CMDF Projects Manager

He reports to Eduardo del Buey, CPAD’s Director.

Mr Manoah Esipisu is Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs, and deputy spokesperson for the Commonwealth Secretariat.

He joined the Secretariat in September 2006 after 15 years as a journalist at Reuters, the global news and information group. Manoah reported from many countries around the world and won awards for his outstanding work but his core job was to cover Africa’s politics and economic development.

He has lectured on the media in Kenya, Zambia, Egypt, the United Kingdom and South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he pioneered a post-graduate course in Financial Journalism.

Manoah is a frequent speaker on the media and Africa. In 2004 he coordinated an online discussion on how to better report the continent and presented his analysis to the Fourth Africa Development Forum convened by the UN Economic Commission for Africa. He also served on an ECA-led panel on Strengthening Media in Africa.

In addition he is a member of the European Association of Communication Directors and a trustee of the Elizabeth R Fund for broadcast journalism, where he sits in the name of the Secretariat.

In August 2006 Professor Anton Harber of the University of the Witwatersrand Journalism and Media Studies Programme called Manoah “An important role model for African journalists”.

Manoah can be contacted at m.esipisu@commonwealth.int and +44 (0)789 446 2021