Eyakuze to step down from Twaweza East Africa to join the Open Government Partnership
Twaweza East Africa announced today that Aidan Eyakuze will step down as Executive Director after a decade of visionary leadership to join the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Over the coming months, Eyakuze will collaborate closely with the Twaweza Board, Members and staff team to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
During his tenure, Eyakuze spearheaded transformative initiatives that empowered citizens and amplified their voices in governance. Under his leadership, Twaweza made significant strides in advancing its mission of fostering citizen-powered government, resulting in tangible impact across East Africa. Local and national governments responded positively to citizen priorities, and hundreds of thousands of children benefited from improved learning outcomes driven by more motivated teachers. He also contributed to strengthening civil society collaboration through such initiatives as the annual Civil Society Week in Tanzania, the People Dialogue Festival in Kenya and access to information efforts in Uganda.
Eyakuze’s influence extended beyond the region, raising Twaweza’s global profile. He served on the Steering Committee of the OGP and the boards of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) and the Open Contracting Partnership (OCP). Recognized globally for his contributions, Eyakuze was named one of the world’s 50 most influential people revolutionizing government by Apolitical and the World Economic Forum in 2021. Most recently, in 2023, he joined the expert team drafting Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050.
Reflecting on his decade-long journey, Eyakuze remarked, “It has been a profound honour to serve with Twaweza over the past ten years. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together – our staff, partners, and the citizens we serve – in demonstrating how government can work better for people. Twaweza’s critical work continues, and I have full confidence that the next Executive Director will build on this momentum to take the mission even further.”
Eyakuze will take up his new role at the OGP in mid-March. The search process for his successor will be launched shortly and be led by Board director and member Rebeca Gyumi and Twaweza founder and member Rakesh Rajani.
On behalf of Twaweza’s Board of Directors, Gyumi expressed her “profound gratitude for Eyakuze’s exceptional and visionary leadership during his tenure as Executive Director. His legacy of impactful leadership and contributions to civic space and open government will continue to resonate within the organization and beyond.”
On his part Rajani observed that “under Eyakuze’s leadership Twaweza has grown into a deeply respected organization known for its commitment to principle, integrity and creativity – all solid foundations to advance the work to achieve greater impact”.
