5 April 2024 (ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia) – An imperative requirement of South-South cooperation and solidarity for a just, prosperous, and sustainable Third Way of Development was concluded yesterday following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC), H.E. Manssour Bin Mussallam, and the Chief of Academy of the African Leadership Excellence Academy (AFLEX), Mr. Zadig Abreha, at the Headquarters of the intergovernmental organisation in Addis Ababa.
The forging of this MOU will open up a new way of development for the OSC and AFLEX to build sustainable partnership in the areas of capacity building and research undertaking initiatives. The Memorandum heralds a new era of collaboration, marking a giant step forward towards fostering intellectual synergy and advancing the development agenda of the Greater South.
“Today as we convene here to cement the initial collaboration, we are about to take a critical step to further enrich our programmes in Africa and in the Greater South for a future where we are not mere passengers but active actors and contributors”, OSC Secretary-General stated during the signing event. He welcomed the opportunity as the commencement of a lasting relationship for a Third Way of Development and acknowledged Abreha’s leadership in reaching out to the OSC for a confederation of efforts. “Our MoU constitutes a fertile ground to plant the seeds of the future we want”, the Secretary-General concluded.
Mr. Zadig Abreha declared: “I express my sincere appreciation for the valuable collaboration and exceptional dedication demonstrated by Sheikh Manssour Bin Mussallam in finalising this groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). AFLEX strives to cultivate an environment where scholarly excellence harmonises with global consciousness. Moreover, within AFLEX, our ambition is to serve as facilitators of connections and partnerships between academia, civil society, the public and private sectors, as well as emerging leaders from Africa and the Global South. With this vision in mind, in collaboration with esteemed institutions like the OSC, we are committed to nurturing the development of exceptional leaders of international calibre.”
This partnership holds immense potential to catalyse transformative change by leveraging AFLEX’s expertise in Leadership Development, Research, and Policy Advisory, alongside the OSC’s strategic sectors of intervention that include building balanced and inclusive education systems, reinforcing transdisciplinary research, and enhancing fiscal space through debt relief and highly concessional financing for development.
OSC and AFLEX respectively carry out activities that enhance countries’ ownership to facilitate leadership skills by promoting self-reliance, fostering innovation and encouraging production and exchange of ideas and experiences.
Note to Editors
OSC was established on 29 January 2020 by countries and organisations from across the Global South at the International Summit on Balanced and Inclusive Education held in the Republic of Djibouti. As the first intergovernmental organisation of and by the Greater South, the OSC acts as an instrument of intellectual, technical and financial cooperation and solidarity between its Member States as well as its Associate Members in the pursuit of a Third Way of Development – from the South, for Humanity.
AFLEX was re-established in June 2021 by the Council of Ministers, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Prior to its reestablishment it was the Meles Zenawi Leadership Academy, an institution which provided various learning opportunities to national government leaders.
