Host and Moderators

Dr. Pinkie Mekgwe
Senior Regional Adviser, International IDEA
Host, AROCSA Conference 2021

Dr. Pinkie Mekgwe is International IDEA’s Senior Regional Adviser for Africa and West Asia and her work focuses on strengthening programmatic and administrative coherence and performance. Before joining International IDEA in 2018, she was Executive Director of Internationalism at the University of Johannesburg for the past six years. She also previously served as Deputy Director at the Office of International Education and Partnerships of the University of Botswana and as Programme Officer for the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA). Previously she was a lecturer at the University of Botswana, visiting researcher at the Witwatersrand Institute of Social and Economic Research, and a visiting lecturer at Malmö University in Sweden.

Titania Fernandez
Director: Synergasia Partnerships and Professional Networks Office, Community Chest of the Western Cape
Moderator, AROCSA Conference 2021

Senior Philanthropy Global Director.

Extensive experience with all stages of the Philanthropy lifecycle both locally and internationally. Extensive professional network. Deep mission for Public Service, Philanthropy, Policy, Sustainable and Resilient Development, Social Innovation, Innovative Finance and Citizen Participation, Leadership Development, Partnership Development, Resource Mobilisation, Governance, Due Diligence, Compliance, Grantmaking, Capacity Building Training, Socio Economic Impact Development, Special Events and Awards Management, Advancement Practices, Advocacy, Development, Coaching, Mentoring and Public Relations Management since 1994. Representative to Global, National, Regional, Local and Grassroots Grantmaking, Philanthropy, Social Investment Conferences and meetings – SDG Development and Resilience Index, Intersectoral Matrix Development SDG, ESG Integrated Value Reporting and Good Governance Code of Good Practice.

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Rinji Kwarkas
M&E Specialist, Search for Common Ground
Moderator, AROCSA Conference 2021

Rinji Kwarkas is a Design, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning specialist with over 6 years' experience in development work.

His work is focused on designing, monitoring and evaluation of development projects, ensuring accountability and harvesting & disseminating of learnings from the same. He is a member of the Institute of International Forecasters with an innovative application of time series and research tools for development. He is strong at conducting quantitative and qualitative research, Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA), forecasting socio economic phenomena, development and deployment of management information systems for development and championing diversity, equity and equality. 

Rinji has designed and deployed results driven DMEAL systems for projects with a myriad of donors including the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Ford Foundation, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), German Corporation, Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), European Union (EU) and International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

Currently, he works at Search for Common Ground (Search) as M&E specialist on a project for mitigation of conflict over natural resources between farmer and herder communities in Adamawa state and remotely supports the implementation of a dialogue platform research program implemented in Plateau and Nasarawa States.

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Abena Adubea Amoah
Executive Director, PPAG
Moderator, AROCSA Conference 2021

Abena Adubea Amoah is a Ghanaian and currently the Executive Director of the PIanned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) based in Accra.

PPAG is affiliated to the International Planned Parenthood Association. Abena has expertise in developing and implementing strategic and innovative programs in, Health, Education, Gender, Economic development and skills training, and international volunteer programs. With enormous experience education, development and management, Abena has over 19 years practical experience working at different levels in community development, education, health, gender and youth development, employment and training sectors. She has over 15 years of direct management experience implementing successful programmes in most regions of Ghana where she demonstrated continuous professional excellence, proven leadership and management abilities, excellent team building and communication skills and strong cross-cultural and interpersonal skills. Abena has passion for youth and gender issues and has been part of the fight against all forms of abuse and discriminations against women and youth. She is also involved in mentoring of young people.

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Martin Muhereza
Chairman Of The Board Of Directors, Dignified
Moderator, AROCSA Conference 2021

Martin Muhereza has presented two papers during the conferences organised by AAPAM (Association of African Public Administration and Management) attended by 600 delegates.

The first paper was presented during the regional conference which took place in Kigali in May 2013 on the topic Africa in the post crisis global economy: the role of public administration in Africa’s transformation: a case of Uganda. The second paper was in November 2013 on the Is Emotional Intelligence a Key Attribute of Quality Leadership? Association of African Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) 2019.

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Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman
Executive Director, GDCA
Moderator, AROCSA Annual Conference 2021

Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman is the Executive Director of Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), a Ghanaian Civil Society Organization.

He has an MA in Organization Development from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Ghana, Legon. Osman was a fellow of the 2019 cohort of the AROCSA/ARNOVA NGO Leadership Transition Fellowship Program (NLTFP), which took place at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at the Indiana University & Purdue University in Indianapolis (IUPUI). His topic was on CSO accountability downwards. Osman was voted one Rudder Communications’ 100 most influential personalities of Northern Ghana in 2019. He was also named the AROCSA African Civil Society Champion for the week of 18 November 2020.

With more than 20 years of experience in civil society leadership, Osman has been engaged in strategy and program development. He has inspired the growth of his organization through diversified interventions leading to the expansion of the organization’s programs portfolio. His work has also resulted in the expansion of the organization’s partnerships locally and abroad. He has driven interventions in the areas of governance, community participation, food security, and the environment. Two of the latest projects he has been involved in focused on issue-based campaigning and influencing manifestos of political parties as well as promises of political aspirants to reflect real needs of communities during the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana.

 
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Engwase Banda Mwale (MS)
Executive Director, NGOC
Moderator, AROCSA Annual Conference 2021

Engwase Banda Mwale is a development actor, gender and women’s and girls’ rights activist and a recognized thought leader and social agent in Zambia with over 20 years-experience in both the private and development sectors.

She has been working at Non-governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) as Executive Director. She is an ardent campaigner and promoter of women’s empowerment and gender equality with strong strategic and critical analysis competence. She has contributed in various ways to the development discourse through the promotion of democracy and good governance, advancing women and girl child education, ending violence against women and girls and promoting transformational leadership.

Engwase has also been a presenter and participant in various regional and international platforms in advancing the status of women and girls including facilitating and building capacities of women to take up leadership positions. She pays particular attention to continuous learning through developing partnerships and collaborative alliances with policy makers, civil society actors and community champions using innovative mobilizing and organizing initiatives. Engwase is a recipient of the Zambia Society for Public Administration 2016 Michael Chilufya Sata Public Service Award in recognition of her accomplishment and contribution to the advancement of public service excellence.

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Crystal Chigbu
CEO, IREDE Foundation
Moderator, AROCSA Annual Conference 2021

Crystal Chigbu, is the founder of one of the biggest NGOs in Nigeria in terms of direct and indirect impact.

IREDE Foundation started from her personal experience with an amputee child
In 2012 IREDE Foundation was established to bring hope, joy, and purposeful living to all
children living with limb loss, their families and caregivers. Today, the foundation has provided
over 187 artificial limbs to children within the age bracket of 1-18 years, invested in their
families, created multiple support systems and establish a sustainable practice gears towards
advocacy such as “Out on A Limb Annual Work”.

As a successful social entrepreneur, Crystal actively participates in other ventures that inspire
society. One of which is a periodic media interview called “Hope Grill” where sits with other
people that have overcome their challenges so they can inspire others.

Crystal’s work has not gone unnoticed, As at January 2021, she has been recognised via awards
by over 25 organizations, communities and companies for her contributions towards helping
every amputee child. She is also a fellow of the Acumen Programme, a program of leaders who
understand what it takes to create change in our complex, interconnected world. She has also
been invited to multiple regional events hosted by African Union to contribute to social
development policies.

A graduate of Biochemistry from the prestigious University of Lagos, Crystal kicked off her
career in Procter and Gamble and rose through the ranks within the shortest time to become a
regional manager overseeing multiple states in Nigeria.

Crystal also has a contagious love for people, and is driven by a strong desire to bring out the
best in everyone she meets. Her hobbies are dancing and travelling to new locations. She is
married to Zubby Chigbu and they are blessed with two kids- Beulah and Eden Chigbu and she
mothers hundreds other kids through her works.

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Imoleayo Adeyeri
Donor Relations Advisor, AdaptAbilities
Moderator, AROCSA Annual Conference 2021

Imoleayo is a non-profit professional with fifteen years of work experience in program management and fund development.

She helped non-profit organizations raise funds and implemented non-profit programs in Africa, the United States, and Canada.

She received a Masters of Arts degree in Philanthropy from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Masters of Science degree in Finance from University of Leicester, United Kingdom, and Bachelors in Accounting and Management from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Nigeria. She consulted for Food Banks Alberta, a network of food banks in the Western Canadian Province, and serves on the board of Action for Healthy Societies, a community-based organization serving newcomers to Canada including immigrants, refugees, permanent residents, and others.

Ayo is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Global IDEA committee and grades national scholarship applications for the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy, Canada. She was recently an awardee of the Alford Group Leadership Development Program. She currently works as the Donor Relations Advisor with AdaptAbilities in Edmonton Canada.

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Dr. Janet Nyanduko Mang’era
Faculty Member, Multimedia University of Kenya
Moderator. AROCSA Annual Conference 2021

Dr. Janet Mangera is a social development professional with over 15 years demonstrated history in non-profit organization management.

She holds a Doctor of Social Sciences (Applied and Social Sciences) Degree from Royal Roads University, British Columbia, Canada. She is also a University lecturer, lecturing in Sociology and developments studies. She holds skills and experience in developing and implementing innovative programs and services, leading organizations and departments through periods of growth and transition and relationship building. She is skilled in institutional strengthening, Gender analysis and training, natural resource management especially water resources management and climate change adaption. She has a great passion for training and mentorship.

Dr. Mangera started her career in Social Development in African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) as a research assistant and later joined Caritas Kenya as a National Gender Coordinator. She later went on to be appointed the National Director for Caritas Kenya. She also worked in Maji na Ufanisi as Head of Programmes and Viwango Limited as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Dr. Mang’era has served in boards and working groups including the Kenya Girl Guides Association as a an Assistant Chief Commissioner, the Kenya National CDF Board, the Ecumenical Church Loans Fund, the Kenya Climate Change Working Group, the Caritas Internationalis Climate Justice working Group and is also a life member of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE).

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