Imani Countess
For more than two decades Imani Countess has advocated for U.S. policies that promote sustainable development, economic equality, and participatory democracy in Africa. Currently, Ms. Countess is the National Africa Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee, a practical expression of the faith of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Prior to joining the Service Committee she worked as the national outreach director for the New York-based non-profit, Shared Interest, a social investment fund established to assist community development projects in South Africa.
Ms. Countess has also served as Senior Fellow of the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC), coordinating their innovative study on development of a long-term constituency for Africa. She has previously served as Congressional Liaison Officer for the Africa Development Foundation (1997-1999); Executive Director of the Washington Office on Africa (1992-1997); Project Director of Namibia Information Services; coordinator for the Coalition for a New Foreign Policy's Southern Africa project; and as project assistant to Howard University's African Studies and Research Center.
Ms. Countess has consulted and written for a diverse array of groups, including McKinney Associates, Bread for the World, the Maryknoll Fathers, the National Council of Churches, and the Churches' Committee for Voter Registration/Education. She has presented papers or spoken to a wide variety of audiences over the years, academic, religious and community-based. She serves on the advisory committee for Human Rights Watch/Africa Division, the board of the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars, and was a founding member of the National Summit on Africa Board of Directors.
