Welcome to Section on African Public Administration!
Gedeon M. MUDACUMURA, Ph.D.
Chair(2026-2029)
gmudacumura@iarcpa.org
MESSAGE OF THE CHAIR
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Building on a Strong Foundation—Reclaiming Origins, Shaping the Future
It is with deep gratitude and a profound sense of responsibility that I assume the role of Chair of the Section on African Public Administration (SAPA) within the American Society for Public Administration.
At the outset, I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to our immediate past Chair for his exemplary leadership over two successful terms. Under his stewardship, SAPA experienced
remarkable growth in both membership and visibility, establishing itself as a vibrant and emerging voice within ASPA. His dedication, vision, and tireless efforts have laid a strong and enduring foundation upon which we now build.
As we look ahead, SAPA enters a new phase—one defined not only by growth, but by purpose. Our guiding vision is both ambitious and necessary: to contribute to a broader and more inclusive understanding of public administration by reclaiming its global origins. If Africa is indeed the cradle of humanity, then it must also be recognized as an essential part of the intellectual and historical foundations of governance and administrative practice.
In this spirit, I am pleased to welcome our newly elected and appointed Board members, as well as our Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs. Your willingness to serve at this pivotal moment is both timely and deeply appreciated. The work ahead requires not only commitment, but collective resolve—and I am confident that this leadership team is well prepared for the task.
Our immediate priority is clear and strategic: to advance the establishment of the African Origins of Public Administration Review (AOPAR) as a scholarly and institutional platform
dedicated to expanding the field’s intellectual horizons. Central to this effort will be the landmark international conference scheduled for June 2027 at the University of Cape Town.
This gathering will bring together invited African scholars and practitioners to engage in a critical and forward-looking discourse on the origins, evolution, and future of public administration. It will serve not only as a forum for scholarly exchange but also as the formal launch of AOPAR as a sustained intellectual initiative.
A key outcome of this conference will be the publication of an edited volume—AOPAR’s first major scholarly contribution—featuring selected papers that reflect the depth, diversity, and rigor of the conversations initiated in Cape Town. This volume will mark an important step toward repositioning the field within a truly global and historically grounded framework.
As we embark on this journey, we do so with clarity of purpose and unity of vision. SAPA stands at a unique intersection—where scholarship, practice, and history converge. The work before
us is not merely academic; it is foundational.
Together, we will build on what has been achieved, broaden our understanding, and contribute meaningfully to shaping the future of public administration.
Gedeon M. Mudacumura, Ph.D.
Chair, Section on African Public Administration (SAPA)
American Society for Public Administration
“To understand where we must go, we must first understand where we began.”
Rym KAKI, Ph.D.
Chair(2019-2021; 2021-2026)
rym@usc.edu
MESSAGE OF THE CHAIR
(2019-2026)
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It is with honor and immense pleasure that I accept to lead ASPA’s Section on African Public Administration (SAPA) for a second term extended till April 2025. I take the renewed vote of confidence as both an honor and a responsibility to carry out the section’s mission of advancing the art and science of public administration systems on the African continent. Since its inception in December 2018, the founding members made a pledge to create a distinct forum led by a dedicated circle of Diaspora, American and global scholars, and practitioners with a shared goal of exploring the 54 African countries’ most pressing public and nonprofit sector governance, management and leadership challenges.
pondering pressing matters facing African public administration Diaspora and US public administration scholars in status to one that and to introduce SAPA new Executive Team and Advisory Board. As I reflect on the past six years accomplishments, I cannot help but rejoice over our collective milestones making 2023 a memorable year for us all. SAPA members and affiliates continue to shine both under the auspices of ASPA annual conferences framework, as well as on the continental stage, where we held SAPA’s inaugural Africa-based conference in Cairo, Egypt, hosted by our local partner, the American University of Cairo’s Department of Public Policy and Administration, debating hot-button sustainable development priorities confronting African PA and publics, and forging new collaborative partnerships with counterparts in Africa. The Cairo conference, The Localization of African Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges and Opportunities for Public Administration Systems, brought together prominent keynote speakers from Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, the Secretary General of the African Association of Public Administration (AAPAM) the former Head of the United Nation’s DESA, the Director of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences, alongside seasoned and emergent scholars and practitioners. They deliberated Africa’s sustainable development agenda amidst post-pandemic turbulence.
SAPA’s annual symposia since 2018 and the 2023 inaugural continental conference provided a diverse and inclusive platform for SAPA scholars and their counterparts around the globe to compare experiences and deepen relationships.
A big shout-out to the respective editorial boards of SAPA and the African Journal of Public Administration and Management (AJPAM) for maintaining a fruitful collaboration over joint publications. A third guest edition spurred by the 2023 continental conference followed by the 2024 symposium on resilience-building in the African context is in the pipeline. A special thank you goes to our main continental partner, APPAM, for their unwavering support to SAPA, to the University of North Texas at Dallas for their continued sponsorship of SAPA symposia, and to ASPA leadership for their endorsement. The section stands a steady growth rate doubling up in membership over the span of 5 years.
As we together celebrate these accomplishments and look ahead, I’m conveying deep gratitude to SAPA members at large, the Advisory Board, the Executive Team, and the partners both at home and on the continent, all of whom embody the SAPA spirit of ubuntu. Here’s to SAPA’s future productive national symposia and transcontinental conferences as they advance the art and science of public administration on the African continent and the World over.
Stay tuned for more information on SAPA 2025 Symposium in Washington D.C. on the topic of: Keeping African Public Servants in Public Service — Unleashing the Power of People and Technology on The African Continent
Sincerely,
Rym KAKI, Ph.D.