Transforming impact: How Afrika Tikkun and Project Portfolio Office are advancing strategy execution.
Afrika Tikkun, which positions itself as a leading South African non-profit organisation dedicated to holistic youth development, has significantly strengthened its strategy execution capability through a tactical partnership with Project Portfolio Office. By implementing PPO, Project Portfolio Office’s centralised, cloud-based project portfolio management (PPM) platform, Afrika Tikkun has enhanced governance, improved accountability and increased its ability to translate strategic intent into measurable, large-scale outcomes.
Strengthening execution through integrated portfolio management
As Afrika Tikkun’s cradle-to-career model expanded across early childhood development through its Bambanani programme, adolescent support through Ignite, and youth employability through Head Start, the limitations of decentralised project management practices became increasingly apparent. Critical project management information was dispersed across spreadsheets, e-mails and standalone documents, constraining visibility, consistency and strategic oversight.
Fact sheet
Solution: PPO
Industry: Non-profit
Provider: Project Portfolio Office
User: Afrika Tikkun
According to Agnes Sibanda, Group Head: Scale and Outreach, the challenge was not reflective of organisational capability, but rather the absence of an integrated system able to support standardisation, repeatability and institutional learning at scale.
PPO addressed this need by providing a single source of truth across the organisation’s project management portfolio. This has enabled standardised planning, performance tracking, risk management and reporting across programmes, functions and geographies.
Enhancing governance, visibility and stakeholder confidence
The implementation of PPO has provided leadership with executive-level dashboards that deliver real-time visibility into project performance, milestones, dependencies and risks. Governance reporting for boards, donors and strategic partners can now be generated directly from the system, improving data integrity while reducing administrative effort.
Transforming impact: How Afrika Tikkun and Project Portfolio Office are advancing strategy execution.
The value of this disciplined and structured project management approach was well demonstrated through Afrika Tikkun’s role as joint host of the inaugural Valuable 500 Africa Summit, a high-level meeting aimed at ending the persistent exclusion of persons with disabilities from education, employment and leadership. Managed as a formal project within PPO, the initiative enabled the organisation to produce comprehensive close-out and narrative reports for sponsors, reinforcing delivery credibility and contributing to stronger long-term stakeholder confidence.
Enabling scalable and sustainable growth
Beyond operational efficiencies, PPO has strengthened organisational decision-making and improved delivery consistency through the use of standardised project management templates, workflows and reporting structures. This has reduced onboarding time for new staff, increased operational maturity and released capacity for higher-value work.
Transforming impact: How Afrika Tikkun and Project Portfolio Office are advancing strategy execution.
As Afrika Tikkun explores future growth opportunities, including pilot initiatives in Somaliland and potential early childhood development programming in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Botswana, its investment in portfolio discipline positions the organisation to scale responsibly while maintaining programme quality, governance standards and accountability.
Setting a higher standard for social impact delivery
Afrika Tikkun’s transformation reflects a broader reality within the social impact sector: sustainable development outcomes require the same execution discipline, governance rigour and data maturity expected of high-performing private-sector institutions. By aligning strategy, systems and delivery through PPO, Afrika Tikkun is strengthening its ability to deliver lasting economic and social impact for South Africa’s youth and, over time, broader regional communities.
Transforming impact: How Afrika Tikkun and Project Portfolio Office are advancing strategy execution.
Says Guy Jelley, CEO and co-founder of Project Portfolio Office: “Ultimately, Afrika Tikkun’s project management transformation aligns with its core belief that empowering South Africa’s youth requires disciplined, measurable and sustainable programme delivery.
“By modernising its project management approach, the organisation is now better equipped to deliver on that promise – creating opportunities, strengthening communities and building pathways to brighter futures. We look forward to continuing to support and grow Afrika Tikkun’s project management environment into the future.”
