Tapiwa Uchizi Nyasulu (born 15 August 1978), is a Malawian diplomat,[1] social scientist, women's rights activist,[2] anti-corruption activist[3][4] and academic. Tapiwa is currently the Regional Advisor on Gender and Human Rights at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for East and Southern Africa. Before joining UNFPA, she led on Women and Gender Policy and Development at the African Union. She was also the Regional Advisor for Southern Africa at Transparency International, where she managed and implemented the Africa Regional Anti-Corruption Programme.[5]

Tapiwa Uchizi Nyasulu
Head, Women and Gender Policy at the African Union
Appointed byMacky Sall
Personal details
Born (1978-08-15) 15 August 1978 (age 46)
Karonga
NationalityMalawian
ChildrenJayden Rweyemamu
OccupationDiplomat

Early life and education

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Tapiwa was born in Karonga District in northern Malawi to Malawian parents. She attended Chancellor College of the University of Malawi between 1998-2002 and holds a bachelor's degree in Arts Humanities. Between 2006 and 2007, she attended the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands where she obtained a master's degree in Development Studies specialized in politics of Alternative Development. Tapiwa holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Cologne, Germany through the Centre for Development Research of the University of Bonn. Her doctoral research sought to gauge the governance aspect (accountability and legitimacy) in customary land tenure in peri-urban Kasoa, Ghana.[6]

Career

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Tapiwa led the Women and Gender Policy and Development Division of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She coordinated policy development on gender parity, gender equality and women and girl's empowerment of the African Union.[7] She also led the implementation of the African Women's Decade on Financial and Economic Inclusion of African Women 2020-2030, including the Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion Initiative.[8]

Upon graduation in 2002, she worked with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in a Malawi-Germany Programme for Democracy and Decentralization from 2003 to 2006. She then joined the Danish Association for International Cooperation (MS-Zambia) in Zambia in 2006. Early in her career, she also lectured at the University of Applied Management in Accra, Ghana.

Before joining the African Union, she was Regional Advisor – Southern Africa for Transparency International Secretariat, based in Berlin, Germany. For seven years, she managed and implemented the Africa Regional Anti-Corruption Programme in the region.[9] She coordinated capacity development and advocacy interventions as well as ensuring the implementation of the accreditation policy. She was instrumental to the development of chapters and partners of Transparency International in countries including South Africa, Malawi, Angola, Botswana and Namibia.[citation needed]

Tapiwa has also worked with the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Between 2011 and 2012, she supported the ILO/CRISIS Capacity Building and Knowledge Development programme, and supported ILO's staff and constituents in implementing a disasters and conflict response programme, aimed at recovery and creating decent work in post-crisis scenarios.

She joined United Nations Population Fund East and Central Africa Regional Office based in Sandton, Johannesbourg in May 2024 as the Regional Advisor on Gender and Human Rights.

Publications

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Personal life

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Tapiwa has a son named Jayden. She has two brothers Abwino and Anderson and a sister Ruth.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Dr Tapiwa Uchizi Nyasulu". 2 February 2014.
  2. ^ "African Girls Can Code Initiative Second Phase Launched in Tanzania". 9 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Malawi Police Challenge Corruption Report". 11 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Social media shines a light on corruption in Africa". 17 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Nyasulu-Rweyemamu, Dr. Tapiwa Uchizi | the African Good Governance Network (AGGN)".
  6. ^ "Governance and Customary Land Tenure in Peri-Urban Kasoa in Ghana". 2012.
  7. ^ "Consultations on the status of women kick off ahead of AU Commission summit on women". 22 February 2021.
  8. ^ Mergia, Dukaye (23 July 2021). "Concept note: Virtual launch of the Continental Study on "Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment and HIV in Africa: The Impact of Intersecting Issues and". AU: African Union. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Report Launch: Transparency International to publish opinion poll on corruption in Africa".
  10. ^ "Tapiwa Uchizi Nyasulu". Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Watchdog NGOs in Malawi - The Case of Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation: Unveiling challenges and opportunities in promoting good governance | Dodax.com". www.dodax.com.