Appointment of Ms. Yenziwe Mbuyisa as Project Coordinator of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Climate Collaborative

The Association of African Universities (AAU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Yenziwe Mbuyisa as Project Coordinator of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Climate Collaborative.

The Africa Climate Collaborative promotes climate-positive growth by strengthening higher education to equip young people for a greener economy, aligned with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Strategy. It is supported by the AAU as its backbone and implemented through a consortium comprising the University of Cape Town, University of Ghana, Makerere University, and the University of Cambridge.

Ms. Mbuyisa joins the Association with experience spanning ecological restoration science, climate policy engagement, stakeholder engagement, and the coordination of multi-country university and research partnerships across Africa.

Prior to joining the AAU, she served at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Collaboration in Africa. There, she supported the coordination of the Southern African Network for Water Centres of Excellence (SANWATCE) Secretariat, where she co-led the drafting and approval of Southern Africa’s regional water research policy and engaged with ministerial representatives through the SADC Water Resources Technical Committee. She also supported the coordination of the EU-funded ACEWATER III programme initiatives linking more than 20 institutions across 12 African countries. In this role, she managed multi-partner implementation and special initiatives in the secretariat, working on the co-creation of the African Regional Centres of Excellence alongside the EU, JRC, and DG-INTPA. She also co-facilitated the Health Disaster Risk Needs Assessment course alongside UNDP and various other capacity-building initiatives through the PERI-PERI U network.

She previously worked with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) on the Sustainable Wildlife Economies project as a lead resource auditor under the South African Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme, engaging landowners, government, and communities on the intersection of conservation, land management, and livelihoods. During her master’s candidacy, Ms. Mbuyisa represented South Africa at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, through the Stellenbosch University School for Climate Studies. In 2023, Ms. Mbuyisa was also appointed as the climate lead in the UNESCO Chair for Intercultural Competence. While working for the SDG/2063 Impact Hub, Ms. Mbuyisa was responsible for coordinating the Future17 Sustainable Student Literacy Programme.

With a master’s degree in Botany and Zoology from Stellenbosch University and an Environmental Science Honours degree from Rhodes University, her responsibilities will include coordinating partner engagement and workstream activities, tracking deliverables and collective commitments, and supporting governance processes, including the Collaborative’s Stewardship Team. She will also contribute to monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) and consolidated reporting; organise partner meetings and the annual convening; and lead initiatives that strengthen knowledge sharing and cross-institutional collaboration among partners.

The Association warmly welcomes Ms. Mbuyisa to the AAU Secretariat and looks forward to her contribution in fostering genuine collaboration across the Collaborative, connecting institutions, sharing learning across borders, and advancing an African-led response to the climate challenge that creates meaningful opportunities for young people across the continent.

We congratulate Ms. Yenziwe Mbuyisa on her appointment and wish her every success in her new role.