OSIWA - Open Society Initiative for West Africa

Abdoul Rahamane Diallo is the Program Coordinator for the Guinea Country Office. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in French and International Relations from the University of Sierra Leone. He worked with the US Embassy in Guinea, Conakry from 1992 to 2012. During this posting he held different positions, including administrative assistant, protocol specialist, commercial specialist, senior political specialist and translator. Abdoul has undertaken a number of professional courses and seminars at the US Foreign Service Institute, US Department of Commerce and Denver Export Assistant Centre. He received the Foreign Service National of the Year Award in 2002; Franklin Award in 2007; Meritorious Award in 2009; and Superior Honor Award in 2011.

Abdul Tejan-Cole is Executive Director of OSIWA.  Prior to his appointment, Abdul served as Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission in Sierra Leone, from December 2007 through April 2010.  Abdul’s previous positions include: Attorney in the Special Court for Sierra Leone; Deputy Director for the International Center for Transitional Justices’s (ICTJ) Cape Town Office; and President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association.  Abdul also has extensive experience working with Open Society Institute (OSI). He served as Board Chair of OSIWA from 2002-2007, and has also served as a member of the board of the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI).

Afia is responsible for the overall development and management of the OSIWA LJHR Program portfolio. Afia, a dual Ghanaian and South African citizen, has a varied background in development programs, ranging from working with communities in conflict situations, training civil society groups and communities on general human rights and on the special discourse of transitional justice, working with governments and organizations on justice sector reform and access to justice, HIV/AIDS etc. Prior to joining OSIWA, Afia worked for Save the Children-UK, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the JHUCCP/USAID in different capacities. She is a graduate of the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Agnes Mendy is 43 years old.  She has been working at OSIWA since 2001. Prior to this she worked at a Dakar-based company called SNCDS for eight years. She is presently taking French classes.

Aissata Abdoul Ly holds a BBA and a Master Degree in Human Resources and Total Quality Management from International School of Management (ISM) in Dakar, Senegal. Prior to joining OSIWA in August 2011, Aissata worked as Human Resource Assistant for BL HARBERT INTERNATIONAL and at the US Embassy in Dakar. She is equipped with relevant organization knowledge, tools and experience from the private sectors CITIGROUP, TOTAL Senegal, Shell Senegal, GROUPE TOP INTER etc. 

Marie Akoua N’guettia, an Ivorian national, joined OSIWA as ICT/Media Program Assistant in 2007 and is currently holding the position of Law, Justice and Human Rights Program Associate. Ms N’guettia holds a specialized postgraduate degree in Project Management from the African Center of Advanced Management Studies (CESAG), based in Dakar. She also holds  a Professionalized Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Organisation from (CESAG), Admissibility of Trade Inspector Diploma from Ecole de Commerce et de Gestion (ECG) Abidjan, Certificate in English language at the University of Cocody, Abidjan and a certificate in English language capacity reinforcement. Before joining OSIWA, Ms N’guettia worked as an intern with Cote d‘Ivoire (CI) Telecom, with Standard Chartered Bank in the Gambia. She also worked as a consultant for the company responsible for the liquidation of Air Afrique and with IED-Afrique an international NGO based in Dakar. She has attended a number of international and regional conferences, meetings and workshops.

Amanda Fortier is a Canadian who has been living in West Africa on and off since 2006 and joined OSIWA's communications team in April 2012.  Prior to this, she worked in film, print, radio and online communications for media organizations around the world, including in Shanghai, Accra, Amsterdam and New York City. Amanda holds a Bachelor's degree in Film and Media Communications and a double Masters in Media and Globalization from the Danish School of Journalism, University of Amsterdam and the University of Wales. 

Andy holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration (Banking & Finance option) from the Business School of the University Of Ghana, Legon. For the past six years, Andy has been working on issues related to micro-finance, organizational development, sourcing for funds for SME’s, general administration and accounting, and building capacities of credit unions in Ghana. Prior to joining OSIWA, he was the Greater Accra Regional Manager for the Ghana Cooperative Credit Union Association Ltd, a position which offered him the opportunity to implement key projects on micro-finance from the Canadian Cooperative Credit Union and the Irish League of Credit Unions.

Anna Egoh works in OSIWA's Nigeria office as Administrative Assistant /Receptionist. Ms Egoh holds a Bachelors degree in Library Science and a post-graduate diploma in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Previously, Anna worked with the MacArthur Foundation as Administrative Assistant and Documentalist as national secretary with the Nigerian Library Association and was a senior postal officer with the Nigerian Postal Service. She was also formerly the Documentalist/Administrative Assistant for the West Africa Public Interest Litigation Centre (WAPILC) in Abuja, Nigeria. 

Hawa Ba joined OSIWA as head of the Senegal Country Office in August 2009. Prior to joining OSIWA, Ms Ba worked with the foundation TrustAfrica, managing the Religion and Pluralism in Africa Program. She also worked as the Editor of the French Edition of Pambazuka News (Produced by Fahamu –Networks for Social Justice), part time Lecturer at the Department of Sociology of Gaston Berger University (Senegal) and Journalist-Reporter at Sud Quotidien, an independent Senegalese daily newspaper.

Hawa holds a Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies (DEA) in Anthropology from the Université Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the Université Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis, Senegal. She equally has a Post-graduate Degree in Journalism from the Institut Supérieur des Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication (ISSIC) in Dakar, Senegal. Hawa Ba has also studied Social Anthropology at Uppsala University (Sweden) where she is completing a PhD degree. Hawa’s areas of interest include governance processes, migration, religion, gender, media and social movements in Senegal.

Bambo Cissokho joined OSIWA in 2003 as Finance Associate and was promoted to Finance Officer in 2011. He holds a High Management Diploma for Enterprises (HMDE), a Specialized Master Degree in Financial Management of Companies (SMDFMC), a High Diploma in Accounting (HDA) from ESP (Ecole Superieur Polytechnique), a Diploma in Accounting Studies (DAS), and a Certificate in Vocational Studies: Stream ACCOUNTING (CVSA). Bambo was Finance Manager for the West African Research Center (WARC), and prior to working here served as an accountant at the US Embassy Dakar Installation in the Budget and Fiscal Year Section (B&F Unit). Bambo also served as Accountant for USAID and worked for several NGOs, such as CONGAD and CASPAR Department of Agriculture Ministry of Senegal.

Based in Nigeria's capital city, Abuja, Blessing Usie is the Administration Associate for the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI). Prior to this post, Blessing worked was the Administrative Assistant for OSIWA, again in the Abuja office. Before joining the Open Society Fondations (OSF) family, Blessing was the personal assistant to the Executive Director of Newton and David, an events management company with corporate headquarters in Lagos, and helped managed strategic and high-powered events ranging from governmental functions to fashion and entertainment exhibitions.

Blessing is a graduate of the University of Jos with a Degree in Theater and Mass Communication Arts. She was engaged in several community theater projects in Plateau state where the students used their drama and communication skills to influence communities and encourage them to uphold virtues and attitudes of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Blessing also volunteered as principal support officer with the Justice Development and Peace Commission, the development arm of the Catholic Arch-Diocese of Jos, in Plateau State. Her work and contribution to this office was instrumental to the establishment of community development and peace committees in the communities recovering from unrest.

Bukola is OSIWA's Associate Advocacy Officer. Prior to joining OSIWA, she was a member of the Youth Learning team at the MasterCard Foundation in Canada where she worked on the Foundation’s employment, entrepreneurship and signature education programs. Before this, she worked at the Africa Governance Institute in Senegal where she helped coordinate the Institute’s policy advocacy programs, conducted research and managed an online information database. Bukola has a Masters’ degree in International Development and Management from Lund University, Sweden and has project management and research experience from Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. She speaks Yoruba and English fluently and has working abilities in Spanish and French.  Bukola was recently chosen as one of the 2013 Women Deliver 100 Young Leaders and a member of the Civicus Youth Advisory Group

Catherine Sandy-Margao is a Sierra Leonean based in Freetown where she has been working with SEDF since 2009. Catherine works as the Program Officer leading the implementation of activities that focus on agriculture, access to finance and empowerment of the private sector.  Prior to this, Catherine spent two years as a Project Officer, Local Economic Development for the ADB/IFAD funded projects – Agricultural Sector Rehabilitation Project/Rehabilitation and Community-based Poverty Reduction Project/Rural Finance and Community Improvement Program. She worked for many years as a Research Officer at the Sierra Leone Institute of Agriculture Research and was a part-time lecturer at Njala University. Additionally, Catherine also held short term consultancies with the FAO and has worked on gender and HIV/AIDS issues. Catherine holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Njala University College, Sierra Leone, and a Masters in Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kiel in Germany.

Chidi Odinkalu is Senior Legal Officer for the Africa Program of the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI). Based in the Abuja office, Odinkalu is  a lawyer and advocate from Nigeria and currently also Chairs the Governing Council of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission. Odinkalu received his Ph.D. in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Prior to joining the staff of OSJI, Odinkalu was senior legal officer responsible for Africa and Middle East at the International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights in London, Human Rights Advisor to the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone, and Brandeis International Fellow at the Centre for Ethics, Justice and Public Life of the Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts.

Odinkalu is widely published on diverse subjects of international law, international economic and human rights law, public policy, and political economy affecting African countries. He is frequently called upon to advise multilateral and bilateral institutions on Africa-related policy, including the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the World Economic Forum.

Odinkalu has extensive networks across Africa built up over several years of working for human rights and social justice on the continent. He is associated with several non-governmental and academic institutions within and outside Africa. Among other affiliations, Odinkalu is a member of the Human Rights Advisory Council of the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, of the Boards of the Fund for Global Human Rights and of the International Refugee Rights Initiative. He is also the founder of the Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) at the Nigerian Bar and member of the Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association. 

Clemence is the Receptionist at the OSIWA office in Dakar. She is a Senegalese national and graduate from the English department of the Arts Faculty of Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar. Clemence holds a Bachelor of English and a specialization in British Literature and Civilization. Prior to joining OSIWA, she worked at Premium Contact Center for International, at the African AIDS Research Network for the 15th International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (ICASA) and at Suffolk University Dakar Campus as admission assistant.

Dauda Garuba is Nigeria Program Coordinator for Revenue Watch Institute (RWI). Prior to joining RWI, he was Senior Program Officer in Governance, Security and Development at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD). He has West African-wide research and work experience on democracy, governance, peace and security. He is widely published in local and international research outlets. He is co-author of Natural Resource Governance and EITI Implementation in Nigeria (2011) and Governance and Institution Building in Africa: A Study of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (2010); and co-editor of Democracy, Oil and Politics in the Niger Delta: Linking Citizens' Perception with Policy Reform (2007) and ECOWAS and the Dynamics of Conflict and Peacebuilding (2011). He is CODESRIA Methodological School Laureate, Harry Frank Guggenheim/African Association of Political Science Young Scholar, and Graduate Institute of International Studies (Geneva) Young Scholar.

Fatou SY currently serves as the Executive Assistant.  She has joined OSIWA in July 2004 and has 7 years of experience working with OSIWA in the field of Administration, Grants and Program. Fatou SY holds an Arts Degree (English Language) with honors and a Master Certificate in English Language from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar; as well as a Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) on Marketing/Communications from the Institut Africain de Management (IAM) in Dakar.

Gana is 36 years old, he joined Osiwa in 2008. Prior to that, he was working as a driver for FPGL during 5 years.

Gowon Danladi Joined OSIWA Nigeria office in November 2001 as driver, in charge of overseeing the office cars, now administrative assistant, prior to joining OSIWA, he worked with University of Abuja as driver and with central Bank of Nigeria as project driver, he also worked with federal urban mass transit agency in 1993.

A professional Certified Internal Auditor and a former PwC auditor (Switzerland), Greg’s main background is in internal and external auditing, and he also worked in various positions in financial management.  He has worked in these capacities in the profit and not-for-profit sectors, in Africa, Canada and Switzerland.  He is fully bilingual (French and English).  He comes from the Regional Office for Africa and Middle East of an International organization, where he has worked since 2004 and has been the Auditor in charge of the African region. He has gained extensive experience in conducting internal audits and investigation engagements, and helped the implementation of risk assessment and management processes at various units.

P. Hutton HOUNSINOU is currently the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator at OSIWA. His roles consist of helping programs mainstream M&E practices into the grant making process, providing technical support in the development of tools for M&E with a view to improving project delivery. Hutton joined the foundation in 2007 as Program Assistant and joined the M&E Unit in 2009. Previously, Hutton was co-managing a small service provision business. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Management with a focus on Accounting-Finances-Auditing. Hutton also holds a Specialized Master’s Degree in Project Management with focus on Conception, Analysis, Management, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Ibrahima Sy joined OSIWA in 2009 as HIV/AIDS Program Officer. He joinded the Grants Unit in 2011 as Grants Officer. Ibrahima holds a Master's of Science in Biology and a Master's in Population, Development and Reproductive Health. He has more than 16 years of professional work experience in Education and Project Management.

Jacqueline works with OSIWA at their Liberia office as the housekeeper. Jacqueline is a Liberian national and graduated from Mary N Chessman School of cosmetology in 2005 with a certificate in cosmetics. 

James Ogoh joined OSIWA in September 2004 as a House Keeper. Prior joining OSIWA, he worked as a grade II teacher in his community, Awe Local Government, Nassarawa State.

Joe Hindovei Pemagbi heads the OSIWA Sierra Leone Country Office. Joe holds a Master's in Peace and Conflict Studies from the European University Center for Peace Studies. In his current position, he manages OSIWA’s interventions in the country and serves as the country representative of the Open Society Foundations (OSF). He manages the programmatic portfolio of the Foundation by forging and managing strategic partnerships with national and international organizations. Prior to joining OSIWA, Joe Pemagbi served Global Rights Partners for Justice (formerly International Human Rights Law Group) as National Program Officer. During his tenure, he led the organization’s project (funded by the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights - OHCHR) on supporting Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation.

Udo has published extensively in the area of electoral reform, justice sector reform and other governance related issues. He has to his credit six published books and a number of papers related to elections, governance and justice sector issues. Udo has more than 30 other published write-ups and op-eds. During his studies in Central European University, Udo worked as a Research Assistant at the BIICL. He also worked as a Program Advisor and Pioneer Head Programs Department of the Nigerian Bar Association. He is a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Law and Social Action (CLASA). Udo worked as the Nigeria Programs Manager for the Forum of Federations, a global network on federalism with its headquarters in Ottawa Canada and currently advises the organisation on governance and other policy issues related to Nigeria. Udo is a fellow of the Open Society Justice Initiative and Advocacy Officer for the Open Society Initiative for West Africa.

Joseph Idahosa Amenaghawon has over a decade of development work experience covering research on domestic and global developments around economic, social and cultural rights, policy advocacy for the transparent and accountable use of public revenue,community organizing and project monitoring. He previously served as Senior Programme Officer at the Social and Economic Rights Action Centre (SERAC) Nigeria, where he specifically managed amongst others the organization’s rights to housing projects and engagements with marginalized oil communities in the Niger Delta. Also, he was at one time the Business/Program Manager for the Segun Aina Foundation (SAF) and a consultant on CSO Strategic Planning Documentation with the UNDP-DGD programme in Nigeria. He joined the Open Society Institute for West Africa (OSIWA) in October 2009 as Economic Governance Officer in the Nigeria office. Joseph holds a Bachelors degree in Economics and a Masters degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the Universities of Ibadan and Lagos, Nigeria respectively

Julius was born on July 29, 1963 in Gbarnga, Bong County.  He is presently working as the driver/clerk at OSIWA's Liberia office. Previously, Julius worked with the Cellcom Communication GSM Company as their driver (from 2004-2005).

Julius obtained his AA Degree in Accounting from the College of West Africa in Monrovia, Liberia in 1989. He finished secondary school at Doloken Gboveh High School, Gbarnga, Bong County in 1985.

Julius is married with three children and lives in Gbarjor, God bless-you Hill, Brewerville, Liberia.

Khaita Sylla is the (Acting) Grants Manager at the Open Society Initiative for West Africa where she has been working since 2004. Khaita holds an MBA degree in Project Management from the Institut Africain de Management, a Bachelor degree in Corporate Communication with honors from Baruch College, the City University of New York, a Diploma in American Studies from Mount Holyoke College, and a Bachelor's degree in English with honors from Universite Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) . Khaita is interested in Politics and African Literature and in her spare time writes about her views on political issues on the continent and West Africa in particular. As an intern with the United Nations Association of the USA (UNAUSA) in New York, Khaita contributed an article entitled “The advancement of Women” to the organization’s annual publication “The Global Agenda, Issues Before the 57th General Assembly of the United Nations.” Khaita is a native of Senegal. You can read some of Khaita's writings by visiting her blog at khaita-citizensview.blogspot.org. You can follow Khaita on twitter @KhaitaSylla.

Komivi joined the Open Society Initiative for West Africa in the position of Program Assistant in 2007 and has moved to the position of Executive Assistant the same year. He’s currently working from the Admin unit as Administration Coordinator. Prior to joining OSIWA he worked with ECOBANK SENEGAL in charge of bank statements and Cathay Pacific Airways as Travel and Ticketing Agent. He graduated from the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar in Business Administration and holds a Bachelor Degree in German Literature as well as a Teaching Certificate at the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences of the University of Lome, Togo. Komivi is Togolese and speaks French and English.

 Presently serve in the position of Administrative Assistant with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) Monrovia, Liberia.Louise has a BBA Degree (Bachelors of Business Administration) from the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU) Camp Johnson road, Monrovia, Liberia and a Diploma as a Professional Secretary.

Lydie Durand has rejoined OSIWA as Administration Officer. She did a brief stint with OSIWA for a period of three months. Between 2006 to present, Lydie has worked in the administration units of the regional offices of Nokia and Samsung Electronics in Dakar.  She also has extensive experience working in the air transport industry. She has worked for SWISSAIR, Air Senegal international, SDV Voyages and  Galileo. She also worked for IOM (international Organization for Migration) as a senior operations assistant. She is graduated in tourism, English and human resources.

Mamadou Diallo is 43 years old. He joined Osiwa in 2002. Before joining Osiwa, He was working at CFAO Senegal from 1995 to 2002.

An experienced media and communication actor, Marie Laure Digbeu has worked in high level positions both in media, financial and governance sectors. She was previously communication and media advisor at the West African states central bank. During this time, she worked on promoting the economic and social impact of the banking activities.

Marie-Laure began her carrier as print media reporter and rose through the ranks as desk editor. After a successful shift in broadcasting, she has had the privilege of anchoring prime time evening news, and was selected as one of African journalist teams launching the international desk of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in Johannesburg. Marie-Laure holds a BA, and a Business Communication specialization certificate earned at the University of South Africa. She is committed to communicating on governance and democracy in their human life improving dimension, and was recently working as electoral observer and analyst.

Marie Sar is 48 years old. She joined Osiwa as Janitor  since 2001. Prior to that, she was working as a janitor at Alize Entretien in Dakar. She has a primary school level education.

Masaar Diagne joined OSIWA as IT and Maintenance Coordinator in September 2012. For the past two years, Masaar has been Network System Engineer for NEDGE PS in Senegal. He has been supporting various customers networks, participating in many complex deployment, leading project from its conception to operations, participating in customers agents training and leading audit team. Masaar is a qualified Network specialist and has extensive experience working with Davenport University, ECOBANK GHANA, ALINK GHANA TELECOM and NEDGE PS SENEGAL. He has managed many IT projects for Banks, Insurance companies and NGOs. He holds a degree in Computer Information System from Davenport University in the United States and a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Computer Networking.

Education Program Officer for Osiwa Liberia, Massa has a first degree in Education from Cuttington University, Liberia, has several certificates in Institutional / Organizational Development, Risk Management, Micro-Finance Management, Participatory Development Training, Gender and Development, HIV/AIDS and Development and is pursuing a second degree in Education at the University of Liberia. With her academic background in education, she has blended this with 25+ years of experience working on youth, HIV/AIDS, women’s rights, and general development oriented program manager and management officer in several development institutions including Actionaid Liberia and the Liberia Teacher Training Program/ Academy for Educational Development (LTTP/AED). Massa also serves as Acting Country Officer for the OSIWA Liberia Country Office.

Mr. Hounkpe, a Benin Citizen and currently OSIWA Guinea Office head, has about 14 years experience working in capacity building, governance and institutional development. He has been part of multidisciplinary research teams on subjects as diverse as the assessment of electoral systems and institutions, security in elections, good governance, elections and public policy related issues. He has designed and implemented training and capacity building activities for various key stake holders of electoral processes in Benin and some West-African countries. Mr. Hounkpe has teaching experience in mathematics, statistics, game theory and political science. He is bilingual with proficiency in English and French. He holds an M. Phil in Political science with concentration on accountability mechanism design in new democracies; a doctorate in Mathematical physics with concentration on scattering theory, a Master in Mathematics.

Maxwell Kadiri is associate legal officer on the Africa regional work of the Open Society Justice Initiative. Based in the Abuja office, Kadiri is a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He has considerable experience, while working for NGOs and private law firms, litigating free expression and media issues, including undertaking public interest litigation, reforming Nigerian media laws, strengthening the freedom of the press and generally ensuring the establishment of a culture of transparency and accountability in government through allowing for public access to government held information.

In the past, Kadiri worked as the Nigerian Country Advocate for the Global Internet Policy Initiative where he participated in the drafting of the new National Information Technology Bill, the freedom of information bill in Nigeria.

Michael AJAVON joined OSIWA as Human Resources Assistant in 2009. Prior to that, he worked as Human Resources Assistant for Citigroup Senegal. He has also worked for CFAO GROUP, TOTAL and SHELL in Togo. Michael holds a Master's degree in Human Resources and Organizations Management after obtaining his Bachelor's degree  in Business Administration with ISM Dakar, Senegal in 2006. He was appointed Human Resources Manager in July 2011.

Before joining OSIWA in May 2013, Mohamed worked as a Project Officer for the Canadian based Pearson Center, on multiple capacity development initiatives in West Africa focusing on peace operations. Previously, he held several positions within the United Nations Regional Office for West Africa in Dakar (UNOWA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome. His primary focus is on rural poverty and on the prevention and settlement of conflict, and more generally, on ways to address drivers of insecurity, including youth unemployment, demographic changes, illicit trafficking, and poor governance, particularly in West Africa. He was also responsible for business development and marketing for a private firm involved in consulting and new technologies in the health sector. Mohamed holds a degree in Business Administration from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) and a Master in Development and International Cooperation of the University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy).

Nadia Nata, a political commentator from Benin, joined  the OSIWA and AfriMAP teams in 2011 as Political governance program Officer. She has been a researcher, a civil society leader and a programme officer for operational organizations throughout the region. Nadia comes to OSIWA from Avocats Sans Frontières-France (Lawyers Without Borders). As its Head of Mission in Abuja, Nigeria, Nadia steered ASF’s efforts in supporting initiatives that seek to enforce human rights standards and strengthen rule of law principles, and to protect human rights defenders whenever they are threatened because of their involvement.

Nancy graduated from the University of Sierra Leone in 2001 with a degree in history and in 2004 received an LL.B (honours). She was called to the Sierra Leone Bar in 2005. She worked with Timap for Justice as Deputy Director from 2006 until June this year. Nancy has also worked with two of Sierra Leone’s leading law firms - Roberts & Partners and Jenkins-Johnston & Co.. She is a member of Legal Access for Women yearning for Equality Rights and Social Justice (LAWYERS) and the Sierra Leone Bar Association. Nancy recently graduated with a LL. M degree in Human Rights from the Central European University, Hungary, Budapest.

Aita's main responsibilities include overseeing the Finance, Grants and Monitoring and Evaluation units of the foundation. Aita joined OSIWA in March 2002. She was also the acting Executive Director for OSIWA from January to July 2011. Prior to joining OSIWA, Aita served as the Regional Finance and Administration Officer at Population Council in Senegal between October 1998 and February 2002. She worked for five years as the Account Manager for Corporate Enterprises at the Credit Lyonnais Senegal. A Senegalese national, she holds a Masters degree in Finance and Public Management from the University of Rennes in France, a Bachelor in Business Administration from the Institut Universitaire de Technologie at the University of Saint Etienne in France and a Bachelor in Accounting from the Ecole Supérieure d’Informatique et de Gestion, in Casablanca, Morocco. Aita is bilingual and has travelled extensively in the Sub-region and in Europe.  

Olivier holds a Master of Science in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelors Degree in Politics from the University of Connecticut, in the USA. Prior to joining OSIWA, Olivier worked as a Project Officer with the Survivors Fund (SURF), an organization supporting survivors of the genocide in his native Rwanda. Before joining SURF, Olivier interned with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), in Niger, where he worked on the humanitarian situation in Niamey, Zinder, Maradi and Tahoua provinces. He also interned with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in New York, and with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in their Policy Unit, in Mozambique. 

Ousmane Gueye was born in 1971 at Gossas in Senegal. He has a Primary school level education, and obtained his driving licence in 1991.Ousmane joined Osiwa in 2004. Prior to that he was living in italy as a migrant worker. He has worked for several companies in Dakar as a Driver.

Pascal K. Kambale is educated in International Law, Humanitarian Law, and Constitutional Law from the Harvard Law School in the USA and the University of Kinshasa in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo. A former member of the Congolese Law Reform Commission (1996), Mr. Kambale was called to the Kinshasa Bar in 1989 and has gained an extensive experience of human rights litigation. He has practiced international criminal law in the DRC as well as in Dakar, Senegal and Ndjamena, Chad. Pascal has for the past six years worked on the OSIWA’s Africa Governance, Monitoring and Advocacy Project (AfriMAP) which aims to monitor and promote compliance by African states with the requirements of good governance, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Peter has a Post Graduate Diploma certificate in Political Science from the University of Abuja. He worked with a Legal Firm, Obla & Co. in Lagos for two years as a Secretary and in Port Harcourt with Alusteel Construction Company (Oil Services) as an assistant to the General Services Manager for two years.  He was in the Office of the Senate President as a Secretary to the Chief of Staff during the tenure of Late Chuba Okadigbo.  He was Secretary to Director General, Nigeria Copyright Commission after where he left to assume an Administrative Assistant position with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa and presently works as a Program Coordinator in the Nigeria Office.

Rufus graduated Cum Laude from the University of Liberia with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting. He is a recipient of the Joseph Jerkins Roberts’ Scholarship in the last will and testament of Liberia’s first president, Joseph Jerkins Roberts awarded to students with high academic performance. Previously, Rufus served as Administrative and Accounts Supervisor with Olam Liberia Limited with headquarters in Singapore and also as Personnel Manager with Consar Liberia Inc with head offices in Kumasi, Ghana. He is a proud father of two daughters and has a beautiful wife

Sahr is a  part qualified student of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant  (ACCA) and a Certified Accounting Technician (CAT). Upon completion of CAT, he worked  for KPMG (SL) from 2005 to 2010 as Audit Associate and subsequently Senior Audit Associate. He later joined Sierra Leone Coca Cola Bottling Company in 2010, as the Management Accountant. His job entailed monitoring controls, treasury management, reconciliation of intercompany balances and transactions, fixed asset management and preparing management accounts. 

Salimata has a rich career profile. She worked as national gender consultant for the Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP) under the national project Integrating Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Development INTAC/AAP looking at the gendered vulnerability and women’s adaptive capacity in flooding. The study was done in collaboration with the UNDP Gender Team in New York, which has been providing technical support to the Africa AAP country offices in mainstreaming gender in climate change adaptation policies and programmes at the national level. Salimata holds a Master of Sciences in engineering from the Kaliningrad Technical University and a Master in Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Development in 2012 from the Institute of Environmental Sciences at the College of Sciences and Technology at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal. Her thesis focuses on the nexus between Migration- Gender- and Fishery Resources Management; and was funded by INTAC/AAP. Salimata previously served as administrative assistant and program assistant for the OSIWA Special projects unit from 2006 to 2009. After that, she joined the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) in the West Africa Zone Office in Dakar as a migration officer until August 2010. Salimata is fluent in French, English and Russian.

Solomon Maikato joined OSIWA in April 2009 as a driver. Prior to joining OSIWA, he worked with Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Abuja as a driver in 2008.

Stanley Ibe is an associate legal officer with Open Society Justice Initiative, based in the Abuja office. He previously held senior program position at Constitutional Rights Project (CRP) where he coordinated a civil society coalition on the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of Nigeria and conducted an audit of prisons in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Prior to joining Constitutional Rights Project, Ibe was program officer at the Network of University Legal Aid Institutions (NULAI) with responsibility over five pilot university based law clinics in Nigeria. He also provided program leadership in criminal justice reform and human rights at the Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS).

A Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Ibe holds a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in Globalization and Human Rights from Maastricht University, The Netherlands. He is published in diverse subjects of African human rights system; economic, social and cultural rights; intellectual property and pretrial justice. His co-publication include, Travesty of Justice: An Advocacy Manual against the Holding Charge (2004); Budget Analysis II: Test of Progressive Realization of Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria (2003-7)(2007) and Training Manual on African Regional Mechanisms for the Promotion and Enforcement of Human Rights (2010).

Prior to starting at OSIWA, Tania worked as a Consultant for the United Nations Development Programme in Liberia where she was seconded to the Ministry of Justice as the Donor Coordinator. Of the many duties assigned to this role Tania was largely assigned to keep the Minister informed on ongoing matters relating to projects/programmes being implemented that were funded by international partners and/or donors to the Ministry. Tania’s work experiences to date have been primarily with non-governmental organisations, having worked with agencies such as Child Fund - Liberia’s UNHCR funded Comprehensive Local Integration Programme, as well as the Norwegian Refugee Council’s- County Information Management and Monitoring project.

Tania has a Masters of Science degree from The University of Bristol in International Development, as well as a Bachelors of Arts from The London School of Economics and Political Science in Geography.

Ugo Okorie joined OSIWA Abuja office in 2004 as a Finance Assistant. Prior to that he was a Computer Instructor and Consultant with Raberto Schools, Abuja where he contributed immensely to the setting up of the Computer Institute in the School. He started his career with the Nigeria Breweries Plc Ibadan as an Accounts Officer. Ugo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from University of Nigeria with a specialty in Education (1997). He also holds a Masters degree in Financial Economics (MFE) from the University of Abuja (2010).

A founding member of the Nigerian Institute of Financial Economists (NIFE), Ugo is a chartered member of the Nigerian Institute of Management since 2009 and also a student of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and he is also a member of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES). In recognition of his contributions to the development sector, he was promoted to the position of a Finance Associate. A position he currently occupies in OSIWA Abuja Office.

Some of his interests include swimming and travelling. He is married and has three daughters.

Viviane joined OSIWA on the 12th December as  Administration and Finance Assistant for Guinea program. She started her career in Finance and administration since 2001. Before her employment with OSIWA, she was working  with International Alert Guinea as Administration and Finance Officer for Guinea program for the last three years. She is a Dag Hammarskjöld messenger of peace and a Sociologist by profession. She also holds a diploma in management, account and computer science. Viviane is a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Yaye is currently the Program Officer for Africa Governance and Advocacy Project (AfriMap), an initiative of the Soros Foundation Network's four African foundations in Senegal.   She served as the Bilingual Coordinator and Invitations Focal Point for the International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership and Development, Peace and Security. She served as the Program Coordinator for the Department of Comparative and International Programs at the Columbia University School of Law.  Ms. Yaye Helene N’Diaye is a graduate of the University Paris XII Val de Marne in Paris, France with a Bachelors Degree. She also has a Masters of Business Administration, Accounting and Fiscal Administration from the University Paris XII Val de Marne, and a Masters of Public Administration, International Economic Policy from Columbia University, the School of International & Public Affairs

Yema Tucker – joined OSIWA Sierra Leone office in November 2011 as Administrative Assistant, in charge of overseeing the office general administrative activities, including liaising with all service providers, vendors and visitors and working with the finance and administrative officer to ensure the smooth operations of the office and providing logistical support for program related events. Prior to joining OSIWA, Yema served Forum of Conscience non-governmental organization that seeks to promote peacebuilding and access to justice programs in Sierra Leone

Serving in the Finance Unit as Finance Officer, Youssoupha Pouye has joined OSIWA since November 2007 and is currently in charge of budget monitoring, consolidation of accounts and assistance to country offices. Prior to this, he served seven years at Ernst & Young as Accounting software administrator and Consultant in Accounting and management working from Ernst & Young Paris before relocation to Cabinet Racine and ended on handling, in addition to his tasks, the internal control function of the 6 Francophone offices affiliated to Ernst & Young Paris. Youssoupha Pouye holds a Masters of Business Administration in Accounting and Management from the “Institut Superieur de Gestion” (former ENSUT), of the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar.