Latest News

---

2009 Tutu Fellow James Mwangi connects the dots between climate change and climate action in his TED Talk from June 2022 in New York.  He argues that with the planet missing the IPCC emissions goals that negatively impact climate change, it will be necessary to both push harder on that front, and then also remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere at a massive scale. He says that estimates suggest that the world will need to remove 5-16 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every single year by 2050. 

The Rift Valley, he says, provides a scalable way to remove carbon from the air - and end energy poverty.

---

2008 Tutu Fellow Elsie Kanza PhD, the Tanzanian Ambassador to the United States, has met US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office at the White House.  Elsie was appointed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in May 2021 as one of 22 ambassadors, and in August of that year, assigned to the Embassy in Washington DC, one of the top postings in the diplomatic hierarchy.  She met President Biden on 24 June 2022. 

Elsie was formerly Head of Africa and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum. She has worked in various capacities in the government of Tanzania, including in the Office of the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank.  In her role at the Embassy, she is also responsible for diplomatic connections in Mexico.

2015 Tutu Fellow Zukie Siyotula has been appointed as a Chairperson of the Board by York Timber Holdings Limited. York Timber Holdings is a Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed company that is the largest solid wood processor producing lumber and plywood in South Africa with a wholesale distribution network as well. Their clients include truss engineering manufacturers, corporate and independent retailers, remanufacturers, furniture manufacturers and construction contractors.

Zukie serves on a number of other Boards including African Bank, Bidvest Group, Toyota, Ogilvy & Mather, Salungano Group and Conduit Capital Limited. 

---

The African Leadership Institute is pleased to announce the Associates who have been selected for the 2022 Class of the Tutu Fellowship programme. As has been the case with previous cohorts, the people selected are exceptional emerging African leaders. AFLI received more than 330 nominations of outstanding quality from across Africa, from which the cohort was selected. They are from the following countries: Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. 

A few candidates are included this year who were selected in 2020 but who could not attend that cohort due to COVID restrictions. The selected candidates demonstrate the incredible wealth and breadth of leadership talent that exists in Africa’s young people, which bodes well for Africa’s future.

---

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has re-appointed 2012 Tutu Fellow James Mworia to a second term as the Chancellor of Machakos University.  James is the CEO Centum Investment Company, the largest listed investment company in East Africa, with approximately $1.8 billion USD in direct and third party assets under management. 

Machakos University was founded in 1957 as a Technical Rural Training School by the then colonial Government. It was converted into Machakos Technical and Trade School in 1958, Machakos Technical School in 1967, Machakos University College in 2013, and chartered to Machakos University in October 2016.

---

2019 Tutu Fellow Samson Itodo has joined the board of the Kofi Annan Foundation.  The Chair of the Board, Elhadj As Sy, said that at a time when half of the world’s population was younger than 30, Samson's expertise and commitment to the inclusion of young people in politics and effective leadership would bring great value to the work of the foundation. Founded in 2007 by the late former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan the foundation is an independent, nonprofit whose mission is to help build peaceful, democratic and resilient societies.

Samson is a lawyer from Nigeria and Founder of Yiaga Africa, an NGO with the mission of promoting democracy in Africa. 

---

2019 Tutu Fellow Ronak Gopaldas has written a paper for the Centre for African Studies at Nanyang Technological University titled Africa walks a tightrope - Economic implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  He begins by saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine has thrown global markets into disarray and threatens to derail what was an already fragile post-Covid global economic recovery. Beyond the global geopolitical and humanitarian implications his actions also have some serious ramifications for the global economy.  He continues by saying that the question for Africa is whether policymakers can tactfully navigate the crisis.

He says African countries stand to benefit enormously from surging commodity prices, but whether the windfall will be enough to stem the global currency, inflation and interest rate shocks will depend on their willingness to make bold political decisions.

---

The organisation started by 2014 Tutu Fellow Linda Kasonde, Chapter One Foundation, has obtained a consent judgement against ZICTA - the Zambia Information and Communication Authority - over an illegal interruption of Zambia's internet service that occurred during Zambia's elections. At the time, President Edgar Lungu was trailing opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema.  Chapter One filed an urgent application to require the restoration of services.

Linda Kasonde, the Executive Director of Chapter One, said that it is the first case of its kind in Zambia and an enormous victory for internet freedom and freedom of expression in the country.

---

In her TED talk, 2018 Tutu Fellow Zoë Karl-Waithaka explains that marketing impacts the livelihoods of farmers in ways that are unexpected.  She takes a look at campaigns promoting agricultural products like milk and avocados. Perhaps 'Got Millet' - to borrow from the campaign promoting milk - can help farmers by creating a greater market for the product.

She says marketing campaigns like "Got milk?" to "avocados from Mexico," influence what people eat more than one might realize. But despite the known power of food marketing, Zoe says farmers in Africa are more likely to receive funding for seed and fertilizer than they are for advertising geniuses.

---

Today, 26 December 2021, we lost our beloved Patron, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

But even as we mourn the passing of our dear Patron, we celebrate a life of service well lived and the values and ideals he espoused and bequeathed to us - ubuntu, servant leadership, integrity, humility, compassion and courage. We remember a man who was diminutive in stature but larger than life in his boldness, always speaking truth to power when the occasion demanded.

---

2017 Tutu Fellow Mimi Kalinda says that her company, Africa Communications Group, has been acquired by Marco.  The sale to Marco, which purchased a 51% stake, happened in November 2021.  Mimi is delighted with Marco’s investment in ACG, as it means the company she began can expand across other continents and make a bigger contribution to the growth of African economy.

She says ACG is the first African-owned, pan-African communications and strategic reputation management firm handling communication solutions for global clients across the entire continent. It is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with additional offices in Abidjan in Ivory Coast and Nairobi, Kenya.  It also has long-standing partners in Kigali, Rwanda; Harare, Zimbabwe; and Lagos, Nigeria.  There are also additional affiliated offices in 40+ additional countries across the African continent.

---

In March 2020, the African Leadership Institute announced the Associates who had been selected for the 2020 Class of the Tutu Fellowship programme.  As has been the case with previous cohorts, the people selected were exceptional emerging African leaders. AFLI received more than 300 nominees of outstanding quality from 36 African countries, from which the cohort was selected. Before the class could begin, COVID intervened and the programme was deferred until conditions allowed for an in-person convening.

Since that initial announcement of the cohort was made, not all of the candidates were still able to participate in the programme. The names below represent the final cohort who begin the first workshop in the programme in South Africa next week.

---

Back on 22 May 2021, President Samia Suluhu Hassan appointed Elsie Kanza PhD as one of 22 ambassadors for Tanzania. Elsie is a 2008 Tutu Fellow.  On 17 August, she was posted to the Embassy in Washington, DC, as Tanzanian Ambassador. The US Embassy is considered a senior posting in diplomatic circles.  In May, President Hassan made the appointments, but did not at that time name the posts to which the appointees would be stationed. 

The appointments included senior government officials, members of the military, and government and cabinet advisors.  Prior to her appointment, Elsie's most recent position was as the Special Advisor to the President of the World Economic Forum.

---

2019 Tutu Fellow Ronak Gopaldas has written a paper on the double-edged sword that COVID-19 presents to Africa. It is forcing a re-emphasis of the role and importance of the state in a post-COVID-19 era. Bigger government with an expanding reach and relevance has significant governance implications for Africa, which has a record and history of weak governance, ineffective institutions, limited resources, corruption, and mismanagement.

Ronak says that if Africa uses the pandemic effectively for effective structural transformation, it could usher in significant opportunity for political and economic improvement.  If not, pressures will intensify, leaving Africa floundering under the impact of economic and COVID-19-induced shocks.

---

2014 Tutu Fellow Ladé Araba is serving on the Green Outcomes Fund Advisory Committee.  Ladé Araba is a senior development finance executive and board member with more than 18 years of experience.

The Green Outcomes Fund (GOF) incentivises local South African fund managers to increase investment in green, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).  The GOF is a new and unique structure that aims to catalyse higher quality and consistent green impacts. It has as one of its key goals the building of a common set of green metrics within the local investment industry.