The event kicked off on 26 October with opening remarks from Jan-Ole Voß, Director of KAS RP SIPODI East Africa. In his speech, Jan-Ole Voß highlighted the importance of IRICA’s institutional development over the last ten years and emphasised that the research institute now belongs to the most renowned scientific institutions in Djibouti and the Horn of Africa. He also pointed out that scientific exchange contributes to effective policy measures and is therefore in line with the programme objectives of KAS RP SIPODI East Africa.
Idyl Moussa Iye, UNESCO coordinator, then delivered an opening address in which she paid tribute to IRICA’s commitment and, in particular, highlighted its contribution to research, expert dialogue and policy. Afterwards, Zahra Youssouf Kayad, President of IRICA, gave the third opening remarks, in which she pointed out IRICA’s significant contribution to the major academic and political debates on the development of the Horn of Africa for the past ten years, despite its limited financial resources. She also stressed the potential for sustainable and successful cooperation between academic and government stakeholders in Djibouti.
The fourth and final opening address was delivered by Dr Nabil Mohamed Ahmed, Minister for Higher Education and Research of Djibouti. In his speech, the Minister emphasised that IRICA’s tenth anniversary provides an opportunity to recognise the commitment of the researchers who have contributed to the development of the research institute. He also noted that IRICA is helping to foster a strong scientific culture in Djibouti.
Following the opening speeches, the panel discussions began, which over the course of the three days focused on four key topic areas: environment and energy; human development, governance, the rule of law and social cohesion; and the economy, geostrategy and regional integration. During the discussions, researchers, experts and policy-makers were able to present their analyses and proposed solutions to the above-mentioned topics and discuss them freely. The Ministers for Higher Education and Research, Health and the Environment also took part in the discussions. The discussions were guided by the overarching aim of proposing concrete solutions from various specialist perspectives to a range of challenges facing the development of Djibouti and the Horn of Africa.
The scientific forum concluded on 28 October with a summary of the discussions and closing remarks. In her closing address, IRICA’s President, Zahra Youssouf Kayad, thanked the panellists and the staff for their valuable contribution to the successful organisation of the event. Karl Wiesemeyer, Programme Manager at KAS RP SIPODI East Africa, then paid tribute to the significance of IRICA’s development over the last ten years and emphasised the strategic importance of deepening cooperation between IRICA and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.