IGAD’s treaty1 outlines the organization’s aim and objectives as seeking to accelerate regional economic, social, environmental, and political integration, and cross border cooperation among the member states. To achieve this, there is a need to provide member states with adequate and appropriate enabling environment that includes conducive policies and basic infrastructure; encouraging multi-level participation of a wide range of stakeholders across boarders, among communities, and empowering bottom-up approaches; adopting people-centred and market-driven co-operations; and collaborative decision-making among member states using outlined protocols in the treaty. These achievements can be facilitated through KM initiatives.

This KM Policy is crafted within the overarching framework of IGAD’s mandate, IGAD treaty, and IGAD 2021 - 2025 regional strategy, with a clear understanding of the important role that knowledge plays in advancing the organisation’s objectives. By fostering a culture of knowledge sharing, collaboration, and innovation, this policy seeks to harness the rich diversity of knowledge assets within the IGAD secretariat and its member states, driving forward the agenda of peace, development, and prosperity across the Horn of Africa region. IGAD has thus far, made an effort towards this endeavour by identifying a knowledge management working group and establishing a KM strategy. This policy signifies IGADs commitment towards institutionalizing KM. It represents our commitment towards establishing a learning organization characterized by knowledge sharing and a learning culture. Through this, IGAD aims to leverage the intellectual capacity of its employees to enhance individual growth, organisational knowledge base, productivity and stakeholder satisfaction.