Ethics and governance key focus areas for NYDA CFO Okuhle Sidumane

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Okuhle Sidumane has her sights set on integration and good governance, as she begins her tenure as finance chief at the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).

“One of the primary objectives of NYDA is to tackle the significant issue of youth unemployment in South Africa, a cause that resonates deeply with my personal vision and mission,” Okuhle told CFO South Africa, shortly after her appointment. 

“As a young female CFO, I consider it a profound privilege to collaborate with the agency and its partners across both the private and public sectors as we work on various initiatives aligned with this mandate,” she adds.

The NYDA, which falls under the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, lobbies and advocates for the integration and mainstreaming of youth development in all spheres of government, the private sector and civil society.

It also initiates, implements, facilitates and co-ordinates youth development programmes as well as monitoring and evaluating youth development interventions.

“Upholding good corporate governance is central to my responsibilities as CFO. In my role as a key integrator within the agency, I am dedicated to advancing the commendable progress already achieved in enhancing compliance, good corporate governance, financial management ethics, and transformation initiatives,” she explained.

“This commitment is my key inspiration amongst others in the journey to expand the agency's outreach to a broader segment of South African youth and ensure that the agency continues to deliver growing opportunities to young people, supported by a financial services unit recognised as a centre of excellence. My aspiration is to facilitate knowledge transfer, foster growth, and lead with camaraderie among the diverse audiences I will engage with during my tenure,” she added.

Okuhle, who spent almost two years at Productivity SA, also has experience in the private sector, having been a finance manager at brewer AB InBev.

She has a BCom honours from Rhodes University as well as being licensed by the South African Institution of Chartered Accountants.

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