Caritas Africa has the following organs
- The Regional General Assembly;
- The Regional Presidency;
- The Africa Regional Commission;
- The Regional Executive Secretariat of Caritas Africa;
- The Zonal Coordination;
The Regional General Assembly
The Regional General Assembly, is the meeting that gathers the representatives of all the member organisations of Caritas Africa. It is the supreme body of Caritas Africa and it is normally held every four years. The last Regional General Assembly took place in Rome from 07 to 10 May 2023. The theme was: ââBuilding together resilient communities in Africaââ
The Regional Presidency
In the course of the Regional General Assembly in 2023, Monsignor Pierre Cibambo Ntakobajira was elected President of Caritas Africa for four years from 2023 to 2027. His election was ratified during the General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis which was held also in Rome, from 11 to 16 May 2023.
The Caritas Africa Regional Commission
The Regional Commission for Africa is the governing body of Caritas Africa between the Regional General Assemblies. The members of the Commission are the Regional President who presides over the meetings of the Commission, the Zone Coordinators, the Caritas Internationalis International Liaison Officer, and the Regional Secretary. The CRA meets twice a year.
The zonal coordinators are, for the ACEAC Zone, Father Oscar KAGIMBURA (Caritas Rwanda); for the ACERAC Zone, Fr. Barthélémy Arnaud Géraldin NKOA OWONO (Caritas Cameroon); for the AMECEA Zone, Mrs. Chimwemwe NDHLOVU (Caritas Malawi); for the CEDOI-M Zone, Mr. Ibrahim SAID (Caritas Comoros); for the IMBISA Zone, Mr. Santos GOTINE (Caritas Mozambique) and for the RECOWA-CERAO Zone, Mr. Aloysius KAMARA (Caritas Sierra Leone). The representative of Caritas Internationalis is Ms. Moira MONACELLI.
The Executive Secretariat of Caritas Africa
The Regional Secretariat, the executive organ of the Region, is composed of the Regional Secretary and the staff necessary for carrying out the decisions of the Regional General Assembly and the Regional Commission. The main function of the Regional Secretariat, under the direction of the Regional Secretary, is to carry out any work that may be entrusted to it by the Regional Conference and the Regional Commission.
Ms. Lucy Esipila from Kenya is the Regional Executive Secretary of Caritas Africa. She was elected during the last Regional General Assembly held in Rome from 07 to 10 May 2023. She is assisted by the members of her staff.
The Zonal Coordination
In order to achieve a true cooperation between Churches, Caritas Africa is subdivided into zones which correspond to the territories of the Regional Associations of Episcopal Conferences. Thus, Caritas Africa comprises: Caritas ACEAC Zone (Association des ConfĂ©rences Episcopales dâAfrique Centrale), Caritas ACEAC Zone (Association des ConfĂ©rences Episcopales dâAfrique Centrale), Caritas ACERAC Zone (Association des ConfĂ©rences Episcopales de la RĂ©gion de lâAfrique Centrale), Caritas AMECEA Zone (Association of Members of the Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa), Caritas CEDOI-M Zone (ConfĂ©rences Episcopales Des Ăźles de lâOcĂ©an Indien et de Madagascar) and Caritas IMBISA Zone (Inter-regional Meeting of Bishops In Southern Africa) and Caritas RECOWA-CERAO Zone (Regional Episcopal Conference of Western Africa â ConfĂ©rence Episcopale de la RĂ©gion dâAfrique de lâOuest).
The dynamics of the zone are guaranteed by a zone coordinator chosen by the member organisations of the zone. The zone coordinators work in close collaboration with the Regional Secretariat to carry out the regional work plan and to guarantee the tasks of responding to emergencies, advocacy, organisational reinforcement, communication and exchange.