Caritas Africa is endowed with the following organs:
- The Regional Conference;
- The Regional Chair;
- The Africa Regional Commission;
- The Executive Secretariat of Caritas Africa;
- The Zonal Coordination;
The Regional Conference
The Regional Conference, called the Pan-African Conference of Caritas, 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 Panafrican took place in Rome from 10 to 12 May 2015. The theme was: « Love of Christ urges us: Together in service to the poor.. »
The Regional Chair
In the course of the Panafrican in 2015, His Grace Archbishop Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye, Archbishop of Kumasi, Ghana, was elected President of Caritas Africa for four years from 2015 to 2019. His election was ratified during the General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis which was held also in Rome, from 12 to 18 May 2015. He was also elected Second Vice-President of Caritas Internationalis in the course of the General Assembly.
The Caritas Africa Regional Commission
The Regional Commission is the executive organ of Caritas Africa. 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 (Africa) and the Regional Secretary. The ARC meets twice yearly.
The zonal coordinators are, for the ACEAC Zone, Father Jean-Bosco Nintunze (Caritas Burundi); for the ACERAC Zone, Alain Robert Moukouri (Caritas Congo) ; for the AMECEA Zone, Dr Msgr Francis Ndamira (Caritas Uganda); for the CEDOI-M Zone, Ms Patricia Adèle-Félicité (Caritas Mauritius); for the IMBISA Zone, Ms Relebohile Mabote (Caritas Lesotho) and for the RECOWA-CERAO Zone, Father Alphonse Seck (Caritas Senegal). The Caritas Internationalis International Liaison Officer (Africa) is Msgr Pierre Cibambo.
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 Conference 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.
Albert Mashika from the Democratic Republic of Congo is the Executive Secretary of Caritas Africa. He was elected in the course of the Regional Conference in May 2015 He is assisted by two Desk Officers, Ms Margaret Mwaniki from Kenya and Emmanuel Mbuna Badjonga from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Béatrice Simtaya-Winga from Togo is the Administrative Secretary while Barnabé Kokou is in charge of the Accounts Department. Jacques Dinan, former Executive Secretary (June 2007-May 2015) is supporting the team with respect to external communications.
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 Conférences Episcopales d’Afrique Centrale), Caritas ACERAC Zone (Association des Conférences Episcopales de la Région de l’Afrique Centrale), Caritas AMECEA Zone (Association of Members of the Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa), Caritas CEDOI-M Zone (Conférences Episcopales Des îles de l’Océan 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 – Conférence Episcopale de la Région d’Afrique de l’Ouest).
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.