Conference Report

Embrace digital facilitation to remain relevant and trending

By Vivian Agaba

 

The just concluded 11th International Association of Facilitators (IAF) Africa conference was a buzz of activities. 

Kampala-Uganda, the beautiful Pearl of Africa, was honoured to host the three-day conference from 23rd -25th September 2024.  

To add icing on the cake, the Uganda chapter was thrilled to have been selected to host the conference in the same year the association celebrates its 30th anniversary of global existence. 

Read full report here. 

Read full report here. 

 

Meet our Conference Leadership Team!

 

We would like to thank Judith and Caleb for leading our Conference Team. We appreciate all their efforts!

 

Overview

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.

Africa Region Strategic Priorities 

1. Deliver member value: Understand and be responsive to member needs in Africa; Create and capture member value.
2. Enable growth: Share resources for professional development; Grow professionally through learning; Share opportunities among members.
3. Increase engagement: Increase the level of  membership engagement; Increase visibility of regional, chapter and global events.
4. 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.
5. Build IAF Africa: Develop a solid, structured, credible & supportive Africa Leadership Team; Support the development of vibrant chapters throughout the region; Promote collaboration.

For more information about the region, please contact our Regional Director, Dedi Mwita, through rep.africa@iaf-world.org.

About IAF in Africa

Please read more information about IAF in Africa in:

English

English

Français

Français

Kiswahili

Kiswahili

Português

Português

Participants during the Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, 2016

Facilitation in Africa

What does facilitation look like in Africa?  There is no simple answer to this question; facilitation approaches and experiences are as broad and diverse as the continent itself. 

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.

"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."  - Edson Correia, IAF member and CPF in Maputo, Mozambique

"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." - Kate Onyeanakwe, IAF member based in Abuja, Nigeria

"In Togo, and much of francophone West Africa, facilitation is not very well defined. Many people confuse facilitation and training. That makes it challenging for facilitators to remain detached and out of the content, while their clients want them to be experts on the subject matter. Communication, awareness, and even training of key stakeholders is critical if we want to make the profession move effective in our region." - Kofi Kumodzi, IAF member and CPF based in Lome, Togo

Conferences in the Africa Region

• Uganda, 2024 

  Uganda, 2024 

• Ethiopia, 2023

  Ethiopia, 2023
• Lome, Togo (2019) English / French

• Mombasa, Kenya (2018)

  Mombasa, Kenya (2018)

• Arusha, Tanzania (2017)

  Arusha, Tanzania (2017)

• Nairobi, Kenya (2016)

  Nairobi, Kenya (2016)

There were also four Conferences, which took place in South Africa, between 2005 - 09

In late 2019, the region decided that it would in future be organising more sub-regional and national Conferences. This is in recognition of the enormous costs of travel within the Africa region, which makes it hard for people to move from one sub-region to another. All Conference, however, will always be open to any Facilitator anywhere in the world who is interested to participate.