MANAGEMENT & COMPLIANCE
RECOGNITION AND COMPLIANCE Young Africa International has ANBI-status from the Dutch Tax Authorities as a non-profit organisation. In 2024, we also reported on our compliance with the Dutch law ‘Wet Normering Topinkomens’ that caps management remunerations; we fall well below their threshold. We are recognised by the Dutch Central Bureau of Fundraising Organisations (CBF). We are a member of the umbrella organisation of INGOs in development cooperation in Zimbabwe and in The Netherlands, we are part of Partos and of Goede Doelen Nederland. In 2024, we obtained the global trademark registration of the logo and name Young Africa from the World Intellectual Property Organisation. INNOVATION AND DIVERSIFICATION To ensure the continuity and expansion of our work, in light of the changing donor landscape, and our striving for self-sustainability, we have taken the bold step to set up a Young Africa social enterprise in the green energy sector in Africa. The future profits of the company will flow back into our programmes for youth empowerment. To adequately separate this company Young Power Africa from the Foundation, we will also create the holding company InnovYAte. The legal incorporation of both entities will be completed, and activities will commence, in 2025. RISK MANAGEMENT The risk committee, alongside Management, continued to monitor risks. To give this the importance it needs, we appointed a Compliance & Contracts Manager. The launch of our programme in Nigeria, the first in West-Africa, with a new donor, required stricter risk mitigation, leading to ongoing due diligence processes of partners and new employees by audit firms and lawyers in 2025.
Young Africa International Managing Board (L-R) Phillip Wannell, Head of Operations; Dorien Beurskens, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer; Mahara Goteka, Head of Programmes.
MANAGING BOARD Young Africa International is managed by co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Dorien Beurskens. She heads the three-member Managing Board, with Mahara Goteka as Head of Programmes, and Phillip Wannell as Head of Operations. The Managing Board leads the team at the headquarters in Harare as well as the founding and supporting office in Amsterdam. The Managing Board meets bi-weekly to discuss strategic and operational matters. GOOD GOVERNANCE Young Africa International abides by the Dutch Code of Good Governance (Code Wijffels) for fundraising institutions and follows best practices in governance. The day-to-day leadership is in the hands of the Managing Board. Supervision and management are regulated by the Constitutions and the Governance Policy, which is overseen by the Supervisory Board. The Chief Executive Officer attends Supervisory Board meetings. STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE 2024 marked the first year of Strategic Plan 2024-26 and the overall performance of the planned deliverables so far has been good. The new team structure created space for Management to spend time on expansion of the Federation to new countries, for programmatic innovations, for capacity building, for fundraising efforts, and for public relations and growing Young Africa's reputation as an expert in youth empowerment.
Recognising the need for new entities to build capacity before attaining full Affiliate status, Young Africa International has been supporting Zambia’s entity, founded in 2023, in finance and administration. As the holder of all their grants, Young Africa International is ensuring compliance while capacity building continues. To mitigate non-compliance risks, the Federation is introducing an Associate status as a Pre-Affiliate category. 24
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