Erick Nyambock Kawira serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Shirati Health, Education and Development Foundation (SHED Foundation), providing strategic and governance leadership as the organization advances its work in health, education and community development in Shirati and the wider Rorya District of northern Tanzania.
A registered Quantity Surveyor with extensive experience in construction, infrastructure development, commercial management and contract administration, Erick brings more than two decades of professional experience to SHED’s leadership. His career has included responsibility for project costing, procurement, commercial oversight, contract management and the delivery of major construction and infrastructure projects.
Erick earned a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Construction Management from Oxford Brookes University and later completed a Master of Science in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management at Oxford Brookes. He is registered as a Quantity Surveyor in Tanzania by the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Registration Board.
From Group Five to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline
His professional career began in quantity surveying and project cost management with Group Five, the major international construction and engineering company. Over the course of more than a decade with Group Five, he progressed through increasingly senior positions, including Project Quantity Surveyor, Project Cost Controller, Lead Quantity Surveyor, Senior Quantity Surveyor and Commercial Manager. His work gave him substantial experience in managing the financial, contractual and commercial dimensions of complex construction and infrastructure projects.
Erick subsequently served as Contracts Administration Manager with KENG SARL and as Commercial Manager with Devtraco Group. Since 2022, he has worked with the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project as a Senior Contract Engineer, contributing his experience in contracts and commercial management to one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken in East Africa.
Governance for SHED’s Next Chapter
Erick brings this professional background in governance, accountability, contracts, financial stewardship and project delivery to his leadership of SHED Foundation. As Chairman, he works closely with SHED’s Executive Director, Board of Directors, staff and international partners to provide oversight of the organization’s programs and institutional development.
His involvement with SHED extends beyond formal board governance. Erick has played an active role in reviewing organizational agreements, overseeing governance matters, supporting major operational decisions and maintaining relationships with SHED’s partners. He has represented SHED in discussions with long-standing partners, including Village Life Outreach Project, and has helped guide decisions concerning organizational resources, collaborative projects and the Foundation’s long-term direction.
As Chairman, Erick has emphasized both SHED’s established record of service and the importance of positioning the organization for its next generation of work. He has helped guide the Foundation through changing funding environments while maintaining its focus on practical community development and strong partnerships in Rorya.
His combination of professional project-management experience and long-standing involvement with SHED is particularly valuable as the Foundation strengthens its governance, financial systems, institutional partnerships and capacity to manage increasingly ambitious programs. His professional career has required many of the same disciplines essential to effective development work: careful planning, transparent use of resources, contractual accountability, coordination among multiple stakeholders and the successful delivery of complex projects.
Under Erick’s chairmanship, SHED is building on the Foundation’s two decades of work while preparing for future partnerships and larger-scale initiatives. He remains committed to ensuring that SHED combines its deep roots in the communities of Rorya with strong professional standards, accountable governance and sustainable partnerships capable of delivering lasting improvements in health, education and community development.