The African Forest Forum (AFF) congratulates Millicent Achieng and Susan Edith Asira on their graduation from the Young Impact Associates (YIA) fellowship at a colourful ceremony held on 5 November 2026 at the Landscape Alliance Campus in Nairobi, Kenya.
The two Associates, who undertook their practical placements at AFF, were among the programme’s first cohort of 23 graduates from Kenya, Ghana and Uganda. Dr. Moussa Massaoudou and Ms. Daphine Gitonga attended the ceremony on behalf of AFF. The fellowship aimed to equip young professionals with practical skills in impact measurement, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), combining structured learning with mentorship, career development and workplace experience. At AFF, the Associates applied these skills to examining project evidence and identifying ways to strengthen results measurement, inclusive programming and institutional learning.
Strengthening monitoring and learning at AFF
Millicent’s project, “Strengthening Monitoring and Learning for Youth Forest Action in Africa,” focused on AfricanYouth4Forests (AY4F). It assessed the project’s alignment with AFF’s institutional Theory of Change, reviewed existing MEL arrangements and identified strengths and areas for improvement. Her work proposed an outcome-focused results and indicator framework integrating gender equality and social inclusion to better track changes in youth knowledge, application of skills and participation in decision-making.
Susan’s project, “AFF’s Contribution to Sustainable Forest Governance,” synthesised evidence from AFF’s Sida-supported project against its results framework and Theory of Change. It examined gender equality and social inclusion across the available evidence and identified gaps, implementation lessons and recommendations for future programming, monitoring and learning.
Together, their projects offer practical recommendations for strengthening how AFF documents results, assesses who participates and benefits, and uses evidence to inform its work.
Recognising a shared learning journey
The graduation celebrated the Associates’ professional development and recognised the contributions of mentors and host institutions. It also provided an opportunity to share placement projects and connect with peers, partners and professionals working across agriculture and development.
The YIA programme is funded by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by the Impact Partner Organization consortium, comprising Landscape Alliance, AWARD, AFIDEP and AKADEMIYA2063.
AFF congratulates Millicent and Susan on this achievement and thanks the colleagues, mentors and programme partners who supported their learning. We wish both graduates success as they apply their skills to advancing inclusive, evidence-informed development.
In photos
