LESOTHO ELECTED MEMBER OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF AOA

The Ombudsman of Lesotho, Mr. Sekara Mafisa says as a  member of the Executive Committee of the  African Ombudsman Association (AOA), Lesotho would be responsible for the Southern African Region, by working together with other ombudsman offices in the region to establish good governance in Africa, "especially to eradicate the spectre of bloody conflicts that currently haunt the African continent."

Mr. Mafisa was commenting on the election of Lesotho to the Executive Committee of the newly established African Ombudsman Association (AOA), the association that was officially launched in July 2003 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Mr. Mafisa explained that some of the benefits that Lesotho would get as a member of AOA include the exchange of experiences with other African countries that are members of the association. "As an association, we are a family and we would be able to learn from one another and share our different experiences as  African ombudsman offices." He added.

The Ombudsman said that AOA as a new association recommends that all African governments be encouraged to take necessary steps to ensure that every ombudsman office is established as an independent and autonomous institution, enshrined in the Constitution or an organic law. The association has also recommended the establishment of an Ombudsman at the level of the new African Union (AU), in line with the experience of similar international and regional bodies. The AOA has a membership of about 20 countries from all over the continent. 

21 August 2003