Mr Musa Hlope, Chairperson (Swaziland) is a founding member of the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations and currently serves as its coordinator. He is a committed social rights activist engaged in issues of promoting democracy and human rights.
Ms Elinor Sisulu, Deputy Chairperson (South Africa) is a writer, human rights activist and political analyst. She combines training in history, English literature, development studies and feminist theory. She has published several books, including The Day Gogo Went to Vote (an award winning children''s book about the first democratic elections in South Africa), Women in Zimbabwe, and Walter and Albertina Sisulu: In Our Lifetime. Since 2003, Elinor has been advising on projects on democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe. She is currently the Media and Advocacy Manager of the Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe’s Johannesburg office, which she was instrumental in establishing in 2004.
Mr Carlos Alberto Figueiredo (Angola) is presently the Angola Portfolio Coordinator and Acting Country Director for the Dutch Development Organisation (SNV) working on strengthening local government capacity and poverty alleviation. Mr Figueiredo holds an undergraduate degree in Agronomy from the Faculty of Agrarian Studies, Huambo, Angola and is presently completing a Master’s degree in Rural Development from the University of Guelph, Canada. He has a wide range of experience in agriculture and development and has been a board member of Action for Rural Development and Environment (ADRA) since 1997.
Ms Immaculée Birhaheka (DRC) is the founder and director of a grassroots Goma-based women''s organisation, Promotion et Appui aux Initiatives Feminines (PAIF). She holds a Masters degree in rural and social development.
Ms Mathasi Aminata Kurubally (Lesotho) is the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for World Vision, Lesotho on their relief efforts. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics (Economic Development and Planning) from the United Nations Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in the same field. She previously worked as a National Economist for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is a former Senior Economic Planner in the Ministry of Employment, Government of Lesotho.
Dr Fidelis Edge Kanyongolo (Malawi) is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Malawi. He also consults for national and international institutions on governance and the rule of law. He has served on the Boards of national and international organisations, including the Malawi Civil Liberties Committee and the Media Institute of Southern Africa.
Dr Abdul Carimo Mahomed Issa (Mozambique) is a Law graduate and has served as Attorney General and Judge from 1977 - 1990. He was a Judge of the PTA Administrative Appeals Board (International Tribunal) for three years (1990-1994) and a Jurist of the Inquiry Commission on the use of the Death Penalty in the United States of America - Boston (1993). Furthermore, he served as special assistant to the Minister of Justice, Member of Parliament, Member of the Standing Committee of the Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament from 1994 to 1999. He was also the national correspondent of the United Nations for Crime Prevention and treatment of offenders and has lectured in law at UEM, ISPU and ISCTEM from 1986 to 2004. Mr Issa formed part of the International Observer Missions of SADCC, UN, EU and Carter Center, for the elections in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Indonesia. Mr Issa is currently is the Chairman of the Legal Reform Commission, Chairman of the Arbitration, Conciliation and Mediation Centre, Chairman of the National Council of Electricity, Member of the Board of the Foundation for Community Development (FDC) headed by Mrs Graça Machel and Chairman of Ética Moçambique (an NGO fighting against corruption).
Mr Norman Tjombe (Namibia) is Director of the Legal Assistance Centre in Windhoek. He is involved in public interest law, law reform, and making the law more accessible to ordinary Namibians. His other involvements include being Chairperson of the Board of Namibia NGO Forum (NANGOF), trustee of the Namibia Nature Foundation, trustee of The Big Issue magazine (Namibian edition), trustee of the Namibia Red Cross Society, Chairperson of the Namibia Development Trust, and chairperson of the Nyae Nyae Development Foundation of Namibia.
Ms Betty Sombe (Zambia) is a civil society activist. She holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Zambia and is a Fellow of the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants having qualified as a Chartered Accountant. She was Director of Finance at ZESCO and has served on the boards of the Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO), the Local Authority Superannuation Fund (LASF) and the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) during her tenure at ZESCO. She left her position with ZESCO in 2003 to start up her own business and currently owns and manages her own service station which is rated in the top three in the country.
Dr Godfrey Kanyenze (Zimbabwe) is the founder and Director of the Labour and Development Institute in Harare. He has served for a long time as the Director of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). He was the lead person in the development of ZCTU''s alternative framework to Zimbabwe''s Structural Adjustment Programme in the late 1990s. He has also served on the Boards of a number of initiatives, including the Zimbabwe Non-State Actors'' Forum. He has published extensively in the areas of labour market economics, trade policy, macroeconomic analysis, and others.