argument that siloing these disciplines is precisely what causes programs to fail. We deliver them as a single, coherent advisory model.

Second, we are contextually grounded. Our expertise is not borrowed from frameworks designed elsewhere and applied to Africa as an afterthought. It was built in African contexts, by African women, with a clear-eyed understanding of what actually drives change in complex political and social environments.

Third, we hold ourselves to ethical standards that are rare at our size. Our Ethical AI Policy, our safeguarding framework, and our Do No Harm approach are not compliance documents. They are how we practice.

We are also, frankly, a better investment. We bring senior expertise without the overhead of a large international firm, and we deliver faster, more adaptive, and more contextually relevant outputs.

How do I start working with you?

The first step is a conversation. Reach out through our contact form or connect with us directly on LinkedIn. We will arrange a short discovery call to understand your organization's needs, the scope of support you are looking for, and whether Naserian Axis is the right fit.

From there, we will propose the most appropriate service pathway, whether that is a defined consulting package, a retained advisory relationship, or a bespoke engagement scoped to your program cycle and budget.

We work with clients at every stage, from organizations designing programs from scratch to those mid-implementation who need rigorous evaluation and course correction.