Bios: Speakers and Facilitators

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UNDP Africa Forum on Civil Society and Governance Assessments, Dakar, Senegal, 10 – 12 November 2011 | Participant Bios

CHARLES ABUGRE AKELYIRA, REGIONAL DIRECTOR (AFRICA), UNITED

NATIONS MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN (KENYA)

Charles Abugre Akelyira has been an active anti-poverty campaigner for over 20 years. Born in

Ghana, Mr. Abugre is a development economist by training. He is currently the Africa Regional

Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign based in Nairobi. Prior to this, he worked

as Head of Global Policy and Advocacy Division for Christian Aid in London. During this time

he was also a visiting gender and macroeconomics lecturer at the Summer School of the

Department of Economics, University of Utah. He was also a lecturer and research fellow at the

Swansea University, Wales. In the 1990s, Mr. Abugre was founder and Executive Director of the Integrated

Social Development Centre and Coordinator of the Africa Secretariat of the Third World Network. He also

co-founded several other institutions in Ghana such as the Centre for Public Interest Law, the Centre for

Budget Advocacy and the Public Agenda newspaper. He is a guest editor of Third World Economics and

Third World Resurgence, Malaysia. He has wide-ranging experiences from grassroots development work

to international consultancies in social and economic development in many parts of the world.

KATHLEEN ADDY, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR,

AFROBAROMETER (GHANA)

Kathleen Addy leads communications and outreach at the Afrobarometer Project, a public

opinion survey project that is regularly conducted in over 20 African countries. The project is

based at the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana). She holds a Bachelor’s

degree from the University of Ghana, Legon, as well as a Master’s degree in communications

from the same institution. Prior to her current appointment, she worked at the Centre for

Policy Analysis in Accra as a research officer with particular focus on women’s economic empowerment

and economic partnership agreements. Ms. Addy is a communications strategist with extensive experience

as a trainer and facilitator and particular interest in development. She has expertise in different fields

including gender, HIV/AIDS and local economic development.

CHAFIKA AFFAQ, GOVERNANCE OFFICER, UNDP MOROCCO

Chafika Affaq has 12 years of experience working with national and international NGOs. She

has been working with UNDP in Morocco since 2004, focusing on youth-led development,

civil society engagement and strategies to advance the Millennium Development Goals. She is

currently Governance and Human Development Projects Officer and the Civil Society Focal

Africa Forum on Civil Society and Governance Assessments Dakar, Senegal, 10 – 12 November 2011 Bios: Speakers and Facilitators

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Point. She holds a degree in human sciences studies and is finalizing a Master’s degree in international

development from the Open University in London.

BISHOP AKOLGO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ISODEC (GHANA)

Bishop Akolgo is involved in technology for improved governance in a number of ways. He is

involved in the extractives industry in various capacities including research, policy advice and

training for both state and non-state actors and in macro-economic modeling in the petroleum

and solid minerals sectors, especially as tools for CSOs to better influence governments and

companies. He is also involved in the design and operationalisation of geographic information

systems for natural resources management and support to local authorities. The organisation he leads, the

Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), is a non-profit, non-partisan and non-governmental

research/analysis and advocacy organisation and operational in seven West African countries. It has been

working with local authorities since 1994 to develop capacities in transparency and accountability of local

authorities. ISODEC also works to enhance the demand side of transparency through training,

research/analysis and hosting/facilitating a number of CSO platforms in Ghana including Publish What

You Pay, Oil Platform and Essential Services Platform, a collection of CSOs active in water, health and

education in Ghana. Mr. Akolgo and ISODEC also provide CSOs and some governments and foundations

in the West Africa sub-region with policy advisory services on extractives, water/sanitation and health as

well as ICTs for improved governance. Mr. Akolgo holds post-graduate diplomas in development

management (institutions and governance) and petroleum policy and resource management and a

Master’s degree in Economic and Social Development from the University of Wales, Swansea.

NETSANET BELAY, RESEARCH AND POLICY DIRECTOR, CIVICUS (SOUTH

AFRICA)

Netsanet Belay has been with CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, a global civil

society network based in Johannesburg, since September 2009. He works on a wide range of

research and policy advocacy initiatives including issues relating civil society space,

participation, development effectiveness, the post-MDG agenda and climate justice. He is

involved in a number of global campaigns and advocacy platforms, including the Global Call to

Action against Poverty, where he serves as member of the Global Council; and is also a member of the

BetterAid Coalition Facilitation Group; the Multi-Stakeholder Task Team on CSO Development

Effectiveness and Enabling Environment; and the Community of Democracies Working Group on

Protecting Civil Society. He is a lawyer, specialized in human rights and development. Mr. Belay is an

Ethiopian national with a number of years in legal and social activism. He served as an Assistant Judge at

the Federal First Instance court in Ethiopia for two years. He was Founder and Executive Director of the

Organisation for Social Justice in Ethiopia, a public interest group that promotes human rights, social

justice, democracy and good governance. In 2005 he led the creation of the largest network of Ethiopian

CSOs that observed the elections. He was also national coordinator GCAP in Ethiopia. Mr. Belay has faced

persecution for his activism in Ethiopia and was a prisoner of conscience for two and a half years.

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ABDELHAKIM CHAFIAI, PRESIDENT, ESPACE ASSOCIATIF (MOROCCO)

Abdelhakim Chafiai, Professeur Universitaire/ Vice Doyen, est chargé de la vie estudiantine et

des affaires sociales à l’Université Hassan II, Casablanca. Doctorant d’Etat en Analyse et

Contrôle des Systèmes, il est membre/acteur actif dans les associations œuvrant dans les

domaines des droits de l’homme et développement humain. Il est actuellement président de

l’Espace Associatif.

SAMUEL CUDJOE, AG. SECRETARY-GENERAL, APRM (GHANA)

Samuel Cudjoe has over 20 years of experience with civil society and private sector actors.

Between 2004 and 2005, he coordinated the Corporate Governance Component of the

African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Ghana. He joined the APRM Secretariat 2006 as

a Principal Programme Officer, and is currently head of the Secretariat. He was instrumental

in the decentralization of the APRM in Ghana and coordinates the activities of the District

APRM Oversight Committees that undertake governance assessments at the local level.

LUC DAMIBA, ADMINISTRATOR SCIENTIFIQUE, LABORATOIRE DE RECHERCE

ET D’ETUDES SUR LA GOUVERNANCE (SENEGAL)

Damiba Youlouka est un expert et un chercheur qui a capitalisé plus de dix années d’expérience

de travail sur les thèmes de la lutte contre la corruption, de la gouvernance, de l’éthique

publique et professionnelle, de la gouvernance locale et de la coopération internationale. Il a été

coordonnateur des programmes d’une association Burkinabè de lutte contre la corruption (le

réseau national de lutte anti-corruption, RENLAC). Ensuite, il s’est investi dans la recherche

académique et la recherche appliquée dans les mêmes centres d’intérêts. Aujourd’hui M.

Youlouka a été sollicité pour coordonner les activités du Laboratoire de Recherche et d’Etude sur la

Gouvernance (LAREG) dont le siège est basé à Dakar au Sénégal. Le LAREG est un ‘think tank’ qui mène

des études et des programmes de recherche sur les nouveaux enjeux que pose le concept et les pratiques de

gouvernance. Parallèlement cet engagement dans le monde universitaire, M.Youlouka s’intéresse aussi aux

questions des médias et des droits humains. Il dirige pour la même cause une association Burkinabè,

Semfilms, laquelle est engagée dans la promotion des droits humains et de la liberté d’expression en

Afrique de l’Ouest. Cette association est promoteur d’une télévision (droitlibre.tv) qui diffuse sur Internet

et spécialisé dans l’actualité des droits humains et de la liberté d’expression en Afrique de l’Ouest.

MOHAMED DANSOKO, FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER, USAID (SENEGAL)

Mohamed Dansoko is Democracy and Governance Officer at USAID Senegal. Before taking up

his current assignment, he served in the Democratic Republic of Congo as Peace, Security and

Governance Officer. Prior to joining USAID, Mr. Dansoko worked for the National

Democratic Institute where he managed democracy and governance support programmes in

over ten Central and West African countries. He has also served as independent consultant for

many international organizations implementing democracy, governance, human rights,

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conflict management/peace-building, and development programmes including Plan International USA,

Search for Common Ground, Solidarity Center, the International Center for Transitional Justice, and the

International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Mr. Dansoko has been a civic activist and community

organizer with national, regional and grassroots civil society organizations in Guinea. He has a law degree

(Maîtrise en Droit Public) from the University of Conakry (Guinea) and a Master’s degree in international

commerce and policy from the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, Virginia (USA).

FLORENCE DENNIS, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, GHANA ANTI-CORRUPTION

COALITION (GHANA)

Florence Dennis joined the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition in 2004 and has since worked

with other civil society organizations on policy research, advocacy and lobbying government

officials, parliamentarians on public policy matters, monitoring and evaluations of

programmes at international, national and local levels. She has engaged in media outreach

programmes, building and managing networks, work planning, annual reviews of policy

documents such as the GPRS and APRM, and implemented various programmes in the area of anti-

corruption. She has over 17 years of experience in senior management positions, with ten years in the

private shipping industry and seven years in the NGO sector. Before taking up her present position she was

the Executive Secretary of the Shipowners & Agents Association of Ghana. Ms. Dennis serves on a number

of national committees on governance and anti-corruption. In 2009 she won an award from the World

Bank Institute for promoting collective action in the fight against corruption. She is a Fellow of Les Aspin

Centre in Washington D.C., USA, and the International Visitors’ Program of the United States Embassy.

She is an active Rotarian of Rotary Club of Tema Meridian and a member of the Kwame Nkrumah

University of Science & Technology Alumni. She has a B.A. degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of

Science and Technology and a Master’s in shipping management from the World Maritime University,

Malmo, Sweden, and various certificates in governance and anti-corruption.

ADETUNJI ELESO, BUSINESS ADVISORY AND RESEARCH LEAD, CO-CREATION

HUB (NIGERIA)

Adetunji Eleso is responsible for providing pre-incubation support to social technology

ventures and managing the research function at Co-creation Hub Nigeria (a social innovation

centre). He previously worked at Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA), where

he managed research on the use of financial services by the adult population in Nigeria to

influence policy towards providing better tailored financial services especially to low-income

individuals. Prior to that for over seven years he worked at Capital Partners Limited (a strategy and

business advisory services firm) where he participated in some of the most successful enterprise

transformation initiatives both in the public and private sectors (specifically in business process design,

product development, strategy, recruitment and training) in Nigeria’s financial services landscape. He

holds a Master’s degree in development finance (2006) from the University of Manchester, U.K.

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FLORENCE ETTA, PRESIDENT, AFREA (GHANA)

Florence E. Etta is Chair of the Steering Committee of the African Gender and

Development Evaluators Network, a Special Interest Group of the African Evaluation

Association (AfrEA). She was elected President of AfrEA in April 2009. She is an

independent research, monitoring and evaluation consultant in the fields of information

and communication technology policy, information and communication technologies for

development (ICT4D), education, environment, gender and development. Her current

specialty is in the areas of outcome mapping and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. She has been

consultant to international organisations including UNICEF, USAID, Rockefeller Foundation, IDRC, and

the African Centre for Gender and Social Development in the United Nations Economic Commission for

Africa. She spent six years (1998-2005) at the International Development Research Centre, Nairobi,

programming in ICT for Development during which she supervised the research and publication of five

seminal books. Ms. Etta is a member of the British Psychological Society, the Association for Women’s

Rights in Development (AWID), the Canadian and American Evaluation Associations, and the Monitoring

and Evaluation Association of Nigeria. She served on the steering committee of the World Summit on the

Information Society Gender Caucus and is currently on the board of IDEAS International.

ANDREW FIRMIN, RESEARCH MANAGER, CIVICUS (SOUTH AFRICA)

At CIVICUS, which he joined in January 2011, Andrew Firmin has been responsible for

bringing to conclusion the 2008-2011 Civil Society Index project, a civil society self-

assessment scheme operated in 35 countries. He has developed the new CSI overview report

on the health of civil society, Bridging the Gaps, and set up and staffed CIVICUS’s new

research unit. He is currently leading the development of the prototype of an annual global

report on the state of civil society and a new civil society rapid self-assessment tool. Previously, Mr. Firmin

was Programme Manager for Culture at the Commonwealth Foundation, a U.K.-based intergovernmental

organisation which supports civil society in 54 countries, where he established the Culture Programme in

2005, addressing culture and development, international cultural policy, cultural and religious civil society

and the role of culture in conflict, as well as operating a series of artists’ exchange and recognition schemes

and developing partnerships with international cultural organisations. Prior to setting up the Culture

Programme, he worked on issues of people’s participation in governance and managed civil society grant-

making. Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, he worked for the U.K. Government’s health and

pensions departments. He studied politics and economics at the University of Leeds.

ALAN FOWLER, CIVIL SOCIETY ACADEMIC AND INDEPENDENTDEVELOPMENT

ADVISER (SOUTH AFRICA)

Alan Fowler has over 30 years’ experience of civil society organizations worldwide. He has

worked as manager, analyst, adviser, writer and donor and has made specific contributions

to NGO development through his books, publications and conference presentations. In 1992,

he co-founded the International NGO Training Research Centre in Oxford, England, as a

resource to enhance NGO capabilities. Until recently he was President of the International

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Society for Third Sector Research and a board member of CIVICUS. He has published extensively on civil

society issues, non-governmental organizations and the international aid system. His latest work includes

co-edited volumes on capacity development (2010) and a compendium on NGO management (2010), both

published by Earthscan.

EMILY FORMAN, REPRESENTATIVE, METALAYER (USA)

After receiving a B.A. in economics from Colby College, Emily Forman joined International

Business Machines as a public sector business consultant. Mostly working in the digital

arena, Ms. Forman did everything from networking with high-ranking military commanders

to determine more efficient ways to pay a vendor for an order of combat boots to improving

the average American's package tracking process. Compelled to explore digital branding and

design with respect to user experience, she later worked at a leading interactive design firm, AKQA, in

Washington, D.C., as production manager, launching multiple web and mobile applications with a

strategic branding focus. As the newest member of MetaLayer, Ms. Forman hopes to leverage her

experiences supporting a wide-array of government clients and managing the creative branding process to

develop a detailed marketing strategy for the MetaLayer product – which is intended to surface critical

pieces of information buried in large data sets, thereby helping organizations to easily make sense of and

act on real-time and historic information. She is currently pursuing her MBA at Georgetown University.

BENIAM GEBREZGHI, PROGRAMME SPECIALIST, UNDP CIVIL SOCIETY

DIVISION (USA)

An Eritrean/Swedish national, Beniam Gebrezghi has for the past ten years worked in the

areas of civil society assessments, and civil society strengthening and support in different

capacities. Among his responsibilities in the UNDP Civil Society Division are coordinating

civil society advisory committees and providin policy advice and support to UNDP Country

Offices in engaging strategically with civil society. Previously he was the coordinator of the

CIVICUS Civil Society Index, based in Johannesburg. Prior to joining CIVICUS, Mr. Gebrezghi was a

Programme Officer with the NGO Division of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

He holds a Master’s degree in public administration from The School of Government, University of the

Western Cape, South Africa.

PAUL GRAHAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY IN

SOUTH AFRICA (SOUTH AFRICA)

Mr. Paul Graham joined IDASA as Regional Director of the KwaZulu/Natal office in 1988 and

was Director of the Training Centre for Democracy in Johannesburg between 1992 and 1996.

Founded in 1987, IDASA is a non-profit public interest organization headquartered in

Pretoria committed to promoting sustainable democracy in South Africa and elsewhere by

building democratic institutions, educating citizens, and advocating social justice. At IDASA,

Mr. Graham has been responsible for its elections support, public education, and civil society

strengthening work, as well as for and conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution activities inside and

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outside South Africa and establishing the local government centre. Mr. Graham has served or continues to

serve on a number of councils, including the Diakonia Council of Churches, the Joint Education

Commission, Impumelelo Innovations in Government, the South Africa Anti-Discrimination Forum (Faze

2) and the Open Democracy Advice Centre. He is also a member of the management committee of the

African Democracy Forum and the International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies

NGO process. Mr. Graham observed the Angolan elections in 1992 for AWEPA, the 2002 Jamaican

elections with the Carter Centre, and the 2004 Presidential elections in Taiwan for the Taiwan Foundation

for Democracy. In 2002 he co-authored the Electoral Commission of Kenya’s report on ending electoral

and political violence in Kenya. He is the editor of two introductory texts on democracy: Preparing for

Democracy and Governing at Local Level, the IDASA democracy index Democracy in the time of Mbeki,

and he has authored the Civic and Voter Education Section on www.aceproject.org.

JEGGAN GREY-JOHNSON, ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER,

AFRIMAP (SOUTH AFRICA)

Jeggan Grey-Johnson is Advocacy and Communications Officer at the Africa Governance

Monitoring and Advocacy project (AfriMAP), an initiative of the Open Society Foundation.

AfriMAP works with national civil society organizations to conduct systematic audits of

government performance in three areas: the justice sector and the rule of law, political

participation and democracy, effective delivery of public services. It also tracks the African

Peer Review Mechanism’s processes, and reports on CSO participation within them. AfriMAP also focuses

on election management bodies and public broadcasting in Africa. Mr. Grey-Johnson has a degree in mass

communications from Virginia Wesleyan (USA). He has been published in prominent publications at

continental and international levels on governance, media, conflict, child rights, poverty and development.

FATOU JAGNE-SENGHOR, REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE, ARTICLE 19, WEST

AFRICA (SENEGAL)

Fatou Jagne-Senghore is a legal expert with more than 10 years of experience specialized in

media law and policies including media regulation, broadcasting issues and litigation before

regional human rights bodies. She has worked and lived in France, Gambia, the U.K., Senegal

and South Africa, conducted investigative and assessment missions, litigated on behalf of

journalists and victims of human rights in many African countries and has written widely on

freedom of expression. From 1997 to 1998, she was a fellow at the Institute for Space and Communication

Law in Toulouse, France. From 1999 to 2002, she was part of the first legal team of the Institute for

Human Rights and Development in Africa. In 1999, she worked as a part-time freelance presenter of the

weekly news in French on Gambia National TV. She holds an LLM in communications law, Bachelor’s

degrees in civil law and in English law and a diploma in international relations and development studies.

http://www.aceproject.org/

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BRIAN KAGORO, UNDP REGIONAL CENTRE JOHANNESBURG (SOUTH AFRICA)

Brian Kagoro has over 15 years of experience working at national, regional and international

levels in various management roles for different organizations, including law firms, National

national civil society organizations, coalitions, international NGOs and the United Nations. He

has experience in policy research and advocacy in governance, human rights, and transitional

justice and development issues in highly reputed national and international organizations. He

has managed multi-cultural teams of experts working in the field of policy, human rights,

human security, social justice, development and governance. He has worked closely with Regional

Economic Communities, African Union, and NEPAD/APRM as well as United Nations agencies on policy

issues, capacity development, economic governance, and CSO participation processes. Mr. Kagoro has

served on several boards of companies and regional organizations including the Centre for Citizen

Participation in the African Union, the NEPAD Capacity Building Initiative Steering Committee, and the

International Human Rights Monitor in Liberia. Some of his published work include: Civil Society

Participation in NEPAD (2008), Chaos and Transition in Zimbabwe (2007), Constitution-Making as

Social Movement (2004), Prisoners of Hope: The Opposition and Civil Society in Zimbabwe (2004), The

Opposition and Civil Society in Zimbabwe’s Turmoil (2003), Reaping Apples from a Thorn Tree (2002).

MATSHIDISO KGOTHATSO SEMELA SEROTE, SENIOR PROGRAMME OFFICER,

INTERNATIONAL IDEA (SOUTH AFRICA)

Matshidiso Kgothatso Semela Serote is a senior public sector governance practitioner with

over 15 years of professional experience working primarily in human rights and democracy,

public sector governance and development finance in South Africa and throughout Africa. As

a senior civil servant in the South African Government, she was one of the drivers for the

African Ministers Programme on Governance and Public Administration. She was the regional

manager for a multi-regional ACP/EU monitoring project servicing Anglophone Africa and

the Pacific. She has worked extensively with multilateral organisations such as the African Union

Commission, the NEPAD Secretariat and UNDP in policy development processes aimed at strengthening

public sector governance, institutional capability and policy development efforts in Africa. She has also

worked extensively on projects focused on developing (South African) local government capabilities in

public policy analysis, development finance and strategy development. In her current post at International

IDEA, she is responsible for IDEA’s Africa’s work in democracy building with regional organisations;

quality of democracy assessments; building democracy and governance capabilities in political

institutions; and strengthening women’s participation in political decision-making. Her academic

background is in political science, international politics and philosophy. She lives in Johannesburg.

KABURO KOBIA, PROJECT MANAGER, KENYA ICT BOARD (KENYA)

Kaburo Kobia joined the Kenya ICT Board in January 2010 as Project Manager for Local

Digital Content. The Kenya ICT Board is a Government agency under the Ministry of

Information and Communications tasked with promoting ICTs in the country. Ms. Kobia

holds a Master’s degree in Design for Interaction from the University of Westminster and a

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Bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Ohio Wesleyan University. She began her career in digital media as a

web designer in New York City in 1999 and has since worked in Nairobi, Geneva and London in various

digital media and communications functions. Her work at the Kenya ICT Board includes administering

tech entrepreneurs with grants and funding, supporting the creative industry with access to trade

opportunities and coordinating Kenya’s Open Data initiative. Ms. Kobia is a board member of Akira Chix, a

Kenyan organization that promotes young women in technology.

MARIE LABERGE, PROGRAMME SPECIALIST, UNDP REGIONAL CENTRE,

DAKAR (SENEGAL)

Marie Laberge joined the UNDP Dakar Regional Centre as Programme Specialist for

Governance Assessments in 2011. The Global Programme on Governance Assessments

provides support to governance assessments that are nationally owned, participatory, and

responsive to national and regional priorities, such as the APRM. Ms. Laberge came to Dakar

from the UNDP Oslo Governance Centre, where she spent three years working with

stakeholders to collect governance data and apply it in policymaking. She also developed tools and training

programmes, and edited a series of users’ guides in various thematic areas of governance. Previously, she

worked at the UNDP Colombo Regional Centre to support the Millennium Development Goals Initiative

for Asia and the Pacific. Jointly with the Oslo Governance Centre, she researched the integration of

governance in MDG-based needs assessments. Ms. Laberge also worked as a researcher on the MDGs at

the UNESCAP office in Bangkok and with the Human Development Team at the Regional Centre in

Colombo. Prior to UNDP, she worked with Forum-Asia, a human rights NGO in Bangkok. She holds a

Master’s degree in human security policies from the University of British Columbia and a degree in

economics and international business from McGill University (Canada).

LAWRENCE LACHMANSINGH, PEACE AND GOVERNANCE ADVISOR, UNDP

GHANA

Lawrence Lachmansingh is the Peace and Governance Advisor with UNDP Ghana,

commencing that assignment August 2011. In Ghana, he leads the Governance Unit,

provides substantive guidance and advice to the UN/UNDP in the areas of peacebuilding and

governance, and pursues strategic partnerships to help manage conflicts arising in the socio-

political spheres. Mr. Lachmansingh began and sustained his peace and governance

experiences in his native Guyana, where he volunteered with and eventually headed (1997) the local

election observer group - the Electoral Assistance. Between 2003 and 2006 he managed UNDP’s conflict

prevention programme in Guyana. He has particular expertise in conflict management, elections and civil

society participation in democratic processes. He has undertaken assignments in these areas with CIDA,

NDI, The Carter Center, UNDP, and USAID over the past 15 years in over 30 countries that include

Cambodia, Cyprus, Guyana, Indonesia, Kosovo, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Zambia and

Zimbabwe. Lawrence holds an MBA degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax (Canada) and a B.A. in

theology from the University of the West Indies (Jamaica).

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SETH LARTEY, CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, THE COMMONWEALTH

FOUNDATION (UK)

A Ghanaian national, Seth Lartey has a wealth of experience working with civil society

organisations around the world. Over the years he has developed a reputation for facilitating

closer working relations between governments and civil society, as well as civil society

strengthening and alliance-building. He is an experienced project manager, trainer, facilitator

and negotiator, and has expertise in organisational capacity development. His professional

interest is in bridging the traditional concerns between politics and economics. He is the co-author of

Breaking the Taboo: Perspectives African Civil Society on Innovative Sources of Financing Development

(2008); Editor of the Commonwealth Civil Society Accountability Toolkit (2009, 2010, 2011) Series and

recently published Governance in the Commonwealth: Current Debates (2010). Mr. Lartey was educated

at the University of East Anglia (U.K) and Birkbeck College, University of London (U.K.)

ALICE MADEIRA, PROGRAMME ANALYST, UNDP MOZAMBIQUE

Ms. Alice Madeira holds a Master’s degree in development studies from Leeds University

(U.K.) and has eight years of experience working with national and international NGOs,

especially in programmes of community participation in the processes of decentralized

planning and accountability. Currently she is Programme Analyst for CSO and

Development Planning with UNDP in Mozambique, based in Maputo.

GILBERT MAOUNDONODJI, COORDINATOR, GROUP FOR ALTERNATIVE

RESEARCH AND MONITORING OF THE CHAD-CAMEROON PETROLEUM

PROJECT (CHAD)

Dr. Gilbert Maoundonodji is Coordinator of the Group for Alternative Research and

Monitoring of the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Project (GRAMP/TC) in N'Djamena, Chad.

GRAMP-TC is a think tank established as an NGO in 2001 to build the capacity of civil

society to monitor the impact of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline on transparency,

accountability and poverty in Chad. He is also president of the Association for the Promotion

of Fundamental Liberties in Chad, a human rights organization based in N’Djamena, with

regional branches. He serves on the board of the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative

International. Dr. Gilbert Maoundonodji holds a Ph.D. in political science (2009) and a number of

postgraduate degrees in international relations and politics from the Catholic University of Louvain

(Belgium). He has a Bachelor’s in law (1990) from the University of N’Djamena (Chad). Dr. Maoundonodji

was also a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, D.C.

(USA), where he studied at the International Forum for Democratic Studies the link between the

exploitation of natural resources, notably oil, and democracy, with a deeper study of the case of Chad.

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MARION MARMORAT, FRENCH LANGUAGE COORDINATOR, ANTI-

CORRUPTION CENTRE – U4 (NORWAY)

Marion Marmorat is a political scientist, currently working as a French Language

Coordinator for the Anti-Corruption Resource Centre-U4 at Chr. Michelsen Institute in

Bergen (Norway). U4 at CMI assists donor practitioners in more effectively addressing

corruption challenges through their development support. Marion Marmorat holds a Ph.D.

from Sciences-Po, Paris (France) with a specialization in international relations. She has

worked previously as an independent consultant for IFRI-Paris (France) on water governance and

transnational industrial pollution accidents and more recently as a researcher for the Institute of Applied

International Studies- Fafo (Norway), focusing on corporate social responsibility and the policy agenda

addressing human rights and business issues.

ASSANE MBAYE, COORDONNATEUR, L’ALLIANCE POUR REFONDER LA

GOUVERNANCE EN AFRIQUE (SENEGAL)

Assane Mbaye est coordonnateur de l’Alliance pour Refonder la Gouvernance en Afrique

(www.afrique-gouvernance.net), organisation présente dans une dizaine de pays d’Afrique de

l’ouest et du centre et ayant pour mission de contribuer à la réflexion et à des initiatives

innovantes sur les modalités de régulation des affaires et des espaces publics en Afrique. Il est

aussi enseignant-chercheur à l’Université de Dakar.

SEAN MCDONALD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FRONTLINE SMS (USA)

Sean McDonald has been working with NGOs since 1997 and working in international

development since 2005. He is the FrontlineSMS Director of Operations for the Americas,

and also runs FrontlineSMS: Legal. He is also on the Board of the Alliance for

Peacebuilding, Digital Democracy, and International Peace Park Expeditions. Sean holds a

J.D. and an M.A. (in international peace and conflict resolution) from American

University and a B.A. in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park (USA).

He deeply enjoys and fondly remembers naps.

BHEKINKOSI MOYO, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR,TRUST AFRICA

(SOUTH AFRICA)

Bhekinkosi Moyo joined Trust Africa in March 2007 as a research fellow and became

Programme Director in May 2009. Known for his expertise in philanthropy, civil society, and

governance, he holds a doctorate in political science from the University of the

Witwatersrand in South Africa. He previously worked at the Africa Institute of South Africa

and at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa. He has written and published more than

15 conference papers, journal articles, and book chapters and co-edited What About the Children: The

Silent Voices in Maintenance (2004), which explores issues of poverty, abuse, and the social security

system in South Africa in the 21st century. His latest collection of edited articles Africa in the Global

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Power Play: Debates, Challenges and Potential Reforms (Adonis & Abbey, London, 2007) addresses the

current position of Africa in international political and economic relations. Mr. Moyo recently edited a

volume of 18 country chapters on the relationship between civil society and states particularly focusing on

the regulation of the public sphere. He is fluent in English and working on his French.

HON. GORDEN MOYO, MINISTER OF ENTERPRISES AND PARASTATALS,

REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE (ZIMBABWE)

Hon. Gorden Moyo, M.P., is Zimbabwe’s Minister of State Enterprises and Parastatals,

some of which are involved in energy, water and telecommunications services. He was

formerly the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and was responsible for setting

up this new Executive Office of the Inclusive Government and the Council of Ministers

(February 2009-June 2010). His portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Office included civic

society liaison and networking. Before joining Government, Hon. Minister Moyo was a

British Council facilitator of leadership training at regional and continental levels covering over 19 African

countries. As the Executive Director of Bulawayo Agenda, Zimbabwe, he developed this institution into a

recognised national platform to promote citizen participation through public debate and dialogue

meetings on various topical issues. He was the only minister from outside political parties appointed in

Zimbabwe’s inclusive government in February 2009. Hon. Moyo is a Chevening Scholar with an M.A. in

peace studies from the University of Bradford, U.K., and a Master’s in business administration from the

University of Zimbabwe. He is working towards his Ph.D., with research interests that include African

leadership, civic society in Africa, the public sphere, governance and governance assessment mechanisms.

ANNET MPABULUNGI-WAKABI, PROGRAMME CONSULTANT, UNDP UGANDA

Annet Mpabulungi-Wakabi has over 14 years of working experience in programme cycle

management in the area of accountable democratic governance including: policy analysis,

programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, dialogue and advocacy,

partnership development and capacity development. Currently, she is a Programme

Consultant with UNDP in Uganda, providing technical support to the UNDP-Government of

Uganda Country Programme 2010-14. She has previously worked as United Nations

Volunteers, Country Coordinator, Kenya (2007-09), Programme Officer, UNV, Tanzania (2003-07),

Programme Analyst, United Nations Capital Development Fund, Uganda (1998-2003). Prior to working

with the United Nations, Ms. Mpabulungi-Wakabi was Project Officer Health Education with Water Aid,

Uganda (1994-95) and as Research Assistant with Makerere Institute of Social Research (1993).

ALBERTINA MUCAVELE, SOCIAL WORKER, CESC (MOZAMBIQUE)

Albertina (Tina) Mucavele is a social worker and holds a Master’s degree in development

studies. She worked for six years at the Foundation for Community Development, as a project

manager for Orphan and Vulnerable Children component of the programme, and then as

manager for Research, Monitoring and Evaluation department of the Foundation, under the

Knowledge Management section. At FDC, Ms. Mucavele was research coordinator for the Civil

Society Index on the status of civil society in Mozambique. Tina has also worked with UNICEF, where her

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task as Child Protection Specialist was to manage the UNICEF supported Government Programme for

Orphans and Vulnerable Children, working specifically with Provincial Directorates of Women and Social

Action. However, her passion for civil society led her to join the founders of CESC to establish an

institution of reference in the research and documentation of best practices of development, learning and

empowerment of society as a vehicle for citizen participation.

NELSON MUFFUH, REGIONAL COORDINATOR, UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM

CAMPAIGN (SENEGAL)

Nelson Muffuh joined the UN Millennium Campaign in 2010 as Regional Coordinator for

West and Central Africa. He has previously worked on climate change advocacy at Christian

Aid and the ecumenical faith-based movement. Prior to that he was Programme Coordinator

for Transparency International and the African Liberal Network (Westminster Foundation for

Democracy). He holds a post-graduate degree in political science and international relations

and an undergraduate degree in political science from the Freie Universität in Berlin. He also holds a

Certificate of Development from the University of Sussex (U.K.). His areas of expertise: advocacy, strategic

influencing and campaigning; networking and institutional representation; climate and democratic

governance policy, practice and programme formulation; poverty eradication and global justice strategies

and processes, monitoring and evaluation, capacity development and skills enhancement.

HARRIET NAMISI, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, DENIVA (UGANDA)

Harriet Namisi leads the governance and policy analysis work in the Development Network of

Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA). She also advocates for best practice standards

in policy, law making, and regulation in Uganda for the Uganda Management Institute. She

now works on NGO accountability issues with an emphasis on self-regulation. She is also

building synergies at the international level to offset restrictive NGO conditions. Ms. Nemisi is

National Coordinator for the CIVICUS Civil Society Index in Uganda and coordinated various

studies between 2004 and 2006, resulting in the publication by DENIVA and CIVICUS, "Civil Society in

Uganda: At the Cross Roads?" Previously, she was manager of a community-based training consultancy

company in Nairobi and project coordinator of the National Association for Women Organisations in

Nairobi. She has co-authored a chapter with Prof. J.B. Kwesiga on legislation for NGOs in Uganda and

published in NGO Accountability: Politics, Principles, and Innovations (Earthscan, 2006). She has

written and presented several papers on local governance and citizen participation, NGO legislation and

self-regulation. Ms. Nemisi has an M.A. in rural society and community development from the University

of Nairobi (Kenya) and a B.A. in social sciences from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

MOISE NEMBOT, DEPUTY CEO, APRM SECRETARIAT (SOUTH AFRICA)

Moise Nembot has been with the APRM Secretariat since 2003. Prior to his present post, he

was Coordinator for Democracy and Political Governance, advising governments across the

continent on issues of constitutional democracy, electoral reforms, decentralization, the rule

of law, public sector reform, women’s empowerment and fighting corruption and organized

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crimes. He has 17 years of professional experience, including 15 years in governance and public sector

management in United Nations and African institutions, with increasing levels of responsibilities from

technical advisory to senior representation at international and national levels. Mr. Nembot was member

of the team established by UNDP-ECA to conduct the evaluation of AGF One, Two and Three in 2001

which issued recommendations pertaining to the strategic change with regard to the AGF themes and

stakeholders participation strategy to the Forum. He has worked for the World Bank Group as a project

manager in designing the framework of water law in 36 countries, helping them in negotiations with

multinational companies. Mr. Nembot has worked for the Courteaud-Pelissier law firm in Paris as

associate lawyer. Earlier consulting experience involved the design, management, monitoring and

evaluation of institutional development programmes and building civil society umbrella organizations

comprised of representatives of civil society, academia, public institutions and the media to support

democratic transition processes. Mr. Nembot has a Ph.D. in law from the Sorbonne University in Paris

and an LLM in international legal studies and international human rights from American University,

Washington D.C. He holds an advanced degree in political science from the University of Paris X,

Nanterre, France. He has written books and various articles in governance and institutional development,

including a recent publication, Civil Service Reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa.

LOVENESS JAMBAYA NYAKUJARAH, MANAGER, GENDER LINKS (ZIMBABWE)

Loveness Jambaya Nyakujarah (Zimbabwe) is a manager of the Southern Africa Gender

Protocol Alliance, a network of gender NGOs that campaigned and now advocates for the

implementation of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. She joined Gender

Links as a Gender Justice Officer and later became Manager and Assistant Director. She

has worked as a media researcher; founded the Gender Desk at the Media Monitoring

Project Zimbabwe and Gender and Media Network – Zimbabwe (GEMZi), and worked at the Zimbabwe

Elections Support Network where she served as an intern. As the Alliance manager, she provides technical

support to national gender machineries on gender mainstreaming, gender action plans and costing of

plans to ensure that they are aligned to the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and related

regional and international instruments. Ms. Nyakujarah has contributed to several publications at Gender

Links, including pioneering a gender-based violence indicators project. She managed the research and co-

edited the regional 2010 and 2011 SADC Gender Protocol Barometers. She holds a B.Sc. Honours degree

in economics and is currently studying towards a postgraduate diploma in monitoring and evaluation.

ADEBAYO OLUKOSHI,DIRECTOR, AFRICA GOVERNANCE INSTITUTE(NIGERIA)

Before assuming his present post, Adebayo Olukoshi was Research Professor and Director of

Research and Studies at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. For the next six years,

he was a Senior Research Fellow and Research Programme Coordinator of the Research

Programme on the Political and Social Context of Structural Adjustment in Sub-Saharan

Africa at the the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. During this period, he served for

one year as Professional Staff responsible for the development of the Africa programme at the

South Centre, in Geneva. Mr. Olukoshi holds a Ph.D. in politics from the University of Leeds and served as

resource person at CODESRIA, at the Universities of Tampere (Finland) and Lund (Sweden) on

governance, conflict studies and social movements and as a guest lecturer at the Uppsala University. Mr.

http://www.oslogovernanceforum.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=198&Itemid=214

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Olukoshi has been editor, contributor and member of editorial boards for numerous African and Nigerian

journals. Among his publications are: Africa and the Development Challenges in the New Millennium:

The NEPAD Debate [Academic Literature, Zed Books, 2006], co-edited with Jimi Adesina and Yao

Graham; and The Elusive Prince of Danemark: Structural Adjustment and the Crisis of Governance in

Africa [Academic Literature, Nordic Africa Institute, 1998].

GLADWELL OTIENO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AFRICOG (KENYA)

Gladwell Otieno is a Founding Member of the Africa Center for Open Governance (AfriCOG)

and the former head of Transparency International in Kenya. She came to international

notice as an anti-corruption campaigner who was forced out of her post as Executive Director

of Transparency International in Kenya because of her uncompromising stance on

government corruption. At the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, she led the

African Security Analysis Programme and has advised the African Parliamentarians Network against

Corruption. She is currently an independent consultant, conducting anti-corruption assignments around

Africa, and the founding leader of an initiative aimed at reinvigorating Kenyan civil society work on anti-

corruption and good governance. The OECD invited her to assist in developing policy guidelines for its

members on political corruption. She was also appointed to the international programme committee of the

12th International Anti-Corruption Conference, held in Guatemala. In 2006, Ms. Otieno was a fellow at the

Stanford University Summer Fellowship on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.

BHARATI SADASIVAM, DIRECTOR, A.I., UNDP CIVIL SOCIETY DIVISION (USA)

Bharati Sadasivam is acting head of the Civil Society Division in the UNDP Partnerships

Bureau and oversees its work in developing partnerships and policies for UNDP work with

civil society. She is the lead author of the UNDP global civil society strategy (2009) and

advisor and principal contributor to several UNDP reports and guidelines, most recently on

social accountability (2010). Prior to joining UNDP, she worked as a researcher in the Policy

and Planning Division of UNICEF and in the Division for Social Policy and Development in

the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Before coming to the United Nations, she

was gender justice programme director with the Women’s Environment and Development Organization,

based in New York, where she oversaw the publication of numerous reports monitoring governments’

commitments on women’s rights. She has also worked as a project researcher in the Asian-Pacific

Resource and Research Centre for Women, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ms. Sadasivam began her

career as a journalist in India and worked as reporter and editor in several news organizations, lastly as

assistant editor and op-ed page editor with The Times of India in Bombay. She has a certificate in

journalism from the Journalists in Europe programme at the Centre for Training and Promotion of

Journalism in Paris. She graduated with distinction from Columbia University’s School of International

and Public Affairs in 1996. She has published widely on development, gender and human rights issues.

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ALIOUNE SALL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AFRICAN FUTURES INSTITUTE

(SOUTH AFRICA)

Alioune Sall came to the African Futures Project, a UNDP-funded project in Abidjan, in 1996

as Regional Coordinator. He now heads the African Futures Institute (AFI), hosted by the

University of South Africa as an Africa-focused research institute, which grew out of this

project. The AFI has been developing prospective thinking and long-term perspective studies

to facilitate the formulation of development models by African countries. Prior to AFI, Dr. Sall

held several positions at the United Nations Development Programme at headquarters and South Africa.

Before joining UNDP, he worked for the African Insitute for Economic Development and Planning as a

researcher. He has conducted research focusing on the development of pastoral societies and human

resources development in Sahel. He holds a doctorate in sociology from Université de Paris VII. In the last

decade Dr. Sall has undertaken projects for African and global institutions including the AU, UNESCO,

UNEP and the ADB. As a development expert he has extensively researched poverty studies, governance

and conflict. He has worked with several South Africa-based organizations including the Nelson Mandela

Children’s Fund to Develop Scenarios for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in the SADC region. His most

recent collaboration with Microsoft Africa involved a global lecture series on Possible Futures for Africa

based on his book Africa 2025: What Possible Futures for Sub-Saharan Africa? Dr. Sall has published

extensively on Africa’s development issues and participates regularly in international fora on global

development. He is a frequent guest speaker on radio and television on development in Africa.

EBRIMA SALL, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, CODESRIA (SENEGAL)

Before his appointment as Executive Secretary of CODESRIA in 2009, EbrimaSall was,

successively, Officer in charge of the Academic Freedom and Child and Youth and Conflict

Programme, Senior Programme Administrator, Research Programme Officer and Head of

Research Programme. He has previously served as Senior Researcher at the Nordic Africa

Institute in Uppsala (Sweden) and Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Village Savings

and Credit Associations Gambia. He also taught at the University Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis in Senegal

for five years. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France),

was promoted ‘Maitre de Conférences’ / Senior lecturer in "Sociology-Demography" by the French

National Universities Council in 1992 and has held a post-doctoral fellowship at the Yale University

Programme in Agrarian Studies. His most recent publications include Human Rights and the Dilemmas of

Democracy in Africa (co-edited with Lennart Wohlgemuth), Citizenship and Violence in Cote d’Ivoire (co-

edited with Jean-Bernard Ouedraogo) and Women in Higher Education: Gender and Academic Freedom

in Africa and the Social Sciences in Africa.

MOHAMADOU SALL, MEMBER, AFROBAROMETER (SENEGAL)

Mohamadou Sall est Maître de Conférences à l’Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar. Il a une

formation pluri et interdisciplinaire: géographie, démographie, interactions entre la population,

le développement et l’environnement. Ses domaines de recherche sont variés : migrations,

pauvreté, environnement, santé, gouvernance économique et politique. Parallèlement à ses

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activités d’enseignement et de recherche au sein de l’espace universitaire, il est un membre de l’équipe

Afrobarometre Sénégal, qui à l’instar des autres équipes nationales d’Afrique au Sud du Sahara, mène tous

les deux ans une enquête sur les problèmes économiques, politiques et sociaux du pays.

DR. JOEL SELANIKIO, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, DATADYNE (USA)

A practising pediatrician, former Wall Street computer consultant, and former

epidemiologist at the Center for Diseases Control with a passion for combining technology

and public health to address inequities in developing countries, Dr. Joel Selanikio

leads DataDyne's pioneering efforts to develop and promote new technologies for health and

international development, including the award-winning EpiSurveyor mobile data collection

project, and is also a leader in developing social business models for international

development. Recently chosen as an Ashoka Affiliate, Dr. Selanikio was named by Forbes magazine as one

of the most powerful innovators of 2009, and is a winner of both the Lemelson-MIT Award for

Sustainability and The Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award for Healthcare IT. His work has

been reported on by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and The Washington Post, among

others. He is a frequent speaker, most recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Royal Society

of Medicine, and the Guardian Activate conferences in London. In his former role as an officer of the

Public Health Service, Dr. Selanikio served as the Chief of Operations for the Health and Human Services

Secretary's Emergency Command Center in the aftermath of 9/11. In 2005, he received the Haverford

Award for Humanitarian Service for his work in treating tsunami victims in Aceh (for which he was

profiled in The Washington Post), and he has received numerous awards and commendations from HHS

and DOD. Dr. Selanikio holds a Bachelor’s degree from Haverford College, and an M.D. from Brown

University, and is a graduate of the Epidemic Intelligence Service fellowship of the CDC. He practises

clinical pediatrics as an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University and on the Emergency Response

Team of the International Rescue Committee, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

TAMIRU SENSIBE, PRSP AND MDG UNIT LEADER, POVERTY ACTION

NETWORK ETHIOPIA (ETHIOPIA)

Since 2008, Tamiru Sebsibe leads the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and MDGs Unit in

the Poverty Action Network Ethiopia, a consortium of Ethiopian and foreign charities based

in Addis Ababa. He has 20 years of experience working for the Government of Ethiopia and

seven years with civil society organizations as a planning, monitoring and evaluation expert

in the areas of agriculture and environment. From 2005 to 2008, he worked as Training and

Advisory Officer for a local NGO called Sustainable Land Use Forum. In 2003, he was an assistant

coordinator for a UNDP-supported programme in the Government agency, Environmental Protection

Authority. Mr. Sebsibe has an M.Sc. degree in natural resources management from the Agricultural

University of Norway.

http://www.datadyne.org/

http://www.episurveyor.org/

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DADISAI TADERERA, PROJECT MANAGER, GLOBAL INTEGRITY (SOUTH

AFRICA)

Dadisai Taderera works on researching and designing new fieldwork methodologies and

indicators and recruits and manages field teams. Over years of working in comparative

empirical research she has gained expertise in developing fieldwork methodologies, analysis

and quality control over the resultant data and reporting and in capacity building. Prior to

joining Global Integrity, Ms. Taderera worked for the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office

where she did research and advocacy on issues of good governance and migration in South

Africa. She was also a researcher with the Democracy in Africa Research Unit at the University of Cape

Town, providing research and project coordination support on the Afrobarometer Summer School, the

Open Society Monitoring Index, and the African Legislatures Project. She is a Master’s candidate at the

University of Cape Town.

MOMAR TALLA KANE, CHAIRMAN,CONGAD(SENEGAL)

Momar Talla Kane leads the work of CONGAD, the council of NGOs for the support of

development in Senegal. CONGAD chairs the network of west and central African NGO

national platforms (REPAOC).Mr. Kane is an education and training specialist, and founder of

the Senegalese national NGO ASAFIN, an association dedicated to training and support.

Among his other positions, he is the national coordinator of AMCP-SENEGAL - the global

campaign against poverty - and the platform of civil society organizations for both monitoring the

Millennium Development Goals and for the welfare system in Senegal. He chairs the network 'Africa 2000

Plus' and is a member of the steering committee of national programmes against poverty and preservation

of the environment. Mr. Kane is also involved with CEDS, the Diplomatic and Strategic Studies Centre.

PHILIP THIGO, PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE FOR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS,

SODNET (KENYA)

Philip Thigo is part of a dynamic team at SODNET that works on developing mobile and web-

based technologies aimed at strengthening the role of citizens and civil society in the strategic

use of technology. Mr. Thigo co-founded SODNET’s innovation programme (INFONET) in

2008, a programme been credited with empowering civil society and citizens’ engagement in

enforcing budget transparency, service delivery demands and election monitoring. Mr. Thigo

has worked extensively in Africa, Europe, the Arab region, Asia and Latin America on concepts and

methodologies on new forms of justice for women, poverty alleviation and youth empowerment through

alternatives that inspire non-violent means of social transformation. He is actively involved in a

communications advisory group for the Social Watch International Coalition. As part of a new generation

of activists, he believes in reclaiming technology within its own logic as a tool for transformation and

change that proactively engages citizens in improving their quality of life.

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YARIK TURIANSKYI, RESEARCHER, SAIIA (SOUTH AFRICA)

Yarik Turianskyi is a Ukrainian national who arrived in South Africa at the end of 2001 to

study African politics. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Pretoria. The topic

of his dissertation was the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as a standard for good

governance. He has served as a researcher on the APRM Programme of the South African

Institute of International Affairs. Before joining the institute he worked as a lecturer at the

Department of Political Sciences at the Hatfield and Mamelodi campuses of the University of Pretoria. In

2010 and 2011, Mr. Turianskyi managed the APRM Monitoring Project, which conducted independent

reviews of the implementation of the APRM National Programme of Action in South Africa and Lesotho.

GITA WELCH, MANAGER, UNDP DAKAR REGIONAL CENTRE (SENEGAL)

Gita Honwana Welch is currently the Manager of the UNDP Regional ServiceCentre for West

and Central Africa in Dakar. From April 2006 to December 2011 she was the UNDP Country

Director for Angola. Previously she occupied the position of the Director of the UNDP

Democratic Governance Practice Area in New York (2001-2006). She is from Mozambique,

where she has worked as a Public Prosecutor and a Judge in the Criminal Court of Maputo,

and also as the Director of the Department for Research and Legislation of the Ministry of Justice (1979-

1989). She initiated her career in the United Nations in 1995 as Representative for Southern Africa of the

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Before joining UNDP in November of 2001 she

was part of the UN-led transition in Timor Leste, having been the Cabinet Member for Justice in the UN

Transition Administration for East Timor, UNTAET (2000-2001). Her academic background includes

undergraduate law studies at Lisbon University (Portugal) and Eduardo Mondlane University

(Mozambique). She holds a Master’s degree in law from Columbia University (New York), and a Doctorate

in international law and human rights from Oxford University (U.K.).

DAUDI WERE, PROJECT DIRECTOR, USHAHIDI (KENYA)

Daudi Khamadi Were is a technology strategist, entrepreneur, human rights defender, social

activist, citizen journalist and a political scientist based in Nairobi. As Project Director for

Ushahidi, one of Africa’s leading technology companies, he manages multinational

deployments with a focus on connecting citizens with one another and citizens with service

providers. He is recognised as one of the most experienced and influential African voices

online on new technology, especially relating to accountability and transparency; the growth and beneficial

potential of social and citizen media; trends in technology; good information as the most powerful

resource for development. Mr. Were has managed projects across Africa for large international

organisations such as the Open Society Institute, and also works well with grassroots organisations such as

UZIMA Foundation, an East Africa-based youth-focused foundation with over 25,000 members.

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CHRISTOPHER WILSON, COMMUNICATIONS ANALYST, UNDP OSLO

GOVERNANCE CENTER (NORWAY)

Christopher Wilson manages communications for the UNDP Global Programme on

Governance Assessments. The Global Programme on Governance Assessments provides

support to governance assessments that are nationally owned, participatory, and responsive

to national and regional priorities. Mr. Wilson supports country efforts to mobilize

communications strategies and digital technologies to make assessment processes inclusive

and governance data actionable. He has worked with civil society organisations on freedom

of expression campaigning and coordination, consulted with international and national organisations on

the use of ICTs to disseminate information and build local partnerships, and managed independent survey

research on the role of media in protest mobilization. He is also a founding member of the engine room, an

applied research organisation dedicated to exploring and supporting the effective use of technology in

advocacy. Mr. Wilson holds a Master’s degree in international human rights law from the University of

Oslo's Law Faculty, and a Bachelor’s degree in rhetoric from University of California in Berkeley.

SIPHAMANDLA ZONDI, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL DIALOGUE

(SOUTH AFRICA)

Siphamandla Zondi is the director of the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD), a South

African-based independent international diplomacy/foreign policy think tank. He received

his BA and Higher Diploma in Education from the former University of Durban-Westville

before graduating with an M.Phil. and D.Phil. in African Studies at the University of

Cambridge, UK. Prior to his current position, he headed the IGD’s programme on Africa and

SA Foreign Policy Analysis for five years. Between 2000 and 2004, he co-ordinated Africa

Institute of South Africa’s regional integration and sustainable development programme. He serves on the

governing boards of Africa Institute and Action Aid, South Africa. Zondi chairs the scientific committee of

the Archie Mafeje Institute of the University of South Africa. Dr. Zondi has published widely in his areas of

research interest, namely: regional integration and governance, South Africa’s international relations and

foreign policy, and regional social policy. His recent publications are on the SADC mediation in Zimbabwe;

the future direction of SA’s foreign policy; social dimensions of regional integration, and Africa’s health

governance. Dr Zondi is regular media commentator and writes a weekly political column for The Witness

(www.witness.co.za).

http://www.witness.co.za/

Documents

Bios: Speakers and Facilitators