Gertrude Namitala is a GIS expert, ICT4D consultant and recognised open data advocate. She holds a bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Amity University, India (2013).
She is the co-founder of Open Data Lab Zambia and OpenStreetMap Zambia, organisations that advocate for open map data and aim at mapping Zambia. She served as a board member for the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, an international team dedicated to humanitarian action and community development through open mapping for disaster preparedness, mitigation and response and economic development. As a board member for HOT, Gertrude has brought in strategic ideas that are being implemented in the communities across the world. She is one of the pioneers of OSM Africa, a body responsible to promote mapping of the African continent and bringing together all African countries to contribute to OpenStreetMap. In OSM Africa, she leads the activation working group that is responsible for leading activations in any African country when disaster happens. Gertrude is the managing director of Trudigital Technologies LTD, a technology solutions company that has worked in different sectors in Africa to solve solutions that improve service delivery. She has innovated different technology platforms as an individual consultant and through Trudigital Technologies Ltd for government, private and non-government entities.