The West African Civil Society Forum, WACSOF, has appointed Mr. Kop’ep Dabugat as the forum’s new General Secretary.
Kop’ep’s appointment was approved by the Executive Committee of WACSOF on 8th August 2023.
The committee, in a resolution taken at the meeting, said Mr. Kop’ep’s task is to reposition WACSOF into a dynamic organisation that can effectively achieve its mandate.
A statement by the organisation reeled out the credentials of Kop’ep, stating that he is a Nigerian citizen and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Strategic Studies from the University of Jos, Nigeria.
“He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Governance, Democratization and Public Policy from the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, The Netherlands. He has trained on several topics with relevance to advocacy around issues of regional integration and development as well as multi-stakeholder constructive engagement around social justice and development issues.
“An expert of the Civil Society/ Non-State Actors engagement, Kop’ep has supported the work of different civil society organizations in different capacities cutting across all levels of the African society – sub-national, national, regional and continental.
“He has had considerable experience in the design and deployment of frameworks and mechanisms for Civil Society coordination and constructive engagement with governments, international organizations, and sub-regional, regional and continental institutions in Africa,” WACSOF said.
It further stated that the new secretary general has represented civil society in several global and Africa-level committees, including the Leadership Council of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, NAFSN, from 2017 to 2019 and the Steering Committee of the Partnership for Aflatoxins Control in Africa, PACA, currently housed by the African Union from 2017 onwards.
Speaking further on the experience of Kop’ep, it said “beginning from 2012, he has been playing an important role in the Africa-wide civil society advocacy towards the effective implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) – Africa’s flagship policy framework for agriculture and food security. This directly led to the establishment of the CAADP Non-State Actors Coalition (CNC), which Kop’ep has led as its Coordinatorbeginning from 2016 until 2022 when he left to serve as pioneer Network Coordinator of the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS), and led the elaboration of its Year 2-3 operational and activities plans.
“The new Secretary General of WACSOF is very familiar with the Institution he has just been appointed to head, having served in different capacities within the organization’s ranks between 2011 and 2023. He is expected to bring into his new role a wealth of experience in civil society engagement and coordination gotten from a deeply engaging string of track-record, spanning over twelve years.
