MOROGORO, Tanzania, 1 June, 2026 — APOPO has promoted five staff members at its operational headquarters in Morogoro, Tanzania, boosting its commitment to developing internal talent and strengthening its training and research capacity.
Effective 1 June, 2026, Abdullah Mchomvu was promoted from Training Center Manager to Training & Research Center Manager; Said Mshana from Research Supervisor and Data Coordinator to Research and Data Coordinator; Haruni Yahaya from Quality Control Officer to TB Rat Training Coordinator; and Gaudencia Deogratius John and Richard Emily from Rat Trainers to Supervisors in Training.
The promotions recognize each staff member’s dedication, technical expertise, and strong performance, while responding to APOPO’s growing operational needs. In their new roles, the promoted staff members will improve research coordination, training quality, enhance data management, and support staff development, helping APOPO continue to deliver innovative, evidence-based humanitarian solutions.
Strengthening Training and Research Leadership
As Training & Research Center Manager, Abdullah will lead both training and research activities, ensuring that research findings are translated into improvements in rat training, staff development, and operational performance. Bringing these functions under one leadership role will strengthen collaboration, support informed decision-making, and foster continued innovation across APOPO’s programs.
Abdullah joined APOPO in 2002 as a Rat Trainer and has steadily advanced through the organization. After becoming a Supervisor in 2009, Training Manager in 2014, and Training Center Manager in 2022, he now takes on the expanded responsibility of leading both training and research. Throughout his career, he has played an important role in developing training programs, mentoring colleagues, and supporting innovation across multiple training sites.
Speaking on behalf of the promoted staff, Abdullah thanked his colleagues for the support they have given him throughout his career at APOPO: “I sincerely thank my colleagues for their cooperation, encouragement, and teamwork. Without their support, I would not have had the opportunity to take on this new role. This promotion belongs to all of us because our achievements are the result of working together.
“I encourage everyone to remain committed to APOPO’s mission, continue learning, and always give their best. Hard work creates opportunities for growth, and together we can continue strengthening APOPO’s work in saving lives,” he said.
Expanding Research, Data, and Training Capacity
As Research and Data Coordinator, Said will oversee APOPO’s research coordination and data management systems, helping ensure high-quality data collection, analysis, and reporting to support evidence-based decision-making. His expanded role will further strengthen research coordination, monitoring, evaluation, and continuous program improvement.
Haruni has been promoted to TB Rat Training Coordinator, where he will lead the tuberculosis rat training program by coordinating training activities, supporting trainers, and maintaining high training standards. His experience in quality assurance will help improve program efficiency and contribute to the continued success of APOPO’s tuberculosis detection work.
Gaudencia and Richard have both been appointed Supervisors in Training. They will oversee daily training activities, mentor trainers, monitor performance, and ensure compliance with APOPO’s standard operating procedures. Their leadership will help strengthen trainer development, improve consistency across training programs, and support APOPO’s continued growth.
Recognizing Commitment and Performance
Commenting on the promotions, Dr. Cindy Fast, APOPO’s Head of Training and Research, congratulated the newly promoted staff and recognized their contributions to the organization’s continued success.
“These promotions reflect the commitment, professionalism, and consistently high performance that each of these colleagues has demonstrated over the years. Their contributions have helped advance APOPO’s work across multiple areas, including strengthening our Innovation, MDR, and TB training programs, as well as supporting important initiatives such as the wildlife detection rat trials in Dar es Salaam and the search and rescue rat project in Türkiye. I am confident they will continue to excel in their new responsibilities, and I wish them every success as they take on these important leadership roles,” Cinday said.