As members of PANAFSTRAG, we have all decided to take up the important challenges that Africa and Africans including those of African descent face.
We have decided to prove that:
a. We can institutionalize a think-tank for Africa by Africans everywhere in the world for creating afrocentric ideas that can work and for Afro centering universal ideas to make them work for the African people. In short, we must resolve to make PANAFSTRAG, the strongest and the best AFRO-CENTRIC institution in the world.
b. We can develop new concepts and frameworks for Africa, experiment with these new concepts and continue to make homegrown ideas work for our people. In doing this, we must build on the cumulative traditional knowledge and capacity and the formidable intellectual force of Africans in Diaspora.
c. We can reduce our near total dependence on donors by regular annual contributions to your chapters and to the International body. In doing this, individuals who are priviledged can cover own costs for PANAFSTRAG activities and come together to sponsor PANAFSTRAG ROUNDTABLES, MEETINGS and SEMINARS. AFRO-CENTRIC Organizations and Foundations can sponsor PROJECTS, CONFERENCES and EXCHANGES that can impact on African people worldwide.
d. Enable Africans and black people worldwide come together to use their intellectual and material resources to build Africa through a non-governmental PANAFRICAN platform for all Africans worldwide to make Africa investment attractive, stable and prosperous. We can help to keep our future generations in Africa and attract those in Diaspora to have a HOME BASE.
e. We can take black people out of the slums worldwide and give blacks self-esteem and respect.
INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS
PANAFSTRAG expects every member to be creative and innovative by contributing ideas and concepts through projects that can institutionalize PANAFSTRAG through the impact these Projects have on our African people in Africa.
PANAFSTRAG can provide a platform for exchange of students, professors, and sabbaticals between Africa, Europe, America and Asia.
In short, ideas and knowledge contributions are the priorities of PANAFSTRAG.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The President and Members of the International Board contributes USD250 (Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars) each, apart from the contributions to their national chapters.
All other members are to contribute to their chapters, which fixes these contributions. At the same time, each member has to contribute a minimum of USD30 to PANAFSTRAG-Secretariat in Lagos. Priviledged members can contribute more if they so wish.
ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
PANAFSTRAG has a Governing Board that is also the Management Board with a President, a Vice-President who is also the Chair of the Research Committee and 9 other members who represent the 4 sub-regions of Africa (less North Africa) and language groups English, French and Portuguese.
There are three committees of the Board. They are:
a. The Early Response Committee, which is responsible for strategizing and responding to African crises and conflicts as the need arises and if resources are available. Gen. A. A. Abubakar-former Head of State of Nigeria and the President of PANAFSTRAG is the Chair.
b. The Research Committee, which has the Vice-President as the Chair is responsible for collecting ideas, proposals and projects and developing new ones (if need be) for submission for funding.
c. The Finance Committee has a designated member as the Chair. This committee searches for and raises funds for projects and activities. The committee oversees all financial activities.
d. The Economic Committee was created at the meeting of the Board in Maputo in April 2003. It is responsible for liaising with Business organizations and bodies in Africa and the Diaspora. It will liaise especially with African Business Roundtable (ABR), the African Development Bank (ADB) and the African Capacity Building Fund (ACBF). The members of the committee are yet to be named. Mrs. Catharine Nwanawamba was nominated as the interim Chair.
The Secretariat is run by the Executive Secretary who is also the Secretary to the Board. He has 2 programme officers representing each language group, an administrative and logistics staff.
The funds for running the Secretariat and other activities so far have been borne by the President, Executive Secretary and some members. The President has also covered the costs of 4 Board Meetings, 2 Research Committee Meetings, 2 Roundtables and the on-going project of establishing a Professional Diploma Training Programme at the College of Education in Minna, Nigeria. He has spent nearly USD1500,000 so far. The audited account is going to be ready by February 2005.
He has also put at our disposal his farmhouse with all modern facilities for meetings, retreats, roundtables and writing of reports.
You can assist the Finance Committee in looking into other areas of core funding.
NATIONAL CHAPTERS
Each chapter has a similar committee especially the Research and Early Response Committees. They are autonomous and they can come together to form a regional group, e.g. PANAFSTRAG-EAST AFRICA. PANAFSTRAG membership is open to ALL AFRICANS and ALL PEOPLES OF AFRICAN ORIGIN living in the countries with Chapters.
Each chapter fixes the annual contribution for its members but each member is obliged to make additional annual contribution of USD30 to the Secretariat.
Each chapter develops its own projects and raises funds for them with information to the Secretariat only. However, each chapter must submit biennial report with funds raised and Audited Account to the Secretariat.
All regional projects are coordinated by PANAFSTRAG-Secretariat or designated coordinating chapters. PANAFSTRAG chapters are encouraged to work very closely with NGO coalitions in their various countries.
BIENNIAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
PANAFSTRAG holds its General Assembly every two years. The next General Assembly is designated for Addis Ababa in the first week of December 2005. It is also an election year. Each region can nominate candidates that have the ideas, the commitment and the means to participate in PANAFSTRAG activities at own costs.
The positions are President, Vice-President (Chair of Research Committee), the Treasurer, the Legal Adviser and 7 other members excluding the Executive Secretary who is appointed by the Board. As from 2004, there will be representatives from the DIASPORA i.e. USA, CANADA, BRAZIL, LATIN & CENTRAL AMERICA, THE CARRIBEAN, EUROPE, NETHERLANDS, CARRIBEAN.
CONCLUSION
If PANAFSTRAG is going to be respected and institutionalized, members must:
