Nick Branson bows out of the Africa Liberal Network top post

| Friday March 22, 2013 00:00

Ammie, a South Africa national, takes over from Nick Branson who bows out on March 31st 2013.Following his graduation from Center for International Studies and Democracy, Nick Branson has delivered projects for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), helping to increase the capacity of political parties across Africa in the Africa Liberal Network.

He has been overseeing the Liberal Democrats' WFD programme in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as supporting the Secretariat of the Africa Liberal Network, which includes close to 35 liberal parties from across the continent. He has gained experience of designing and managing technical assistance projects in Senegal, C™te d'Ivoire, DRC, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana. His work has focused on improving the policy development, strategic communications and campaigning technique of political parties, as well as increasing women's participation, promoting voter education, and training partisan election observers so as to ensure that democratic processes are respected.

In Botswana he has worked with the Botswana Movement for Democracy to develop a competency framework for leaders; planning, organising and managing campaign; developing messages in a political environment as well as sending though experts of different kinds to support needs of the BMD and its partners.As a result of his experience in democratisation and good governance in fragile states, Branson was recruited by the UK Government's Stabilisation Unit as a Deployable Civilian Expert. He has thus received advanced training in conflict analysis, peacebuilding, statebuilding and stabilisation, and worked with colleagues from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence to develop stabilisation programmes designed to reduce violence, protect civilians and institutions, promote political dialogue, and prepare the population for longer-term non-violent politics and development. Branson is probably taking an opportunity to in a post-conflict environment to utilise his expertise.

Gomolemo Motswaledi, President of the Botswana Movement for Democracy, who is also Vice President of the Africa Liberal Network describes Branson as having demonstrated 'dedicated service, professionalism, good leadership and management of projects of the network, a convivial personality and studious attention to detail in his administrative and political service as Africa Liberal Network Coordinator'. He continues to suggest that, 'Nick Branson's profound sense of initiative and effective networking with strategic partners of the network as well as his ability to connect with all of us, French and English speaking members, is a personal monument that he carved for himself within the hearts of all of us in the network.  For all that, we are grateful and wish him well in a long life, good health and prosperity.' 

Gomolemo Motswaledi will on March 25th attend a valedictory ceremony in Capetown, the headquarters of the Africa Liberal Network. The ceremony is hosted by the Frederick Nauman Foundation for Freedom which supports and sponsors ALN activities together with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. He will grace the event with a speech on behalf of the entire Africa Liberal Network family.