“The times are urgent,
so let us slow down”
– Bayo Akomolafe
Akoma is an invitation to recalibrate our patterns of being.
We strive to integrate Life Principles into everything we do; starting with our own internal patterns and within the initiatives we champion.


Horse & Herlu, Linbro Gardens.
Beyond our aim to create beautiful and grounding environments that bring out what is alive in us, we aim to create a culture that promotes the same. We hope to showcase these practices and results, to encourage others to embark on their own journeys of transformation.
Our people,
We believe in the power of thoughtful, smart and (com)passionate people who don’t shy away from having skin in the game. We’re a lean, values-driven team that’s determined to show that better is possible.

Zubair Sader.
Zubair (Zubs) is Akoma’s Zen. He looks for, and often finds, peace in the everyday chaos.
Born and raised in Joburg, he is intrigued by how people interact with space and is inspired by the world – whether it is the context of concrete urban spaces or vast natural ones. He has a background in Architecture and an MBA from Wits where he spent time researching innovation and creativity. He has over a decade of experience in the built environment sector and is inspired to use his knowledge and experience to add substance to economic, social and built environment interventions.

Oliver Keisner.
Oliver (Oli) is Akoma’s investigator – he gets a bizarre sense of pride (his own words) in understanding and using complicated or obscure worlds of information. He grew up in London, where he studied social anthropology and briefly worked in finance before meeting Mo and Julia and joining AsaDuru 5 years ago. He has also set up a scholarship which supports the secondary education of children in western Uganda. Oliver loves cooking, dancing and making jokes, all of which he is arguably better at than anything he does for Akoma (also his own words).

Pedro Montero Gosalbez.
Pedro is not; he just becomes; and, therefore, he does not so much seek to believe about some-thing, but tries his best to attend with every-one and every-thing he lives with.
Born in Alicante, he has worked as an architect with Francis Kéré, studied as an anthropologist with Tim Ingold, and researched at the Department of Architecture and Built Environment at Northumbria University. From there, he has gone into sustainable business and independent research ranging from agriculture and education, through immunology and epidemiology, to design and construction. Bringing together family, business, and academia, he researches for life and lives for research.

Mohamed Bedri.
Mohamed (Mo) is our Pathfinder at Akoma and drives strategy as well as rammed earth projects. Born in Sudan and raised in Sweden, he founded AsaDuru 8 years ago to rethink our relationship to the built environment. He’s a former elite athlete (karate), altMBA alumni, and former WEF Global Shaper. Mo is an avid meditator and loves to read, philosophise and play capoeira.