Soils for the Future Tanzania
Who We Are
Soils for the Future Tanzania Team
Iddi Mfunda, Ph.D.
Country Coordinator
Iddi Mfunda specializes in economics, natural resources, and the environment. He has 31 years of professional experience in formulating natural resources management policies and strategies; developing programs and projects; participatory management; institutional collaboration; monitoring and evaluation; and preparing plans, budgets, and reports. He has worked as a Director of Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania, as the national coordinator of the Management of natural resources Program (MNRP), the coordinator of IPBES project in the Serengeti ecosystem, and participated in AfricanBioServices project in Serengeti ecosystem as a researcher.
In 2019, he joined the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Africa Program. During this time, Mfunda demonstrated strong organizational and teamwork-building skills and worked with key partners at national and international institutions, organizations, donors, NGOs such as FZS, WWF, AWF, TNC, and community-based organizations.
These responsibilities and experiences are relevant in supporting the CarbonSolve and Soils for the Future (Tanzania) Ltd efforts in Tanzania. As such, he will adequately assist the Soils for the Future (Tanzania) Ltd in providing leadership to key functions, defining the Company’s strategic direction, overseeing implementation, monitoring funds management, evaluation, identifying opportunities to enhance business results, and ensuring that all technical and financial reporting requirements and related deadlines are respected at all times. Mfunda is capable of building and maintaining good working relationships with government at all levels, project partners, investors, donors and communities.
Geofrey Soka, Ph.D.
Monitoring and Evaluation Director
Dr. Geofrey Soka has been involved in conservation and ecological research throughout his academic and working career. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania in 2002, was awarded Master of Science in Conservation Biology by the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 2005, and worked as an Associate Expert at the Bioversity International (formerly the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute) from 2005 to 2008. Dr. Soka received his PhD in Landscape Ecology from Syracuse University, USA in 2014.
He is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Wildlife Management at Sokoine University of Agriculture. His main research interests lie in the area of landscape ecology, conservation biology, and related socio-economic aspects, particularly the mainstreaming of conservation into development agenda as well as understanding the interactions between biological systems and their benefits to local communities. He is also interested in understanding the impact of land cover changes on carbon stock dynamics.
He has past experience in the ecological monitoring and research of various terrestrial taxa, as well as the supervision and logistics of such work. He has published 47 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Richard Ndaskoi, M.Sc.
Project Director
Richard Kinisa Ndaskoi, hold a BA (Hons) in Land Use Planning & Environmental Studies from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). He also holds an MSc in Rural Development from University College Dublin (UCD) Ireland. Ndaskoi has over 30 years of work experience in community development with a bias on the interface of community development and natural resources management.
Ndaskoi worked as a community development professional with many different International NGOs and bilateral donor Agencies: he has worked with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Singita Grumeti Fund (SGF) as a Community Outreach Program Manager, Oxfam GB, DANIDA, Ereto, a DANIDA funded project, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Belgium Consortium of NGOs (NCOS) among others.
