The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is moving its Africa Regional Office to the Kenyan capital Nairobi, in a step aimed at strengthening the organization’s capacity to support African partners to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The announcement came during a visit to the region by UN Under-Secretary-General and the new UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva and the acting UNOPS Africa Regional Director, Dalila Gonçalves.
Speaking at his first visit to the Africa region in the new role, Mr. Moreira da Silva said: “Against a backdrop of unprecedented global challenges, we need to maximize our resources to support the people of Africa in their efforts to build a better future. This move will reinforce our capacity to support our partners in Africa, to ensure our work effectively reduces inequalities, builds sustainability, and supports African countries in climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.”
“This move makes us more agile in our ability to respond to peace and security, humanitarian and development needs across the continent. From our new base in Nairobi, we look forward to supporting our partners to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals in the African region,” said Gonçalves.
The UNOPS Africa Regional Office move to Nairobi will be completed at the end of 2023.
UNOPS works in 40 countries across Africa, employing more than 1,000 people, 48 per cent of them being women to help partners build resilience, reduce the risk of disasters, address the impact of conflict and progress toward Sustainable Development Goals through climate-conscious infrastructure, procurement and project management services.
The organization already has a team in Kenya providing support to projects in 15 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa. Based in Nairobi, the Africa Regional Office will support around 300 UNOPS projects all over the continent.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
