Makmid Kamara is a Sierra Leonean human rights leader, democracy advocate, and development communications practitioner, with almost 20 years’ experience working with national and international development, human rights, and grantmaking organizations in Africa and the United Kingdom. 

He is the Founder of Reform Initiatives, an organization dedicated to harvesting the dividends of democracy and contributing to the global campaign for reparatory justice. Until recently, he was the founding Director of the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF), based in Accra, Ghana. 

At ATJLF, Kamara’s focus was on transitional justice and reparations for historical crimes. He led various collaborative efforts around reparatory justice issues and TJ mechanisms meant to repair the wrongs of the past in selected African countries. 

Prior to the ATJLF, Kamara worked at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London as (Ag.) Deputy Director of Global Issues and Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Team; served as interim Country Director for Amnesty International Nigeria and as a West Africa Researcher.

Kamara has also held posts with Oxfam GB in Sierra Leone and the UK, and with Concern Worldwide in Sierra Leone. Kamara started his career as a journalist in Sierra Leone and has written several articles and reports on human rights and social justice issues for high-profile African and European publications and institutions. He is a Rotarian, a Global Atlantic Fellow, and an Obama Foundation Leader- Africa. He is based in Accra, Ghana.