James Edielu Oluka joined the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) in March 2023. As a Programme Officer, James supports the administrative aspects of delivering ICAR training programmes in partner countries.
Prior to joining the Basel Institute, James worked with Teso-Karamoja Media Agency (TEKAMA) as a Programme Coordinator, where he helped grow the organisation’s programmes and contributed to the strengthening of systems within the organisation and among partners. While with TEKAMA, James organised the biggest community-led environmental campaign that aimed to plant 25 million trees in five years in the Teso subregion of Uganda.
Between September 2021 and August 2022, James worked with the African Youth Peer Review Committee (AYPRC) as a volunteer Head of Programmes. Here, he led the development and implementation of youth-focused programmes across Africa, and contributed to the widening in geographical scope of the organisation’s programmes from eight to 13 countries over just one year. While with the AYPRC, James held sessions with eight African national parliaments to discuss a just transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. A significant number of legislators across Africa subsequently signed a resolution for a fossil fuel-free future.
In October 2022, James was appointed as a member and Deputy Head of the Directorate of Youth Policy Development of the African Network of Youth Policy Experts (AfriNYPE). In this voluntary role, he is a regular contributor to the development and strengthening of youth-related policies across Africa. James is passionate about and strongly supports youth involvement in climate justice, participation and social accountability.
James obtained a degree in Library and Information Science from Makerere University in Uganda, a certificate in Climate Justice from Kenyatta University and a certificate in Digital Communications Networks from online learning platform Alison. James is a member of the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES).