22-01-2018, Djibouti (Djibouti): The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental authority on Development (IGAD), H.E. Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, this morning received the Nairobi-based Resident Programme Manager for the Regional Women’s Programme of the National Democratic Institute (NDI)-East Africa, Ms. Hodan A. Ahmed, in his office.
Amb Mahboub welcomed Ms Hodan to the Secretariat of the regional organisation along with IGAD senior staff in order to brief her about IGAD and its intervention areas.
“IGAD and NDI signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year in Washington, DC, and we are glad to be receiving you as soon as today for your familiarisation mission to our headquarters”, he said. Amb Maalim invited Ms Hodan to also touch on the expectations of her organisation as for the operationlisation of the MoU after she was given an overview of some programmes, projects, and activities which might be of interest to NDI.
Ms Hodan expressed her organisation’s willingness and eagerness to strengthen relations with IGAD. “My mission is to report back on areas of cooperation between our two organisations. I will also be meeting with Parliamentarians here in Djibouti as NDI is running a Women’s Parliamentarian Association that is made up of women MPs of Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda among IGAD Member States”, she said.
Discussions on how to have IGAD work with NDI on a women MPs platform inclusive of all IGAD Member States as one immediate area of cooperation then followed. Ms Hodan was finally invited to visit the IGAD Center of Excellence to Prevent/Combat Violent Extremism and meet with civil society organisations there.
The National Democratic Institute is a USA based non-profit organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide.
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