IN the December 2018 edition of the New African magazine, Michelle Ndiaye was recognized as one of the top 100 Most Influential Africans of 2018 in the category of Politics and Public Service. Ms. Ndiaye is the Director of the Africa Peace and Security Programme (a joint GIZ/IPSS programme with the African Union Commission) at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) and  Head of the Tana Forum Secretariat.

The New African magazine’s list of the 100 most influential Africans consists of high-achieving individuals whose talents, reach and impact have influenced both events and people, and whose work at times may have gone under radar. This recognition is a reflection of Ms. Ndiaye’s strategic leadership and wide-ranging experience in building and promoting peace, security and governance in Africa. She was recognized alongside six other women in the same category. “I am humbled by this recognition,” Ms. Ndiaye responded. “Africa is and always will remain my passion! It is important for our continent to gain greater inclusion in the global arena through initiatives such as the Tana Forum and think tanks like IPSS”.

Before joining IPSS, Ms. Ndiaye was the Managing Director of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS). Between 1999 and 2011, she consecutively headed several African and international organizations as Executive Director of Greenpeace Africa, CEO of the African Institute for Corporate Citizenship (AICC), and Founder and Manager of Africa Projects for Akena Research and Consulting. Ms. Ndiaye started her career in 1995 as a program officer at the African Institute for Democracy (IAD), a UNDP project based in Dakar, Senegal, that promotes democracy and governance in Africa and particularly in 15 West African countries. Ms. Ndiaye is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies of the US National Defense University (NDU).

The Tana Forum is an annual high-level gathering of African decision makers in peace and security in Africa. It is one of the most powerful African gatherings on peace and security on the continent and is designed to enrich policy debate at the continental level, help shape African-led initiatives as well as develop and broadcast a common African voice in peace and security in Africa and globally. This year’s edition will take place on 4-5 May 2019 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia on the theme,‘Political Dynamics in the Horn of Africa: Nurturing the Emerging Peace Trends’.

The Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) at Addis Ababa University serves as the Tana Forum‘s Secretariat, and provides, physical, technical and logistical support to the team. IPSS champions high-quality research on African-centred solutions coupled with multidisciplinary, integrative education programmes on peace and security in Africa. The Africa Peace and Security Programme (APSP) aims to build African capacities to develop and implement African-led solutions in peace and security in Africa. – IPSS

– Jan. 25, 2019 @ 11:25 GMT |