Members of the African Ombudsmen and Mediators Association (AOMA) held the 30th Executive Committee Meeting in Luanda, Angola on 24th April,2025 to discuss various matters of the Organization. The morning session was a lecture on past, present and future of AOMA by Professor Victor Ayeni.

In her message, the AOMA President and Ombudsman of Angola, Florbela Rocha Araújo, acknowledged the challenges and achievements of the organization, and encouraged members to contribute their resources so that the Association can reach greater heights.

AOMA Secretary General and Ombudsman of the Republic of Zambia, the Hon. Caroline Sokoni, stressed the need for greater unity among members in order to maintain the cohesion of the Association.

In delivering the opening speech of this meeting, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Angola Esmeralda Bravo Conde da Silva Mendonça, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, reaffirmed the commitment and support of the Angolan State to the Organizations of which Angola is a member.

Regarding the meeting, whose agenda was approved with amendments, the members were informed of the activity reports of the President of AOMA, the report of the President of the African Ombudsmen Research Center, the financial aspects of AOMA for the last year.

It was recommended that the Regional Coordinators’ reports be submitted in advance, to allow for detailed consideration and analysis of the documents.

The meeting set a deadline of 20th of May for members to express their views on the proposal to revise the current AOMA Constitution, which would be analysed in the first week of June. Another proposal that also followed the same deadline was the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding with the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Hon. Bashir Abubakar, MFR, the Nigerian Ombudsman also proposed in the meeting for a global uniform of identity for Ombudsman institution. As has been the practice of Associations globally, he said a unified identification ( flag, logo, motto/ slogan) is always expected to strengthen mutual cooperation among member Nations. He opined that organizational symbol are the visible and observable aspects of an organisation that take an important meanings base on the organisation’s cultural and social convention and interaction. He explained that symbols help to express organisation identity, communicates what the organisation stands for, create a sense of meaning and purpose, reinforce organisation culture, inspire , motivate and communicate to stakeholders. The president noted this proposal for further deliberation in the next meeting.
He also informed the meeting of the 50th anniversary of the Commission on 15th and 16th December, 2025.

Another proposal that would merit contributions was the expression of interest in holding the General Assembly, with the appropriate terms of reference. In the end, it was recommended that the resolution be presented by 25 April,2025. The Executive Committee was attended by the Ombudsman of Zambia, África do Sul, Tanzania, Representatives of Uganda, Mauritius, Benin, Nigeria, Botswana and Malawi.