Her appointment was announced on Tuesday, September 7, by Madame Graҫa Machel, founder and chair of the Graҫa Machel Trust, former Minister of Culture and Education of Mozambique, former First Lady of Mozambique and former First Lady of South Africa. Melizsa Mugyenyi took office on Monday, September 6.
Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Graça Machel Trust is an organization that works across the African continent to bring about positive change in women’s and children’s rights, governance and leadership.
Melizsa Mugyenyi, it is explained, brings to the Graça Machel Trust an impressive array of executive management and strategic partnership building skills, as well as extensive experience working in multinational settings. “We look to her leadership to expand our pan-African programming, support our diverse women’s empowerment networks, and develop the relationships necessary to strengthen our resource base and long-term sustainability. Ms. Mugyenyi will spearhead the conceptualization and implementation of a bold new strategic plan for our institution and enable our social and economic transformation work to achieve greater scale and impact. The board has full confidence in Ms. Mugyenyi and her ability to effectively lead our organization, in collaboration with our staff and partners, to increase our impact on the African continent and expand our leadership globally” ,said Graҫa Machel.
Management and fundraising specialist
With a BA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Sheffield, UK, and an MA in Law, Globalization and Development from the University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies-SOAS), Melizsa Mugyenyi, it is explained, has designed, managed or raised funds for high-impact initiatives working in philanthropic, intergovernmental and international cooperation organizations. Prior to her appointment, since October 2018, she was the East Africa representative for IREX, an international nonprofit organization with a presence in 49 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, dedicated to empowering youth, training leaders, strengthening institutions, and expanding access to quality education and information. Melizsa Mugyenyi was responsible for the expansion, strategic partnerships, and visibility of IREX in East Africa. This included developing strategy, effectively positioning the organization as a leading technical partner to youth and civil society in the region, designing innovative and impactful programs, and securing resources for their implementation.
Managing Partnerships at the Aga Khan Foundation
Long before, from November 2016 to August 2018, Melizsa Mugyenyi was the Strategic Partnerships, Resource Mobilization and Communications Manager for the Aga Khan Foundation in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania). She was responsible for establishing and institutionalizing systems, platforms, and processes to improve resource mobilization effectiveness and strengthen communication outcomes across the region; leading and supporting country teams to secure revenue from a range of donors; forging strategic partnerships; and building and mentoring a high-impact team.
Participating in reforms in Kenya
Melizsa Mugyenyi started in the international development sector at GIZ Kenya in 2008, where she was responsible for implementing Germany’s support to the country’s reform program after the 2007 electoral crisis. This included coordinating GIZ’s support to the judiciary in the implementation of the first computerized case management system, the Constitutional Review Committee of Experts in the constitutional review processes, and the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) in Kenya’s ratification of the UN Convention against Corruption.
She later supported Kenya’s constitutional and judicial reform at the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), where she was Program Officer for Kenya, based in Rome, Italy.
Melizsa Mugyenyi is a board member of Lwala Community Alliance, a leading Kenyan non-profit organization that builds the capacity of rural communities to promote their own overall well-being. She is also an advisory board member of the African Visionary Fund and the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance.
