The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) extends its warmest congratulations to three outstanding leaders from our member organisations who have been elected to the prestigious IFEX Council(2026-2029):
- Lanre Arogundade – Executive Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Nigeria
- Ashnah Kalemera – Programme Manager, Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Uganda
- Ayaa Irene Lokang – Executive Director, Association for Media & Development in South Sudan (AMDISS), South Sudan (Elected to her second consecutive term)
These appointments mark a significant milestone, ensuring that African perspectives, challenges, and expertise remain central to the global struggle for human rights and freedom of expression.
The Vital Role of the IFEX Council
As the governing body of the world’s largest global network dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of expression, the IFEX Council serves as the vital steering force for international advocacy.
Council members are responsible for:
- Setting global strategic and policy directions for the Network
- Spearheading collaborative campaigns to protect journalists, combat digital censorship, and challenge impunity
- Enabling global solidarity and cross-regional resource sharing to defend civic spaces
What This Means for AFEX and the African Continent
At a time when civic space is shrinking and freedom of expression, press freedom, and digital rights across Africa face unprecedented challenges, having robust African representation on the Council is important. The election of these three distinguished advocates therefore brings a powerful, unified voice from the African continent to the highest level of global media-rights advocacy.
Their presence ensures that our region’s unique realities of offline and online freedom of expression and access to information directly shape global policy, fundraising, and advocacy priorities.
Meet the Elected Council Members
Lanre Arogundade (IPC, Nigeria): Lanre Arogundade is a veteran journalist, media specialist, and a titan of press freedom advocacy in West Africa. As Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos, Nigeria, he has spent decades championing journalists’ safety, professional media standards, and the right to information. His career spans roles as a courageous union leader during military dictatorship and as a media trainer for thousands. He brings a wealth of legal, safety, and operational advocacy experience to the Council.
Ashnah Kalemera (CIPESA, Uganda): Ashnah Kalemera is a leading advocate for digital rights and ICT policy across Eastern and Southern Africa. As Programme Manager at the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), she coordinates key regional projects focused on internet freedom, digital inclusion, and the use of technology in democratic processes. Her expertise in e-governance, digital surveillance, and bridging the digital divide for marginalised communities will be instrumental to the Council’s digital rights strategies.
Ayaa Irene Lokang (AMDISS, South Sudan) – Second Term: Returning for a well-deserved second term, Ayaa Irene Lokang is the Executive Director of the Association for Media & Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) and a co-founder of the Female Journalists Network (FJN). Recognised for her courage, Irene has worked relentlessly in highly challenging and restrictive environments to safeguard media independence, promote gender-sensitive journalism, and build the capacity of local reporters through the Media Development Institute (MDI). Her re-election to the Council is a testament to her impactful leadership and unwavering resilience.
AFEX is immensely proud of these leaders. We are confident that their collective expertise–spanning traditional media safety, digital rights, and gender-inclusive media development–will enrich the IFEX Council and drive forward the global fight for a free, safe, and open environment for all voices.
A salute to the outgoing AFEX members from the Council.
On the same footing as AFEX members who maintain a strong leadership presence within the global network, we salute our long-standing members as they exit the council. The two members are Dr Tabani Moyo, Regional Director, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and Mr Gilbert Sandugwa, Executive Director, Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) who served as Convenor and Council member, respectively, for their two consecutive terms.
We remain proud of their discharge of duty with distinction during their tenure on the Council, where they provided leadership at both continental and global levels, drawing on their ever-reliable and competitive mindset and experience.
As he closed the AGM today as the convenor of the meeting, Dr Tabani Moyo noted “… you, the members gathered here, you are essentially a part of the conscious army of advocates that have built a movement for freedom of expression and people-centred advocacy that has lasted for the past three decades and is still laying the groundwork for this outstanding network’s future development.”
He thanked the outgoing council members accordingly, “…fellow outgoing council members, you have been the nearest and brightest star to guide us on our way in the past two terms! With your experiences and the competitive new hands on the decks, we will not get lost!” remarked Dr Moyo.
At AFEX, we are proud of the leadership our members are demonstrating on the global stage by connecting the dots between conversations in the Global North and the Global South, and by ensuring that, as a network, we continue to defend expression in these complex times. We wish them a highly successful tenure as they continue to lead with courage and distinction. We wish the newly elected member success as they lead us in defense of expression into the future.
