The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has announced the appointment of prominent civil rights advocate, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, as the new Chairman of its Advisory Board. His emergence follows a board election held over the weekend.
The organisation described Rafsanjani’s appointment as a renewed mandate to strengthen its defence of public interest, resources, and democratic space across Nigeria and Africa.
Rafsanjani, who also serves as Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Head of Transparency International in Nigeria, chairs the Board of Trustees of Amnesty International Nigeria, leads the Zero Corruption Coalition, and co-convenes the Say No Campaign.
He is a founding member of the Transition Monitoring Group and a former Sub-Saharan Africa representative on the Coordination Committee of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Civil Society Coalition.
With more than three decades of civil society work, he has been at the forefront of extractive transparency, human rights, and anti-corruption reforms across West Africa.
In a statement, CAPPA expressed confidence that Rafsanjani’s wealth of experience in policy advocacy and anti-corruption efforts will further strengthen its work on the continent.
It said his leadership comes at a critical time when civic space is shrinking, public resources are being commercialised, and communities face economic exclusion and environmental threats.
The new Advisory Board includes Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director and Board Secretary; Evelyn Nkanga Bassey, Treasurer; Scott Pegg; Kayode Ogunbunmi; Betty Abah; and Doifie Buokoribo. The members collectively bring broad expertise in policy advocacy, human rights, environmental activism, and community defence.
Speaking after his election, Rafsanjani pledged to position CAPPA more firmly as a fearless defender of public good. He said the organisation will prioritise public health advocacy, environmental protection, extractive justice, and the defence of democratic and social rights.
Meanwhile, the board cautioned the Federal Government against the unchecked expansion of the country’s mining sector, warning that the global rush for “green minerals” such as lithium could expose communities to new forms of exploitation.
While noting government’s celebration of the sector’s growth — from less than 0.5 per cent to 4.6 per cent of GDP in a decade — CAPPA warned that this development is being accompanied by land grabs, forced displacement, and environmental degradation in host communities.
The organisation cautioned that Nigeria risks “repeating the tragedy of the Niger Delta” if extractive expansion continues without adequate safeguards. It urged the government to ensure strict regulation, transparent governance, and community consent, stressing that “there can be no just transition if communities do not share in its gains.”
CAPPA called for a people-centred resource framework that values land, water, culture, and livelihoods beyond their commercial worth.
It also reaffirmed its commitment to working with labour movements, grassroots groups, women’s and youth organisations, and community defenders across Africa to advance public accountability and inclusive development.
