Bahati Kanyamanza

Bahati Kanyamanza is the Global Partnerships Director at IRAP. In this role, Bahati leads IRAP’s partnerships with RLOs and CSOs around the world. Prior to this role, Bahati worked for Asylum Access where he led engagement and advocacy with institutions of power influencing global displacement, namely: the World Bank, UNHCR and the US government as well as building partnerships with organizations in Africa.

Bahati has worked with refugees for over 20 years and was a refugee for 23 years. Born in the DR Congo, he became a refugee in Uganda where he lived for 17 years before he was resettled to the US in 2016. He is the co-founder of CIYOTA, a nonprofit organization that supports conflict-affected children and youth in Africa’s Great Lakes region to access quality education and supporting refugee families to start income generating initiatives to earn a living. His work has been recognized both nationally and internationally by Ashoka, American Express, UNHCR and Echoing Green.

Bahati is a published author and his articles have been published in the FMR, HPN, ODI, Reuters and others. He is also an advisor to the USRAB. He holds a Master’s of Arts degree from the School for International Training.