The Africa Steering Committee was originally endorsed and nominated on 27 May 2011, at the PWYP Africa Regional meeting in Kinshasa. It is an important development to ensure effectiveness and African ownership of the campaign at regional and global level.
Role
To oversee the implementation of the strategic action plan and provide strategic guidance as needed.
To ensure that National Coalitions and members comply with PWYP principles and standards.
To oversee and validate the setting up of national coalitions.
To ensure the implementation of the protection policy.
Composition
The Steering committee is composed of representatives from African sub-regions: Eastern and Southern Africa; Central Africa; Anglophone West Africa and Francophone West Africa respectively. Added to this number are the African civil society representatives on the EITI Board and PWYP’s Programme Manager and International Director. Members’ terms are of three years.
Modalities
The Steering Committee is in regular communication and convened at least twice a year, decision making is made by consensus.
Main priorities for current Africa Steering Committee
The first Africa Steering Committee of PWYP has a specific mandate to be accomplished by the next Africa Regional Meeting. The main points of this include:
Prioritising, steering and overseeing the implementation of the Africa advocacy strategy.
Drafting of a PWYP Africa Charter, defining principles and rules of functioning of the new governance structure, consistent with the review of the international governance system.
Finalising and ensuring implementation of the protection policy.
Participating in the review of the international strategy and governance system.
Participating in and overseeing the review of the national coalition model.
Gilbert is President of PWYP Chad and coordinator of GRAMPT/TC (the Group for Alternative Research and Monitoring of the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Project) in N’djamena. Gilbert has served as a member on the EITI International Board. In 2010, Jeune Afrique nominated Gilbert as one of Africa’s “100 personalities to impact 2010”.
Steve is Director of ISODEC (Integrated Social Development Centre) as well as coordinator of PWYP Ghana. ISODEC is ‘a Ghanaian rights-based development policy research and advocacy organisation with a sub-regional outlook’. He holds a Masters Degree in International Journalism and a PhD in Communication Studies. Steve serves on the Ghana EITI Multi stakeholder Steering Committee.
Mamadou Taran Diallo is President of the Guinean Association for Transparency (AGT), President of the National Coalition Publish What You Pay Guinea and a member of the Steering Committee of EITI Guinea. Taran holds a diploma in Accounting Management from the Higher School of Administration at the Polytechnic Institute of Gamal Abdel Nasser Conakry. In addition to his civil society work, Taran is a sports enthusiast and helps train young people to play football.
Ali Idrissa is the national coordinator of ROTAB in Niger. His recent work has focused on the campaign for Niger to get a fair deal in its renegotiations of the AREVA uranium contract . Ali was named man of the year of Niger in 2013 as well as among Africa’s top 100 influential people. He is one of the founding members and vice-president of one of the most important organisations for the defence of human rights and promotion of democracy in Niger, CROISADE Niger, an association created in 1999. Ali represents civil society as a member of the national committee of EITI Niger. He is Director General of the Independent Press Group, Labari.
Jean Claude Katende is the National Coordinator of Publish What You Pay in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a barrister at Lubumbashi and has worked for the promotion of human rights and transparency in the extractive industries for several years. Mr Katende is currently the National President of the African Association for the Defense of Human Rights. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the EITI in the Democratic Republic of Congo and on the international EITI Board. Mr Katende has written several articles on the EITI, the most recent titled “The new challenge of the EITI: becoming a tool to improve the living conditions of the poor”.
Faith Nwadishi is an engineer by training and has been coordinator of PWYP Nigeria for five years. She has been serving on the EITI International Board since 2013. Ms. Nwadishi is also Executive Director of the Koyenum Immalah Foundation, ‘which promotes the rights of women and children’.
