First drafted on…, and Adopted at the first ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on … in Yokohama, JAPAN.
Article 1 - Name
1.1 The name of the Association shall be the Network of African Students in Japan. No other name shall be used to represent the Association.
Article 2 - Objectives
The Objectives of the Association shall be:
The broad objective is to encourage, unite and maintain relationships within and among African Students studying at tertiary institutions in Japan. The association will serve as the umbrella body and highest authority for all African student associations in Japan by coordinating their collective activities. The specific objectives are thereby outline as follows under the following themes:
· To improve academic, information and knowledge sharing among African students in Japan and in Africa
· To improve social welfare of African students in Japan and do charitable activities in Africa
· To strengthen cross-cultural exchange between African and the Japanese society
· To enhance leadership development among African students in Japan
· To encourage trade, business and entrepreneur development between African and Japan
Article 3 – Membership 3.1 Membership of the Association is open to all African students studying at tertiary institutions in Japan.
3.2 Japanese students who have been to Africa or who are interested in Africa may apply for membership and their application will be considered based on its merits.
3.3 Membership of the association shall be mandatory for all African students studying at tertiary institutions in Japan regardless of their period of stay.
3.4 Membership of the association shall also be open to student associations of different African countries based in Japan.
Article 4 - Membership subscriptions
4.1 A monthly fee of ¥1 000 shall be required from every member of the association.
4.2 The membership fee shall be deposited to the incumbent Treasurer at the end of every month.
4.3 The subscriptions collected from members will be used to finance the activities and projects of the association.
4.4 There shall two signatories for the account of the association, namely the president and the treasurer as outlined in the article 6 of the constitution.
4.5 In the absence of one of the above signatures named in article 4.4, the vice president or the secretary general shall be empowered to act as per the article 4.4 above.
Article 5 - Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary General Meetings
5.1 An Annual General Meeting shall be held on the last weekend of March every year. The Annual General Meeting shall:
(a) Elect the Members of the Committee to hold office until the next Annual General Meeting.
(b) Discuss the Reports from each office and the Association’s Annual Report and Accounts for the previous year.
(c) Discuss activities and the plan for the following year.
(d) Conduct any other business of which due notice shall be given.
5.2 All other General Meetings shall be Extraordinary General Meetings. The Committee may at any time convene an Extraordinary General Meeting and shall do so by informing Members in writing, stating the purpose for which the meeting is required.
5.3 At least 21 days’ notice of all General Meetings, specifying the main business to be transacted thereat, shall be given to every Member. Any notice posted to a Member at his last notified address shall be deemed, for the purpose of this paragraph to have been given on the second day following the day of which it was posted.
5.4 Any Member who wishes to propose a resolution at General Meetings shall give 7 days’ notice thereof in writing to the Secretary General.
Article 6 - Committee
6.1 The management of the Association shall be the responsibility of the Committee, which shall consist of a President, Vice President, a Secretary General, and a Treasurer, two Additional members and Patron of the Association, who will be the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Japan. Their duties will be:
6.1.1 (a) The President shall call all meetings of the association, regular or otherwise, and shall serve as the chairman of such meetings.
(b) In addition, the President shall, with the advice of the Activity Organizers, plan and coordinate the events and activities to be held by the association.
(c) The President with the Treasurer shall prepare and present an annual budget request to the association.
(d) The president shall in all events serve as a liaison with the various African embassies and Japanese stakeholders.
6.1.2 (a) In the absence of the President, or should the President prove unable or unwilling to perform the duties described in Section 6.1.1 above, the Vice President shall assume the responsibilities of the President.
(b) The Vice President shall preside over all meetings of the Committee and/or the Association.
(c) The Vice President shall also perform other duties as the President may assign from time to time.
6.1.3 (a) The Secretary General shall be responsible for recording accurate minutes of any meeting, regular or otherwise, of the association or the Committee.
(b) The Secretary General shall also record all votes of the association or the Committee.
(c) The Secretary General shall be responsible for the writing and distribution of the minutes to the committee after every meeting.
(d) The Secretary General shall write and distribute notices to the association and the Central Committee informing them of any Meeting or any other gathering of the association.
(e) The Secretary General shall at all times maintain an accurate and complete list of the membership of the association.
(f) The Secretary General shall keep a regularly updated database of every member of the association.
6.1.4 (a) The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining accurate financial records of the association.
(b) The Treasurer shall be allowed to request cheques or purchase orders as agreed by the committee on behalf of the association.
(c) The Treasurer shall prepare and provide a financial report to the committee every month.
(d) The Treasurer, with the President, shall prepare and present any budget requests to the Central Committee and the association as well as the Botswana Embassy when needed.
6.1.5 The Additional members shall be elected members of the Committee with voting powers. They may from time to time be assigned other tasks as may be determined by the committee.
6.1.6 The Patron of the Association shall from time to time be called upon to advise and assist the Association to achieve the strategic objectives.
6.2 Candidates for election to the Committee must be Ordinary Members of the Association and shall be nominated with their consent.
6.3 The Committee may delegate any of its functions to Task Forces consisting of any Member or Members of the Committee, any such task forces may co-opt other persons (whether Members of the Association or not) to help in its work.
Article 7 - Liaison with the Office of the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Japan
7.1 The Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Japan shall be entitled to receive notices of all meetings of the Association.
Article 8 – Voting
8.1 Each member of the association shall have one (1) vote.
8.2 There shall be no voting in absentia with respect to any matter.
8.3 All votes of the Committee shall require an affirmative vote of at least four (4) of the members of the Committee to be effective.
8.4 The Central committee shall be elected every year at the Annual General Meeting of the association.
Financial year: The financial year of the Association shall run from the 1st of April to the 30th March every year.
Article 9 - Recording and Disclosure of Members’ Names and Contacts
9.1 The Association may hold the names and contacts (email and mobile numbers) of its members on a database.
9.2 The names and contacts can and will only be used for matters concerning the association and not for any other purpose unless consent is sought from the owner by the Committee.
9.3 If any member wishes not to disclose their name and contacts, they shall notify the Secretary General in writing.
9.4 It is the duty of each Member to notify the Secretary General if their contacts change and when they leave Japan.
Article 10 - Amendment of the Constitution
10.1 This Constitution may be amended or repealed by two-third majority vote of the members of the association.
10.2 This Constitution and any amendments and changes shall be kept on record for the association and its members.
Dissolution: No resolution for the dissolution of the Association shall be valid unless it shall have been carried at a General Meeting of the Association by a resolution approved by three quarters of the Members present and entitled to vote at the meeting. On the passing of such resolution, the Committee shall inform the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps and thereafter shall declare the Association dissolved.