(from right): BCI-UK Board Chair Tracey Balch, ZEEA Executive Director Hon. Juma Burhan Mohamed, BCI Director of Strategic Partnerships Sue Stevenson, BCI-Zanzibar Country Director Brenda Geofrey.
As Zanzibar President Hon. Hussein Ali Mwinyi began his second five-year term in office, he set a clear vision for economic sustainability, one that is closely tied to the work and mission of Barefoot College International at its regional center there.
A key priority Ali Mwinyi said is to invest and grow sustainability in Zanzibar. The pillars of doing this focus revolve on clean energy, beekeeping and honey cultivation. In his November address to open the House of Representatives, Ali Mwinyi called these efforts, “the path toward a sustainable Zanzibar.”
“We’re delighted to see our partnership continue to evolve and align with the government’s social and economic initiatives,” said Sue Stevenson, Director of Strategic Partnerships for BCI.
Further validation of BCI-Zanzibar’s core activities and training came with the finalization of a Memo of Understanding between BCI and The Zanzibar Economic Empowerment Agency to continue to build on its past efforts in these core economic areas. The framework for the MOU came together this summer when Stevenson and BCI-UK Board Chair Tracey Balch traveled to Zanzibar and met with Executive Director Hon. Juma Burhan Mohamed.
The MOU solidifies continued cooperation on the shared priorities of ZEEA and BCI around solar, beekeeping and the blue economy.
“We have already trained women empowered to electrify their village. Imagine if we can train so many more to dry seaweed and other spices for the economy. We need to blend this initiative together,” Burhan Mohamed said in this strategic meeting.
Burhan Mohamed credited BCI-Zanzibar Country Director Brenda Geofry for her commitment to the work between the two agencies that has helped create these cooperative initiatives and shared interests with the country’s focus on building a sustainable economy.
“Congratulations to Brenda,” Burhan Mohamed said. “She has been working very hard and helping us build and strengthen this relationship. She is a cooperative leader and we’ve managed to improve so many things together.”