We are sharing this short guide to help ensure that everyone understands the new governance structure and is ready for the upcoming elections!

As you go through this guide, we recommend that you refer to the Governance PDF for a visual presentation of the governance structure and process. The updated elections schedule is also included in the file.

What are the elections for?

The elections are for the newly created Board of Directors. The Board appoints the head of the Executive Management, approves the Executive Management’s vision, plan and budget for their term at office and reviews their progress every 3 months.

The Board of Directors is therefore the primary body through which the management of Kakehashi Africa as a whole is kept accountable by the member base.

Can I vote?

Current or former ABE Initiative participants who have registered on the new member platform (www.kakehashiafrica.com) can vote.

Who can I vote for?

For now the Board will be constituted by a representative from each of Kakehashi Africa’s chapters, namely Japan, Northern Africa, Western Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa and Southern Africa. You can only vote for a candidate running for the position on the Board representing the chapter in which you are currently residing.

For example, if you are currently living in Japan (even if it’s only short-term), you can only vote for a candidate running for the position on the Board representing the Japan Chapter.

Which chapter do I belong to?

If you are uncertain about the chapter to which you belong, have a look at the Chapters and Branches Sheet. If you have accidentally chosen the wrong chapter at the time of your member registration, no problem! Please log-in to the member site, go to your profile and edit the field where you indicated your current chapter.

Please note, your profile will be audited on May 4 and 5 when we setup the electoral rolls for each chapter. During the audit we will check whether your country of residence and chapter corresponds and, if necessary, make a correction on your behalf.

When can I vote?

You can vote any time from Monday, May 6 at 00:00 Central African Time (CAT) to May 10at 23:59 Central African Time (CAT).

How/where can I vote?

Voting takes place online. The moment voting opens, you will receive an email with a link to the poll for your chapter. Click on the link, sign-in with your email and password (if you are not already signed-in), select your preferred candidate and cast your vote. Links to the polls will also be available on the Elections page.

Is my vote private and secure?

Yes. Voting is done through our new member platform’s polling mechanism which is serviced by Wild Apricot. Your vote is completely private. Not even the administrators of the platform have the ability to see who you voted for.

How can I learn more about the candidates?

In the poll you will see the names of the candidates running in your chapter. You can learn more about the candidates in the following ways:

(1) We will create a page linked to the Elections page where a motivation written by each candidate for his/her candidacy will be displayed.

(2) You can search for any given candidate in the Member Directory to view his/her profile.

(3) You can send a question to the candidate privately through the platform by clicking on the “Send message” button at the top of his/her profile next to his/her name.

(4) Some candidates may introduce themselves on the Free Discussion forum where you can view questions by other members and the candidate’s answers to them or post a question of your own which can be viewed by other members.

Can I run for the elections?

If you are not on the Electoral Commission (EC), the answer is yes. Read this post for more information. The deadline for applications is Friday, 3 May at 23:59 CAT.

Are there other ways to become involved?

Serving on the Board of Directors is not the only way to become more actively involved in Kakehashi Africa. As suggested in the Governance PDF, there are many positions in the management of Kakehashi Africa, both on local and executive level, that also need to be filled.

If you want to become involved on a local level, contact your branch manager. To know who is your branch manager, consult the Management page, search for his/her name in the Member Directory and send him a message through the button on his/her profile.

If you cannot find your branch manager or if a branch does not exist for your country yet, please contact your chapter coordinator. You can find the email addresses of the chapter coordinators on the Chapters and Branches sheet.

If you want to become involved in the Executive Management, be on the look out for our emails or posts on the News blog in which we will announce the openings and deadlines for applications. Check the schedule in the Governance PDF to know roughly when to expect these announcements.

How can I ask a question?

If you have more questions, great! Please submit your questions on the contact form. Your questions help us to improve our communication, so please do not hesitate.