Godwin Murunga emerges CODESRIA 7th Executive Secretary

ITRealms:

Kenyan professor and historical political analyst, Dr Godwin Murunga has been named the new and 7^th Executive Secretary of Dakar-based Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), reports ITRealms.

Murunga, ITRealms reports, until his appointment teaches at the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Nairobi and would take over from the sixth Executive Secretary of CODESRIA, Dr Ebrima Sall, whose eight-year tenure ends this year.

ITRealms gathered that Murunga was the immediate past director of the Africa Leadership Centre in Nairobi, and was a member of the Executive Committee of CODESRIA for two consecutive terms (2005-2011). Thus, he brings to CODESRIA many years of robust scholarship as evidenced by the incisive analysis that characterized his numerous scholarly publications.

Additionally, he has valuable teaching and management experience and a deep knowledge of the higher education landscape in Africa. His appointment by the Executive Committee during its recent meeting in Accra brings to a close a long search and selection process in which a high level pan African Search Committee played a major role.

According to CODESRIA president, Professor Dzodzi Tsikata, the appointment of dr. Murunga would be the sixth transition that CODESRIA has successfully concluded in its 44-year history, stressing that Dr Murunga who would take over from Dr Ebrima Sall, after his second and last term as executive secretary is about to end.

He noted that in the eight years of Dr Sall’s tenure as executive secretary, CODESRIA extended the frontiers of social research in its research, training and publications programmes to cover issues such as higher education leadership; democratic governance of natural resources in the context of climate change; the gendered nature of fundamentalisms; security regimens; and how Africans are creating futures for the continent, among others.

“Over the past three years, CODESRIA has also devoted great attention to its own systems, processes, and engagements with its constituencies and stakeholders, particularly the policy communities, and carried out three thorough and comprehensive reviews of its governance, management, and intellectual agenda. Following the reviews, the Council amended its Charter, reconstituted its scientific committee, and developed a new strategic plan, together with a roadmap for the full implementation of reforms, all of which are aimed at making CODESRIA stronger and better positioned to continue to play its agenda setting role in the advancement of the social sciences and humanities in Africa,” he said.

As said by Prof. Tsikata, Dr Murunga is expected to work with the Executive and Scientific Committees of CODESRIA to continue the path-breaking work carried out by his predecessors that earned the Council the enviable position of best think tank of Africa, and one of the best in the world in development thinking, impact on public policy, and other areas in the 2016 GoTo Global Think Tanks Report.

Tsikata further said that in appointing him to the high office of CODESRIA Executive Secretary, the Executive Committee considered Dr. Murunga uniquely qualified for the position given his in-depth knowledge of CODESRIA, a track record of robust scholarship and exemplary leadership, and his strong and clear vision for CODESRIA’s future.

“It is therefore our expectation that he will bring his immense gifts to the service of the organisation to ensure that CODESRIA grows from strength to strength,” the president enthused.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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