By Kebaabetswe Seemo
President Duma Boko has been handed his first major continental human rights test after the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights designated him Champion for the Rights of Indigenous Populations and Communities in Africa. The move places Boko at the centre of a mandate to confront discrimination, land dispossession and the exclusion of Indigenous communities from decisions affecting their livelihoods.
The designation, contained in Resolution ACHPR/Res.668(LXXXVIII)2026 adopted recently gives Boko a continental responsibility that goes beyond diplomatic recognition.
He is expected to advocate for legal reforms, push governments to respect Indigenous peoples’ rights and promote their meaningful participation in national and regional decision-making.
The resolution comes with an extensive list of responsibilities that will test whether the new champion can translate the African Union human rights architecture into tangible protection for communities whose ancestral land, cultural heritage and access to natural resources remain vulnerable.
Boko’s appointment followed a request by participants at a stakeholders’ validation meeting on the commission’s draft study mapping Indigenous populations and communities in Africa, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 7 and 8, 2026. Boko subsequently accepted the request.
The African Commission acknowledged that Indigenous peoples and communities in parts of Africa continue to face “significant challenges, including dispossession of ancestral lands, marginalization, discrimination, exclusion from development processes, climate-related vulnerabilities, threats to their cultural heritage, and limited participation in decision-making affecting their lives and livelihoods.”
The commission’s resolution identifies structural problems that require governments to change laws, policies and administrative practices to ensure communities can exercise their rights.
Boko’s appointment followed a request by participants at a stakeholders’ validation meeting on the commission’s draft study mapping Indigenous populations and communities in Africa, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 7 and 8, 2026. Boko subsequently accepted the request.
The commission said it was “convinced that sustained political leadership at the highest level will significantly strengthen advocacy, awareness, policy dialogue, and implementation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples throughout Africa.”
Boko is expected to work closely with the commission through the chairperson of its Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities and Minorities in Africa.
Among his responsibilities is encouraging African governments to implement the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, alongside the commission’s jurisprudence, decisions and recommendations concerning Indigenous communities.
He is also expected to promote legal and policy reforms protecting Indigenous peoples’ rights to land, natural resources, culture and development.
Another key responsibility is to raise awareness of Indigenous knowledge systems, languages, cultures and traditional governance institutions, which the commission describes as valuable components of Africa’s heritage and sustainable development.
The commission further wants Boko to champion meaningful participation by Indigenous communities in decisions taken at national, regional and continental levels, rather than leaving them on the margins of development planning.
It calls on him to promote dialogue between governments, Indigenous communities, traditional leaders, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations and development partners.
Another key responsibility is to raise awareness of Indigenous knowledge systems, languages, cultures and traditional governance institutions, which the commission describes as valuable components of Africa’s heritage and sustainable development.
The mandate extends into continental development priorities which require advocacy for the inclusion of Indigenous peoples’ concerns in African Union Agenda 2063, climate action, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development initiatives.
The commission has also called on African states to cooperate with Boko and adopt legislative, administrative and policy measures to guarantee the effective enjoyment of Indigenous peoples’ rights under the African Charter.
Regional economic communities, human rights institutions, civil society groups and Indigenous peoples’ organisations are similarly encouraged to support his work.
The Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities and Minorities in Africa has been tasked with working closely with Boko and reporting periodically to the commission on progress achieved.
The resolution draws its authority from the African Charter, particularly provisions guaranteeing equality, non-discrimination, self-determination, development, access to natural resources and a satisfactory environment.
