“Global Partnership for Development Sweden Held Its First Virtual Annual Board Meeting on 10 December 2023”
by Toni Bosa

  

The Global Partnership for Development (GPfD) in Sweden held its first-ever virtual annual board meeting on 10 December 2023, using Zoom and WhatsApp. The meeting was presided over by the Founder and Chairperson, Ms. Lilibeth Back, who introduced the new set of board members and presented the agenda of the meeting. 

Chairperson Back started the meeting with a discussion of the purpose of the meeting, challenges, and priority activities based on the partner organization's needs. During the meeting, Mr. Phyneous Masimango, Board Director for the Youth Sector, representing the Youth Initiative Foundation (YOIFO) in Arusha, highlighted concerns for the youth sector in Arusha, Tanzania. Mr. Charles Maiga, Consultant, and Director for Local Community Development Projects in Tanzania, informed the Board about various projects and activities of the Sustainable Hub for Policy Initiatives (SHPI) in Tanzania. These projects include social accountability monitoring, women's community participation and development, information awareness, and other capacity-building workshops.

At the meeting, it was agreed that GPfD in Sweden would network to solicit laptop donations for youth and women in Tanzania. The objective is to enhance their literacy and IT skills. GPfD will also establish a learning center for training and entrepreneurship initiatives for marginalized groups, particularly for the youth, women, and persons with disability sectors, in Tanzania.

Chairperson Lilibeth Back was joined by the board directors, including Ms. Iqra Hassan (Co-Founder and Vice-Chairperson), Mr. Charles Maiga (Consultant and Director for Local Community Development Projects in Tanzania), Ms. Maria Antonia Van Espen-Boonen (Director and Senior Policy Advisor for International Partnership and Cooperation), Mr. Phyneous Masimango (Director for the Youth Sector in Tanzania), and Ms. Josephine Espino Marquez Belaza (Director for Administration in Sweden). Together, they discussed important matters related to the organization's mission and goals. The Board will hold regular meetings every second Sunday of the month starting from January 2024. END