A New Chapter: Welcoming Our New Director and Celebrating Our Journey

It has been six years since the original youth climate council voted on the name African Climate Alliance with the vision to create youth networks for climate justice across Africa. Since then, the organisation formalised, grew and continued to work towards this vision. 2025 has seen this begin to materialise in more tangible ways than ever before. 

As we embark on this new phase of expanding our solidarity and deepening our work, we're excited to share some important updates about our leadership. 

Welcoming Our New Director

We're thrilled to announce that Celiwe Shivambu will be joining African Climate Alliance as our new Director. Celiwe brings years of experience in the non-profit sector including with campaigns, policy and multilateral spaces. During this time, she has been in a number of leadership roles including as a project lead of the national youth climate action plan and board membership at Amnesty International. Importantly she also served on African Climate Alliance’s own board for the last two years during which she has provided much sound leadership and guidance. Her vision aligns with our plans and we're confident she will provide the strategic leadership needed as we enter this exciting new chapter.

Evolving Our Governance Model

With this new role and as part of our commitment to continuous improvement and organisational learning, we are transitioning from our Management Circle model back to a Director-led structure. This shift reflects our ongoing dedication to finding governance approaches that best serve our mission and values. The Management Circle has been an invaluable trial in shared leadership, teaching us important lessons about collaborative decision-making that we'll carry forward. Our new structure maintains the collaborative spirit and shared governance principles we've developed, while providing the focused leadership needed for our expanded and deepened work into more regions. 

Honoring Contributions from our Co-Leadership Team 

This transition also marks a significant moment as we celebrate the incredible contributions of our co-leadership team. Mitchelle Mhaka will be remaining with African Climate Alliance in a specialised role, leading our broader regional strategy. Their deep understanding of our work and strategic vision makes them perfectly positioned to guide this crucial initiative.

After six years of dedicated service and leadership, Sarah Robyn Farrell will be stepping away from African Climate Alliance to pursue creative projects she has long been passionate about. Her departure marks the end of an era, but we're excited to support her as she continues on her journey. Her foundational work at ACA has played a big part in shaping who we are today, and while we'll miss her daily presence, we know her creative pursuits will continue to contribute to the broader movement for change we're all part of.

Looking Ahead

We're committed to being an organisational model that aligns with the change we call for in the world. This means embracing evolution in our structures when it serves our greater purpose.

Our governance principles remain unchanged: we continue to employ a socialist wage gap model, maintain full financial transparency, and draw from sociocratic elements including decentralization and ensuring every team member's input is valued in organizational planning. These principles will guide us as we grow and expand our impact across Africa.

We're grateful for the journey that has brought us to this point and excited about what lies ahead. With Celiwe Sivambu as our steward, Mitchelle Mhaka leading our regional strategic efforts, and our committed organising team supported by our youth network and board, we're well-positioned to make an even greater impact in the years to come. Because ultimately all that we do is to serve the movement for Afrocentric climate justice. 

Thank you to everyone who has been part of the African Climate Alliance’s story so far. Here's to the next chapter.

For more information about our governance model and organizational values, visit Our Organisation.

African Climate Alliance team, July 2025. Back (left to right): Mitchelle Mhaka, Solomzi Nyezi, Helene Roussouw, Luvo Mnyobe, Letago Kgomoeswana, Samantha Muller, Celiwe Shivambu; Middle (left to right): Sibusiso Mazomba, Panashe Musarurwa, Stella Hertantyo; Front: Lisakhanya Mathiso