IAF Africa
Facilitation in Africa is as broad and diverse as the continent itself. Made up of 54 countries, with as many as 2,000 different spoken languages and at least as many ethnic groups, the continent is rich in its many approaches to facilitation. Facilitation practice is also very deep-rooted in many African traditional and spiritual practices, and occurs naturally in many communities throughout the region.
Traditional and common practices, such as storytelling and community-led development, sit in harmony with participatory facilitation processes. When combined effectively, they can produce powerful and sustainable outcomes.
Africa Region Strategic Priorities
- Deliver member value: Understand and be responsive to member needs in Africa; Create and capture member value.
- Enable growth: Share resources for professional development; Grow professionally through learning; Share opportunities among members.
- Increase engagement: Increase the level of membership engagement; Increase visibility of regional, chapter and global events.
- Enable access: Enable access to membership and programmes; Develop a multi-lingual approach to our work; Offer membership and certification support through available financial assistance.
- Build IAF Africa: Develop a solid, structured, credible & supportive Africa Leadership Team; Support the development of vibrant chapters throughout the region; Promote collaboration.
About IAF in Africa
Please read more information about IAF in Africa in:
For more information about the region, please contact our Regional Director, Dedi Mwita, through rep.africa@iaf-world.org.
For information on upcoming events please visit the IAF Events page.
Chapters
Burkina Faso
Le chapitre IAF Burkina Faso a été constitué en mai 2019 et reconnu par IAF en septembre de la même année.
A la création, le chapitre comptait cinq (5) membres tous engagé dans la formation et dans une dynamique de consultant.
A peine un (1) mois de fonctionnement, le Chapitre a enregistré deux (2) nouveaux adhérents et compte à ce jour six (6) membres potentiels.
IAF Burkina Faso est dans une dynamique de développement de la facilitation comme nouvelle offre de services au Burkina Faso.
Réunion du bureau de IAF Burkina Faso ce mercredi 8 janvier 2020 au bureau du Président. Ordre du jour (1) Bilan des activités 2019 (2) propositions d’activités pour l’année 2020 (3) Divers.
*Ada YAYA BOCOUM, Architecte Urbaniste
*Rodolphe DJIGUIMDE, Consultant formateur
*Howard Seydou BELEM, Consultant en communication / formateur
*Souleymane GAMENE, Consultant formateur
*Philippe DIENDERE, Consultant en communication / formateur
Contactez Souleymane Gamene pour en savoir plus.
Historique du Chapitre Burkina Faso
1-Prise de contact entre Rodolphe DJIGUIMDE et Materne, à sa demande en mai 2019. Présentation et discussions sur l’IAF
2-Identification par Rodolphe DJIGUIMDE, de personnes pouvant avoir un intérêt pour la facilitation
3-Prise de contacts pour une première rencontre formelle le 22 mai à Ouagadougou. Présentation par Materne BOSSOU, d’une communication sur l’IAF
4-Création du groupe WhatsApp IAF Burkina Faso
5-Inscription des premiers Burkinabè comme membres de l’IAF entre mai et juin 2019
6-Présentation des premiers isncrits sur le groupe WhatsApp de IAF Africa
7-Jeudi 4 juillet 2019 à Ouagadougou, discussions sur la création ou non d’un Chapitre IAF au Burkina Faso. Décisions stratégiques et élaboration du plan d’actions du futur chapitre. Ralisations avec l’appui de Materne BOSSOU
8-Lundi 15 juillet 2019, assemblée générale constitutive du Chapitre IAF Burkina Faso, au bureau de Rodolphe DJIGUIMDE
9-Elaboration des documents et transmissions de la demande de reconnaissance du chapitre IAF Burkina Faso à IAF
10-Première formation ouverte au public, sur la facilitation dans l’andragogie, le 15 août 2019 à Ouagadougou
11-22 septembre 2019, reconnaissance officielle de IAF Burkina Faso par l’IAF
12- Inscription de 4 personnes dont 3 membres de IAF Burkina Faso à la conférence régionale africiane de l’IAF à Lomé du 23 au 26 octobre 2019
Participation de IAF Burkina Faso à la Conférence régionale Afrique de IAF à Lomé au Togo du 23 au 26 octobre 2019
Ethopia
The IAF Ethiopia Chapter was formed in 2019 and formally recognised by the IAF Board in April 2020. Currently, the chapter members have been holding regular online meetings aimed at building the capacity of members and developing future strategy and activities for the chapter.
For further information, please contact:
Abenet Bekele – abenetbekele@gmail.com
Fasil Bogale – fasildamtebogale@gmail.com
Pwani / Pwani Facilitators Network (PFN) 'Facilitation for Self-Reliance'
The Pwani Chapter is Africa’s newest Chapter and was recognised by the IAF Board in late 2024, but has existed as a Facilitators Network in the Coastal Region of Kenya since 2012.
The Pwani Chapter (otherwise known as Pwani Facilitators Network or PFN) has three main functions:
- To promote Professionalism in Facilitation in order to support broader community development initiatives.
- To promote Communication and Exchange of Knowledge, Skills, Expertise and functions associated with Facilitation.
- To support, promote and strengthen the Professional Development of members.
Contact Persons:
Deeja Omondi | Chair – atisbeeba@gmail.com
John Cornwell | Secretary – john.k.cornwell@gmail.com
For more information: pwanifacilitators@gmail.com
Current and Recent Activities
Our members meet on a regular basis, either online or in-person. Our physical meet-ups rotate between different locations and we are often hosted by partner organisations as a way of strengthening these relationships. The meetings are a mix of Networking and Capacity Development activities. To see a list of our recent activities, click here.
Over the years, we have also collaborated with a number of other Community organisations, including:
Kenya
The Kenya chapter started meeting and organizing events in 2015, and was formalized as an IAF Chapter in early 2016. They have successfully hosted two of the recent Africa Facilitation Conferences – in Nairobi in October 2106 and Mombasa in October 2018. They have also held regular Facilitator Dialogue events, which have enabled many facilitators in Kenya to network, share and learn from each other.
Currently, there are about 15 members in Kenya, many based in Nairobi and others in the Coastal region near Mombasa, who are also part of Pwani Facilitators Network (PFN), who were the co-hosts of the 2018 Mombasa Conference and the East Africa Facilitators Exchange which took place in Mombasa in October 2022.
For further information please contact:
Doreen Mutune – mutune.doreen@gmail.com
Mariam Okumu – mariamokumu@gmail.com
Mary Bada – mkyagawamary@gmail.com
Upcoming events:
Our activities
The IAF Kenya Chapter marked International Menstruation Day 2025 with a vibrant CSR event in Meru, empowering girls with disabilities through education, facilitation, and community support. With local partners and IAF volunteers, the team distributed dignity packs and sparked open, inclusive conversations on menstrual health—breaking barriers and making a real impact.
More info coming soon!
Nigeria
The Nigeria chapter was formed in early 2020 and formally recognised by the IAF Board in April 2020. Currently, the chapter has an active whatsapp group and is holding regular online meetings.
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Ajala – liziajala@gmail.com
Abdulrahaman Adebayo – aa.abdulrahaman@gmail.com
Previous Webinars:
Rwanda
The IAF Rwanda Chapter was established in 2016 and meets on a regular basis in Kigali.
IAF Rwanda has met recently at the end of December 2024 to plan their 2025 activities.
IAF Rwanda will be meeting quarterly during 2025. Contact us to learn more about our upcoming meetings.
Get Involved
Past Events
The chapter organised a series of capacity building sessions each month until the end of 2019 called “Exploring the Power of Facilitation.” The first of these took place on Saturday, 21 September, from 8 AM – 1 PM in Remera, Kigali.
A Planning Meeting was held on Sunday 3rd February 2019 during which it was agreed that the Chapter will be meeting on a monthly basis throughout 2019. The initial focus will be on registering the chapter locally in Rwanda and, after this, the sessions will be more about Capacity Building and Networking.
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Tanzania
The IAF Tanzania Chapter was formed during a meeting that took place at the Africa Facilitation Conference held in Arusha in November 2017 and was officially recognised as an IAF chapter in early 2018.
Members are located in several parts of the country and are currently meeting regularly online to engage in Capacity Development and other activities.
Further information please contact:
Dedi Mwita, Chapter Co-ordinator and Regional Director for Africa – dedimwita50@gmail.com
Togo
The Togo chapter has been meeting since early 2017 when it first met prior to the awarding of the Facilitation Impact Awards to Kofi Kumodzi.
Since then it has held regular meetings and was formalized as an IAF Chapter in 2018.
In November 2018, the Chapter also marked International Facilitation Week with a series of “open facilitation” sessions that were offered freely by members to companies and organisations in Togo, helping them to also experience “the power of facilitation”
Chapter lead: Barthelemy Atti
More info coming soon!
If there is no chapter in your location, please reach out to the Chapter and Membership Development Coordinator, John Cornwell.
Online sessions by IAF Africa
The Roles and Rewards of Chapters in IAF - The Heart of African Facilitation
Empowering Collaborations: Unleashing the Magic of Facilitation for Beginners
IAF Africa Memorial Page
In the Africa region, we have lost several great facilitators and members in recent years, people who have contributed greatly to the profession and to the development of IAF in their countries and across Africa.
We have developed this page to honour them and their contributions, we remember them all with great respect and humility. View our page here.
“Mozambique is at a stage where building capacity and knowledge is in demand to respond to the challenges for development. As such, I see an enormous opportunity for facilitation across the country. And that is my personal contribution. As a facilitator, I help a group of people go somewhere together, with a purpose.”
“Since the profession is still relatively new in Nigeria, there is a huge opportunity for an association that helps to create awareness for just what facilitation is or is not, and to set standards and promote ethics and best practices for facilitation.”
“Since the profession is still relatively new in Nigeria, there is a huge opportunity for an association that helps to create awareness for just what facilitation is or is not, and to set standards and promote ethics and best practices for facilitation.”