Magufuli appoints new board chair at Uongozi Institute

Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli has appointed Dr. Kristiina Kuvaja-Xanthopoulos, Deputy Director General in the Department for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland as the new board chair of the Uongozi institute. 

In a press statement released by Uongozi, the institute has also welcomed Prof. Idris Suleiman Kikula as new Vice Chairperson. The appointment was made on Tuesday, the statement says. 

Dr. Kuvaja-Xanthopoulos has over 20 years’ experience of global development policy and cooperation. She has also worked and conducted research in several countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, both in long- and short-term assignments.

The statement explains that the re-appointed last year by the President, Prof. Kikula has been a Member of the UONGOZI Institute’s Board of Directors for over seven years. He was also appointed by President Magufuli in April, 2018 to serve as a Chairman of the newly-established Mining Council of Tanzania.

Prof. Kikula has vast experience in higher education, leadership development and sustainable development. He is well-known for his role as the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Dodoma, from 2007 to early 2018.

Other Members of the UONGOZI Institute’s Board of Directors include Dr. Laurean Ndumbaro, Permanent Secretary, President’s Office, Public Service Management and Good Governance; Dr. Stergomena Tax, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC); Prof. Penina Mlama, Professor at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM); Dr. Cristina Duarte, Former Minister of Finance, Planning and Public Administration – Cape Verde; Ms. Iina Soiri, Director of the Nordic Africa Institute – Sweden; and Mr. David Walker, Former Director of the European School of Administration – United Kingdom.