Our Team in Zimbabwe

Mr. Kallon has devoted more than 30 years of his career to public service, working – both at the United Nations and externally – in complex emergency, transition and development context in conflict and non-conflict settings across lower- and middle-income countries. At the United Nations, he most recently served as the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, following an assignment as Resident Coordinator in Jordan. He also held senior positions with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Bangladesh, India, Iraq, Somalia, and Uganda after starting his United Nations career as a United Nations Volunteer assigned to WFP in Afghanistan.

Ms. Chali Tumelo has been ITU Representative for Southern Africa since August 2012 covering 12 Southern Africa countries – Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Previously, Ms. Tumelo served as Project Manager for study and design of remote wireless communications solutions, REMOTEL, Zambia.

Dr Patrice Talla Takoukam, a national of Cameroon, has been FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa since September 2020. Prior to that Dr Talla was FAO Representative in Madagascar and covering Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles, under the multiple-accreditation scheme.
Dr. Talla joined FAO headquarters in 2001 as Legal Officer in the Law and Development Service of the Legal Office. In 2004, he transferred to the World Bank in Washington DC, United States, as Legal Officer/Counsel in the Environment and International Law Unit, Legal Department.
He returned to FAO headquarters in 2010, where he served as Legal Officer in the Development Law Service, Legal Office. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in International Environmental Law and Public Law from the University of Limoges in France.

Dr. Oyewale has worked with UNICEF for 19 years. He started his career working as a Medical Doctor in Lagos, Nigeria. In 2002 he joined UNICEF working as the HIV/AIDS and Adolescent Participation Specialist for UNICEF Nigeria based in Abuja.
Prior to his new assignment in Zimbabwe, he was the UNICEF Deputy Representative in Pakistan with a responsibility for the formulation, management and oversight of UNICEF’s programmes, humanitarian action, and partnerships with the Government, development partners and the private sector. Prior to that he was the UNICEF Representative (a.i) and Deputy Representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo leading complex humanitarian and development programmes, including health epidemics like Ebola, Polio and cholera. Dr Oyewale has also undertaken postings to Bangladesh and Indonesia as well as high level programme and management roles in the UNICEF Executive Office in New York Headquarters.
Dr. Oyewale holds Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (Dlitt. Et Phil.) in Health and a Master of Public Health both from the University of South Africa and Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Degree from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos in Nigeria.

Ms. Fatou Aminata Lo started her career in the private sector in Senegal in 1999 before joining the UN Millennium Project in New York in 2003 and later moving to the UNDP Bureau for Development Policy. In 2006, she joined UNIFEM in New York and worked successively as programme specialist and policy specialist in the Governance team. Since 2013, she has served as UN Women Deputy Representative in Sudan, Deputy Representative in Rwanda and Country Representative in Rwanda.

She holds a Masters Degrees in Law from University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, a Masters in Sustainable Development from the SIT Graduate Institute, and a Masters in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston.
Ms Lo was an official youth delegate and spokesperson at the Fourth World Conference on Women in China (the Beijing Conference) in 1995. She was awarded the Ford Foundation Leadership for Social Justice award in 2003 and was portrayed as one of the Faces of the Future by the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington in 2005. An avid reader and writer, she has authored and contributed to published work, including the "Investing in Development Report" in 2005 also known as the UN Millennium Development Goals Report.

Ms Francesca Erdelmann took office as WFP Representative and Country Director in Zimbabwe in August 2020. Before joining WFP Zimbabwe, Ms Erdelmann worked for WFP in Uganda, South Africa, Mozambique, Yemen and Cambodia where she has held HQ, regional and country specific positions. Ms. Erdelmann has masters in human nutrition and food sciences from Wageningen University. She joined the UN in 1997 with the FAO in India after which she moved to WFP in 1999.

Lidia Brito assumed office as UNESCO Regional Director for Southern Africa based in Harare in 2022. She is a forest engineer with a Master and Doctorate in Forest and Wood Science from Colorado State University-USA, was born in Mozambique, and has been part of Eduardo Mondlane University staff since her graduation in Forest Engineering in 1981.
She has held senior positions in Mozambique such as Head of the Forestry Department from the Faculty of Agronomy (1997-1998), Vice- Rector for Academic Affairs of Eduardo Mondlane University (1998-2000), Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology (2000-2005), and Advisor for Strategic Planning and External Relations of the Mayor of Maputo City (2005- 2008).
She joined UNESCO in November 2009 as Director for Science Policy and Sustainable Development at the Natural Science Sector, in Paris, and in 2014 she was appointed UNESCO Regional Director for Sciences in Latin America and Caribbean region (UNESCO Montevideo Office).
From 2018 to 2021, she chaired the regional organizing committee of the Open Science Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean (CILAC), a key regional space for debates and exchanges to promote sustainable policies throughout science, technology and innovation.

Mr. Mario Lito Malanca has been IOM Chief of Mission to Zimbabwe since January 2019. He has over 20 years of professional experience with IOM. Prior to his appointment to Zimbabwe, Mr. Malanca was Senior Emergency Advisor in Department of operations and Emergency at IOM Headquarter in Geneva.

Sophia took office as UNAIDS Country Director for Zimbabwe in September 2020. She is a lawyer by profession and a public health practitioner by career and training. She brings with her 25 years of experience working in senior level management and programmatic/technical positions in HIV. Her engagement in the AIDS response started back in 1995 in her home country of Uganda as the CEO of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). She has since worked with various International NGOS, Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Mr. Tichaona E. Mushayandebvu has been the Country Representative of UNIDO to Zimbabwe since 2018. His working career spans over 29 years with Government of Zimbabwe from 1991 to 1996, with USAID Zimbabwe from 1996 to 2005 and with UNIDO since 2006.