Who are we
AfriFuture Research and Development Trust is an independent research and development institute which is registered as a Trust and is headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe. Through critical cutting-edge research, human capacity development and undertaking local grassroots development initiatives, the Trust endeavours to uplift the poor and marginalised communities in the global south. It provides a platform that promotes informed and rigorous debate on developmental trajectories in the global south and promotes discourses that positively transform lives.
Management Team
Executive Director
Dr. Clement Chipenda
Dr. Chipenda is the Founder and Executive Director of AfriFuture Research and Development Trust. Concurrently he is a Research Associate with the South African Research Chair in Social Policy (University of South Africa) and was a 2020 Research Fellow with the Institute for Intercultural and International Studies, Global Dynamics in Social Policy (Collaborative Research Centre 1342) at the University of Bremen (Germany). His current research interests are in social policy, agrarian political economy, citizenship, child rights, social protection, youth development and gender studies. He has been awarded several research grants from international organizations and has published several book chapters and journal articles in the Canadian Journal of African Studies, Africa Review, African Identities, Journal of Comparative Family Studies and African Journal of Economic and Management Studies. He is a holder of a DPhil in Sociology with the University of South Africa, an MSc in Development Studies (NUST) and a BSc Sociology Honours Degree (UZ). Dr. Chipenda has over 15 years work experience in government, civil society organizations and academia. He has worked for Save the Children, the Department of Social Welfare and University of South Africa (as Programme Officer, Child Protection Officer, Social Welfare Officer and Research Fellow respectively). Dr. Chipenda has extensive research experience and skills in livelihoods assessment and analysis; communication and organising; report writing; qualitative and quantitative research; project planning and development as well as monitoring and evaluation.
Programmes Director
Dr. Tom Tom
Dr. T. Tom is Programmes Director of AfriFuture Research and Development Trust. He is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Development Studies at the Zimbabwe Open University and is also a Research Fellow at the South African Research Chair Initiative (SARCHI) Chair in Social Policy, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa. He is a holder of a PhD in Sociology with the University of South Africa and the thrust of his PhD studies was underpinned by interrogation of the social policy dimensions of Zimbabwe’s land and agrarian reform under the theme, ‘Rethinking Social Policy: In Search of Inclusive Development.’ He also holds an MSc in Sociology and Social Anthropology; and BSc Sociology (Hons) from the University of Zimbabwe. He is a member of the Network of Young African Researchers in Agriculture (YARA); Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) Academy; International Sociological Association Junior Sociologists Network (ISA-JSN); South African Sociological Association (SASA); and Development Practitioners Network (DPN). His research, publication and teaching interests are anchored on social policy, agrarian, youth and gender studies. As a young African scholar, he contributes to critical and sustainable approaches of improving the wellbeing of various groups of people through transformative social policy. Accumulating consultancies, voluntary work, other community engagement activities, university service and publications are crystallised around social policy. The social policy thrust of his work is fundamental to understanding and responding to the current global pandemic, COVID-19 beyond the predominant biomedical approaches. He continues to find inspiration in improving societal wellbeing particularly from a conscious social policy approach.
AfriFuture Research and Development Trust 