Our Organs & Structures
At PACCL, we understand governance not merely as an organizational framework, but as a profound commitment, a shared responsibility to nurture and advance Africa’s rich cultural and linguistic tapestry. Our governance model reflects this philosophy through three interdependent pillars working in harmony to realise our mission.
The Administrative Council forms the bedrock of our governance, bringing together founding visionaries and carefully selected experts. This body serves as both compass and guardian, establishing policy direction, shaping strategic pathways, and ensuring every initiative remains true to PACCL’s core purpose. Their collective wisdom bridges academic rigour with practical implementation.
Day-to-day realization of our vision rests with the Secretariat, operating under the Executive Director’s leadership. This operational engine transforms policies into action with meticulous coordination, ensuring programs are executed with both professional excellence and unwavering transparency. The Secretariat embodies our commitment to tangible results through structured project management and adaptive implementation.
Elevating our impact is the Honorary Committee, comprising distinguished figures whose global stature and cultural insight amplify PACCL’s influence. These ambassadors extend our reach beyond institutional boundaries, creating bridges to new opportunities while lending invaluable perspective to our work. Their involvement ensures local initiatives resonate on international platforms.
Together, these governing elements form an ecosystem of accountability and inclusive collaboration. Each decision, each programme, each partnership is measured against our foundational aspiration: to create an Africa where cultural and linguistic diversity not only survives but thrives, inspiring unity across generations and geographies. This is the essence of PACCL’s governance, not just managing an organisation, but stewarding a continental legacy.
Founder & Executive Director
Dr Lang Fafa Dampha is the immediate past Executive Secretary of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), the African Union’s specialized language agency, which is mandated to develop and promote the use of African languages as a factor of continental integration and development.
He served as Executive Secretary of ACALAN from August 2015 to May 2025. Prior to this, he held the position of Senior Research and Programme Officer at the same institution from November 2009 to July 2015.
From March 2021 to October 2022, Dr Dampha also served as Interim Director of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Migration, another specialized agency of the African Union. In this role, he contributed to enhancing the understanding of migration in Africa, improving migration governance, advancing the continent’s knowledge base on mobility, and supporting evidence-based interventions.
From 1989 to 2009, Dr Dampha lived and worked in Paris, France. He holds a BA in English Language, Literature and Civilisation from the University of Paris 7 (Jussieu), and a PhD in English Studies (Civilisation, Society and Culture) from the University of Paris IV, Sorbonne.
Before returning to Africa in 2009, he taught various university-level courses in France. These included Legal English (Law and Politics of the UK and USA) at the University of Paris 2, Panthéon-Assas, Introduction to Banking and Finance, the Stock Market and the History of Economic Thought at the University of Paris 8, Saint-Denis, and English for Economic and Social Administration at the University of Paris 13, Villetaneuse.
A citizen of The Gambia, Dr Lang Fafa Dampha is the author of numerous publications on African development, history, Pan-Africanism, the African Renaissance and culture.
Director of Programmes and Operations
Dr. K. Sekhar is a self-taught linguist, lexicographer, and academician who has dedicated his career to documenting and digitizing diverse languages. Born in Thudicherla village, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, India, as the third son of Late K. Narayana, he developed an early passion for languages and cultural studies.
When Dr. Sekhar first arrived in Ethiopia in 2009, he immediately fell in love with the country’s rich culture, languages, and people. Motivated by a desire to connect “heart to heart” with Ethiopians, he began learning Amharic and authored his first book in 2012 titled “Speak Amharic Language – That Goes to the Hearts of Ethiopians.”
Over the years, Dr. Sekhar has authored phrasebooks and learning resources across multiple continents, encompassing Ethiopian Indigenous Languages (such as Amharic, Afaan Oromoo, Tigrigna, Afar, Somali, Hadiyissa, Kambaatissa, Tambarsa, Halaba, Yemsa, Sidaamu Afoo, Gedeofaa, Wolaita, Siltie, Kabena, Mareko, Awi, Nuer, and Kafa), Indian Languages (including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada), as well as global languages like Mandarin Chinese and English..
In 2009, Dr. Sekhar conceptualized what would become Ethio Language Box, the world’s first comprehensive national digital language platform. To date, he has successfully documented and digitized 19 Ethiopian languages through the development of multilingual self-study guidebooks, online courses, mobile applications, and audio pronunciation tools.
This work has been carried out in collaboration with leading Ethiopian universities including Wachemo, Hawassa, Dilla, Worabe, Arsi, and Wolaita Sodo, as well as Ministry of Culture and Sport, regional culture and tourism offices in Amhara, Oromo, Tigray, Somali, Afar, Kambata & Tembaro, Yem, Halaba, and Awi regions.
Dr. K. Sekhar, the founder of Ethio Language Box, shares the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Sport’s vision for Ethiopia to become the first nation in the world to comprehensively document and digitize all its languages on a single platform. His ultimate goal is to expand the Ethio Language Box initiative across all African countries.
Members of our Secretariat
Secretary,
Language Services,
Nigeria.
Administration and Human Resources,
Uganda.
Education and Training,
Cameroon.
Information and Communication,
Nigeria.
National Languages,
Gambia.
Finance Officer,
Gambia.
Audit,
Gambia.
STEM and African Languages,
Gambia.
Information Technology,
Gambia.
Staff Health and Welfare Officer,
Gambia.
Sarahuleh (Soninke) Language Programme Coordinator,
Gambia.
Assistant to the Executive Director and Youth Coordinator,
Gambia.
Meet Our Honorary committee
Senegal.
United Republic of Tanzania.
The Gambia.
Burkina Faso.
Angola.
Morocco.
South Africa.
France.
Mali.
Rwanda.
Mauritania.
Tunisia.