After twelve years at the helm, Al Kags has left the role of Executive Director of the Open Institute. This is in accordance with the organisation’s ongoing succession planning framework. Co-founder Jay Bhalla has been appointed Interim Executive Director and will lead the organisation through this period while a search for a new Executive Director is conducted.
The Institute’s programmes, partnerships, and commitments to the communities and governments it works with continue without interruption, with the citizens at the heart of the mission.
The Open Institute has, over more than a decade, become one of the most distinctive voices on open governance, citizen participation, and the responsible use of data on the African continent. The work has shaped policy conversations from county halls to continental platforms, and the foundations laid during this chapter will carry the mission forward into its next.
Davies Adieno, Chair of the Board, said: “Jay has been at the centre of our leadership since the Institute’s founding, and the Board has full confidence in his ability to steward the organisation through this transition. The work the Institute is doing today, with partners across the continent and beyond, is too important to slow down, and it will not. We are deeply grateful to Al for what he has given to this mission. Twelve years of building, advocating, convening, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible when citizens are placed at the centre of governance. His contribution is woven into the fabric of who we are.”
“I am transitioning out of the role of Executive Director after twelve years to attend to my health and other matters, and as part of the organisation’s succession planning; I do so knowing that the organisation will be in excellent hands. The organisation has strong leadership in place, and I remain proud of the team and the work we have accomplished together on open data and citizen participation across Africa.”
Al Kags
Jay Bhalla, Interim Executive Director, said: “To our partners, funders, and the communities we work with, our work continues, and the commitments we have made to you stand. We have built foundations that allow us to keep moving with purpose. The conversations we are in, the programmes we are delivering, the policy work we are advancing, and the partnerships we are deepening will continue to carry on and grow. We thank Al and wish him well in his future endeavours.”
The Open Institute will continue to deliver against its current strategy and programme commitments throughout this transition and beyond.
