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Paul Edwards is a serial entrepreneur who has successfully built several businesses into leading companies.
His CV lists an impressive array of positions held at major companies around the world and he is also a regular speaker at international conferences on topics such as satellite communications, telecommunications, payments, and doing business successfully in Africa.
Paul is currently Executive Chairman of Equilibre Bio-energy Production Ltd and Chairman of ZappGroup, Africa Ltd.
Additionally, Paul is also a member of the Advisory Board of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business and a member of EDS’s Europe’s Advisory Board.
Ann Pretorius and her late husband, Peter, founded Joint Aid Management (JAM), now known as ForAfrika, in 1984.
For almost 40 years, they served the organisation as co-founders, strategic planners and tireless foot soldiers. Together they received several prestigious accolades, were one of five finalists in the AidEx 2014 Humanitarian Hero of the Year Award and winners of the 2018 African Ubuntu Award for Social Responsibility.
After Peter’s passing in August 2018, Ann assumed the role of CEO of the JAM Group. Her passion, determination, unique interpersonal skills and vast experience in administration and marketing, have helped steer the group to its pre-eminent position as Africa’s largest indigenous non-governmental organisation, serving millions of people in six countries.
A mother of six, with 14 grandchildren, Ann genuinely understands and appreciates the value of the family foundation and is fully supportive of the decisions and direction the new leadership, under her son Isak, is taking.
Isak Pretorius is the son of social entrepreneurs Peter and Ann Pretorius, who founded JAM International, out of which ForAfrika has risen.
With a BComm degree and 20 years of humanitarian services and business experience on the continent, he is well positioned to drive the organisation into the future while staying true to its vision of an Africa that thrives.
He is passionate about impactful development in Africa and bridging the gap between non-profit and for-profit entities.
Isak has also played a role in advising many governments, donor entities and large NGOs on sustainable programmes and has been a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) since 2009.
Muzammil Rengony started his career in 2011 in the field of accounting, taxation and auditing as a client assistant and is now client service manager for Adansonia Management Services Ltd in Mauritius, where ForAfrika is registered.
While managing a team of accountants and administrators who are responsible for a portfolio of clients, he is also pursuing his studies towards his Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification.
Muzammil acts as a director for a number of global businesses and part of his duties include the day-to-day administration of ForAfrika as well as being a board member.
Najiba Bauker kicked off her career as a corporate administrator in the Mauritian global business sector and is currently team leader at Adansonia Management Services Ltd.
In addition to serving as a board member of ForAfrika, Najiba also handles -day-to-day administrative tasks.
She acts as a director for a number of other global businesses administered by Adansonia and is pursuing her studies towards her Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification.
Ghanaian businesswoman Roberta Annan founded Annan Capital Partners, a boutique investment advisory and business development agency, in 2012 (as Roberta Annan Consulting).
She has extensive experience in establishing relationships between the public and the private sectors, and in executing market-entry strategies into sub-Saharan Africa.
She launched the African Fashion Foundation in 2014, followed by the Impact Fund for African Creatives in 2021. Among the many awards accorded to her, Annan was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2019 Women’s Choice Awards Africa.
Isak Pretorius is the son of social entrepreneurs Peter and Ann Pretorius, who founded JAM International, out of which ForAfrika has risen.
With a BComm degree and 20 years of humanitarian services and business experience on the continent, he is well positioned to drive the organisation into the future while staying true to its vision of an Africa that thrives.
He is passionate about impactful development in Africa and bridging the gap between non-profit and for-profit entities.
Isak has also played a role in advising many governments, donor entities and large NGOs on sustainable programmes and has been a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) since 2009.
Simon McGregor moved into his current role at ForAfrika in 2023, having previously been Chief Development Officer from 2021-2022 and managing director of the organisation’s UK office from 2019 to 2021.
Simon’s background and impressive career is in financial research, corporate finance and stock transfer. He founded various companies that have gone on to enjoy major success.
He was a managing director at LSE-listed Equiniti Group plc with responsibility for proxy advisory, cross border listings and stock analysis before becoming a partner responsible for corporate finance at Africa-focused consultancy, Afriscope.
Abeba Amene moved into her current role after serving as Country Director for South Sudan, ForAfrika’s largest programme to date.
With over 17 years of humanitarian and development programming experience in fragile contexts, Abeba has led teams in various country offices, managing medium and large-scale programmes including at Oxfam in the United Kingdom where she served as the Regional Policy and Advocacy Advisor.
With an in-depth contextual understanding of humanitarian and development trends in East Africa as well as in the Horn of Africa and extensive experience in programme design and implementation, Abeba is dedicated to seeing the positive transformation of communities.
Her unshakable commitment to realising a better future for children is drawn from many years of working alongside some of Africa’s most marginalised communities.
Jim Lutzweiler brings a rare and comprehensive portfolio of 25 years of senior and executive management experience across the spectrum of global program development to improve the lives of people. His skillset includes strategic planning and tactical execution within challenging, dynamic environments, management turnarounds, shared value partnerships, and philanthropic funding and grants. He developed and applied these skills with a global perspective working and living in 100+ countries throughout his career.
In January 2024, he assumed his current duty as Chief Development Officer at ForAfrika responsible for core revenue business functions, multi-stakeholder public-private partnerships and strategic development.
Mercy Kanyi holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Master of Science in Global Human Resource Management and is a Certified Public Accountant as well as a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Kenya.
She has over 20 years of experience and previously held positions of Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance and Support Services at several International NGOs, including the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), World Vision, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), Save the Children International and Save the Children UK.
Susannah Hastings joined ForAfrika in 2021 as Chief of Staff, having previously served in the Global Management team for Deal Network, Young President’s Organisation (YPO).
Susannah’s background and experience lies in supporting leadership to a achieve strategic vision, enabling learning and knowledge-sharing. She has contributed to the creation of high-value educational and networking programs offering unique shared learning experiences, and opportunities to access exclusive business content and resources.
In Susannah’s current role, she is responsible for fostering organisational harmony and optimising reporting structures for enhanced efficiency for informed leadership decision making. She is focused on creating an environment where all members feel valued and empowered, and that ensures transparency and accountability.
Susannah is passionate about people, about finding the heart in all we do, and in creating an Africa that thrives.
Terri Pretorius was born and raised in South Africa and grew up with an acute awareness of the injustices that exist on the continent.
After a 10-year career in the media industry she changed course to pursue her life’s desire to serve Africa and its people.
Terri has filled various positions at ForAfrika over the past decade and in her current role is responsible for the strategic oversight of the organisation’s marketing and communication department.
Ailton holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, specialising in Project Management, a Master’s in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid and a Bachelor’s degree in Law.
He has 23 years of experience in the humanitarian and development industry, working across a variety of fields including humanitarian assistance, child protection, education, health, food security and livelihoods and WASH.
With a Master’s degree in Sociology, Felix is working with all stakeholders to improve life for our participants in CAR.
He has over 20 years’ experience in the humanitarian sector having worked with various organisations, both local and international and across a number of areas from Emergency Response to Food Security and Livelihoods.
Starting out as a banker, Arsénio Mucavele pursued a career in administration and logistics working as Support Services Manager at PSI (Population Services International) where he analysed financial pipelines to donors and supervised procurement and logistics staff.
He joined ForAfrika in 2008 as an Administration and Logistics Officer and has risen through the ranks since then, taking over as country director in 2020.
Along the way, Arsénio has become an expert in Mozambican labour law, which has been crucial for the effective functioning of the organisation.
Under his leadership, the country office has gone from strength to strength, and has gained valuable partners that include UNICEF and USAid.
Alemshet holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science. As a Public Health Specialist, he brings over 14 years’ experience to the organisation, with special focus on mothers and children within emergency response and sustainable community development programmes.
Alem gained extensive knowledge managing integrated and multi-sectoral emergency and development programmes in Mozambique and Ethiopia during his tenure at World Vision. Prior to that he worked for Médecins Sans Frontières.
Mashall Makamanzi joined ForAfrika as Operations Director for the South African office and is currently serving as Acting Country Director.
Mashall followed up his Bachelor of Technology (Management) degree with a Master of Business Administration. He also has a Certified Internal Auditor designation from the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors.
He brings more than 25 years’ experience garnered from working in a number of African countries with a variety of private and non-profit organisations.
Leader Kwami Makumator is a humanitarian professional with over 17 years’ working experience. He holds an MSc in Project Management from the University of Wales and has worked in various countries, including Afghanistan and South Sudan.
Leader started his humanitarian activities with the United Nations before joining ForAfrika in April 2015. He has worked in several positions within the organisation, rising to the position of Director of Operations before his recent appointment as Country Director for the South Sudan programme.
Leader has a proven track record, managing teams to exceed targets, drive successful operations, embark on new projects as well as maintaining ongoing operations.
Fred Mutenyo is a humanitarian professional with over 20 years’ experience at various international development agencies, specialising in agricultural, development and peace projects.
Backed by an undergraduate degree in agriculture and Master’s degrees in agricultural economics, monitoring and evaluation, Fred has run a variety of successful food security, livelihoods and economic empowerment projects in Uganda.
He was recently awarded a place on the Master of Science in Management course at the National College of Ireland.
His superpower, however, is an irrepressible passion and can-do attitude which he applies to any project or problem.
Sabine Wenz is the Managing Director of the German affiliate office.
She established the office in 2004, when ForAfrika was still JAM, and has gained experience in almost all areas of the organisation over the years.
Her background in a number of start-ups has assisted her to successfully fundraise for various projects and emergencies and she has accompanied many groups of volunteers to work on school infrastructure renovations.
Before she ventured into development work, she worked for various start-ups and now enjoys passing on her knowledge and expertise to her team of five.
Her strengths lie in corporate management, fundraising and marketing and her passion for Africa and its people.
Mariana's unwavering dedication is to bridge cultural differences and foster social cohesion through the transformative power of culture and education.
With a strong background in Business Administration, Mariana specialised in Marketing and Fundraising and has served in the role of marketing manager for both corporate and independent clients. She has 16 years of experience managing cultural initiatives in Switzerland on an honorary basis. She has focused on promoting reading and language dissemination as powerful tools for social inclusion in diverse communities.
Aware of the intricate web of global issues, Mariana attaches great importance to international collaboration. As an integral part of ForAfrika, leading the Swiss Office, her contributions reach beyond borders, having a significant impact in both Switzerland and Africa, embodying a beacon of hope for progress and unity.
Holding an MBA with a focus on Strategic Management and Finance, Allan is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has acquired specialised certifications in HR and procurement management, which amplify his proficiency in upholding accountability and governance standards.
His strategic acumen and detailed knowledge of financial protocols have significantly contributed to sustaining financial integrity and supporting the strategic goals of organisations he has served over the past 20 years.
Charles Wentzel has been leading ForAfrika’s Disaster Response Unit since April 2021. During this period, we have steadily increased capacity and responded to emergencies in Mozambique, Angola, South Sudan, South Africa, Uganda and the Central African Republic.
Charles grew up in an Airborne Regiment of South Africa, holds an MBA from Heriot Watt University, and obtained certification from the Project Management Institute in 2012.
He threw his weight into the humanitarian sector with JAM in 2000, leading the organisation’s Emergency Response Unit, the launch of the water drilling and purification division and the opening of the country programme in South Sudan. He then went on to set up humanitarian operations funded by the US and UK governments and private entities in a host of countries.
Trademarks of his work are rapid development of local capacity, creation of management information systems and efficiency. He loves agriculture, empowering local communities and linking emergency relief to economic development.
Peter Nganga is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a Master’s degree in International Business. He is also an organisation development coach.
Peter has worked with international NGOs for more than 20 years, addressing different aspects of humanitarian and development interventions in a number of Eastern and Southern African countries. Besides managing funding from USAID, several UN agencies and other diverse donors, Peter has led in the development of a local capacity-building initiative, which was a pre-cursor to the USAID Forward initiative.
Born in Nigeria, Charity holds a Master’s in Development Management and a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Economics and Extension.
She has 24 years’ experience in international development, specialising in fundraising and grant management from a range of institutional, corporate and foundation donors. Charity is passionate about Africa’s development and the empowerment of people and has a deep commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusivity.
Susannah Hastings joined ForAfrika in 2021 as Chief of Staff, having previously served in the Global Management team for Deal Network, Young President’s Organisation (YPO).
Susannah’s background and experience lies in supporting leadership to a achieve strategic vision, enabling learning and knowledge-sharing. She has contributed to the creation of high-value educational and networking programs offering unique shared learning experiences, and opportunities to access exclusive business content and resources.
In Susannah’s current role, she is responsible for fostering organisational harmony and optimising reporting structures for enhanced efficiency for informed leadership decision making. She is focused on creating an environment where all members feel valued and empowered, and that ensures transparency and accountability.
Susannah is passionate about people, about finding the heart in all we do, and in creating an Africa that thrives.
Terri Pretorius was born and raised in South Africa and grew up with an acute awareness of the injustices that exist on the continent.
After a 10-year career in the media industry she changed course to pursue her life’s desire to serve Africa and its people.
Terri has filled various positions at ForAfrika over the past decade and in her current role is responsible for the strategic oversight of the organisation’s marketing and communication department.
Eugene Keague is an experienced operational executive with more than 20 years of experience managing several large teams across various sectors, including supply chain, logistics and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
His list of responsibilities at ForAfrika is long and varied and includes capacity building, fleet and asset management, business systems development, emergency procurement and security.
Eugene regularly travels the continent, visiting our programmes and advising country offices on a range of issues from supply chain to ICT.
Dr Mary Okumu is an accomplished development expert in health policy and health service delivery and has about 38 years of experience at various humanitarian organisations around the world, including the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF), Oxfam and the United Nations, where she has served at senior levels, including being a Representative of UN Women in Sierra Leone.
She has been responsible for generating groundbreaking programmes in maternal and child health as well as community upliftment and organisational development projects in more than 15 African countries.
She strongly believes in the participation of the community, especially the youth, in all development initiatives since this ensures local ownership and sustainable transformation. She also believes that gender mainstreaming is an important strategy in achieving equitable and sustainable human development.
Dr Okumu holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health (Maternal and Child Health) and a PhD in Human Rights Law.
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