GOLDA AFIDEGNON
Accra
Summary
A highly motivated and results-oriented professional with fourteen years of experience in peacebuilding. Demonstrated proficiency in advocacy, strategic communication, and stakeholder engagement, with a proven track record of effectively collaborating with government institutions, non-governmental organisations, and donors. Skilled in team-based and self-directed capacities, with a strong ability to drive policy change and support peacebuilding initiatives across West Africa.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Head of Communications, Advocacy and Capacity Building
West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) Regional
Accra
02.2021 - Current
- Design and implement effective advocacy, influence and communication strategies to enhance WANEP’s visibility and impact
- Oversee social media accounts, creating engaging content to drive audience interaction
- Draft and edit technical narrative reports on programme activities, including quarterly and annual reports
- Prepare and publish press releases, ensuring accurate and timely dissemination of information
- Write scripts for documentaries and video productions, highlighting key programme outcomes
- Served as Communication Lead for a West African Research project in collaboration with the UNDP Africa Borderlands Centre
- Provide research support, contributing to evidence-based advocacy and policy recommendations
- Coordinate the development of policy briefs and other influence briefs to support Intergovernmental Organisations especially, AU and ECOWAS in line with its MoU with WANEP
- Coordinate WANEP peace and security briefings to AU, ECOWAS and other strategic partners
- Ensure gender mainstreaming and inclusivity in all WANEP policy and practice documents
- Manage WANEP media and government relations.
Freelance Linguist
09.2009 - 01.2020
- Translate and proofread various types of documents (from French to English and vice versa)
- Provide interpretation services for high-level individuals, both in-person and over the telephone
- Transcribe French audio into text, ensuring accuracy and clarity.
Communications Specialist
USAID/ Partnerships for Peace (P4P) Project
Accra
03.2018 - 03.2019
- Coordinate weekly briefings on violent extremism and other emerging peace and security issues, providing content used in reports presented to the US Congress
- Reviewed and edited policy papers from six countries across West Africa, ensuring consistency and brevity
- Prepared communications for Ministers and other high-level events selecting appropriate media for dissemination
- Developed and managed communication materials promoting them on the web and periodical channels
- Coordinated with government agencies, G5 Sahel and community groups to build alliances and drive policy change
- Promoted organisational growth by recommending relevant strategies based on analysis of participant feedback analysis.
Project Team Associate & Field Office Coordinator
USAID/ West Africa Evaluation and Analytical Services (EAS) Project
Accra
04.2013 - 11.2017
- Coordinated Annual Lessons Learned Conferences – providing comparative analysis that informed future project planning
- Coordinated regional-level capacity-building training workshops, supporting project implementation across West Africa
- Provided operational and research support for evaluation projects and impact assessments
- Managed financial tasks including preparing monthly expense reports, and bank reconciliation statements
- Coordinated the yearly workplans and project reports, enhancing project efficiency and ensuring timelines were respected.
Peacebuilding and Gender Specialist
African Women’s Active Nonviolence Initiatives for Social Change (AWANICh)
Accra
05.2011 - 04.2013
- Participated in the development of an advocacy strategy for the development of UNSCR 1325 in Ghana and two other West African Countries
- Advocated for and supported women-led peace initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality through active nonviolence and transforming societies for peace
- Coordinated and managed very high-level meetings, ensuring smooth execution
- Managed all correspondence in French with AWANICh networks and other stakeholders
- Managed and provided content for the AWANICh website in both French and English
- Coordinated the development of AWANICh's Strategic Plan.
Regional Food Security Campaign Coordinator
Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in West Africa (FECCIWA)
Lomé
08.2010 - 04.2011
- Developed, implemented, and reviewed advocacy strategies at national and regional levels
- Led the “Food Security and Poverty Reduction Campaign” aimed at improving food security in West Africa
- Created compelling advocacy materials including presentations, to support campaign implementation
- Coordinated campaign activities across French and English-speaking countries in West Africa
- Monitored and evaluated advocacy initiatives, adjusting strategies as needed
- Engaged with stakeholders, including ECOWAS to advocate for policy reforms
- Developed and maintained an influence and stakeholders mapping, ensuring the disaggregation of partners, clients and key stakeholders in order of their spheres of influence.
Education
MA - Conflict, Peace and Security -
Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPTC)
Accra, Ghana12-2018
Certificate – Theories And Practice of Peacebuilding & Gender Mainstreaming into Peacebuilding -
West Africa Peacebuilding Institute (WAPI)
Accra, Ghana09-2011
Advanced Diploma - Sales & Marketing Management -
London Centre of Marketing (LCM), Zane Investments
Accra, Ghana12-2010
BA- Combined Major Political Science & French -
University of Ghana, Legon
Ghana05-2006
Skills
- Strong Advocacy and Practice and Policy Influencing skills
- Proficient in oral and written communication
- Fluent in English and French, and conversational in German
- Strong research abilities
- Skilled in strategic and community mobilisation, and campaign development
- Adept at stakeholder engagement and partnership building
Research publications supported
- 2022 - Promise, Peril and Resilience: Voices of Agropastoralists in Africa’s Borderland Regions
- 2021 - Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Human Security in the ECOWAS Region
- 2014 - USAID/ EAS Assessment of the Risk of Violent Extremism in Niger
Timeline
Head of Communications, Advocacy and Capacity Building
West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) Regional
02.2021 - Current
Communications Specialist
USAID/ Partnerships for Peace (P4P) Project
03.2018 - 03.2019
Project Team Associate & Field Office Coordinator
USAID/ West Africa Evaluation and Analytical Services (EAS) Project
04.2013 - 11.2017
Peacebuilding and Gender Specialist
African Women’s Active Nonviolence Initiatives for Social Change (AWANICh)
05.2011 - 04.2013
Regional Food Security Campaign Coordinator
Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in West Africa (FECCIWA)
08.2010 - 04.2011
Freelance Linguist
09.2009 - 01.2020
MA - Conflict, Peace and Security -
Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPTC)
Certificate – Theories And Practice of Peacebuilding & Gender Mainstreaming into Peacebuilding -
West Africa Peacebuilding Institute (WAPI)
Advanced Diploma - Sales & Marketing Management -
London Centre of Marketing (LCM), Zane Investments
BA- Combined Major Political Science & French -
University of Ghana, Legon
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