Mr. Zadig Abraha, President of AFLEX Academy, recently met with top officials from various UN agencies to discuss the academy’s plans for Reform, Expansion, and Scaling up programs. The meeting was attended by Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Assistant Secretary General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Aurelia Patrizia Calabro, UNIDO Representative and Director of the Regional Office, Samuel Gbaydee Doe, UNDP Resident Representative, and Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, UNESCO Director of Addis Ababa Liaison Office to AU & UNECA and Representative to Ethiopia.

During the meeting, Mr. Zadig presented the academy’s vision to become a center of excellence for Ethiopia and the African region. He shared that AFLEX Academy has designed 4 general and thirty-seven special leadership development programs to implement them within three years.

One of the strategies discussed was the plan to make AFLEX Academy an International Conference Center, similar to the World Economic Forum in Davos. The international community has already expressed an interest in holding meetings at AFLEX to support this goal.

The UN senior officials praised AFLEX Academy’s plans and offered suggestions on how they can work together to achieve them. Among the topics discussed were the need to make the academy more representative of African values and content, the plan to collaborate with embassies and the diplomatic community in Ethiopia, and the recognition of AFLEX’s master’s degrees both nationally and internationally.

The officials also inquired about the academy’s preparation to turn their leadership development programs into action and how they plan to work with the UN agencies in the future.
As part of the visit, the UN officials also had the opportunity to tour AFLEX’s facilities and were impressed by the organization’s work. They expressed their admiration for AFLEX’s commitment to developing leaders and innovators in Africa.

 This meeting marks an important step in AFLEX’s goal to become a leading center of excellence in Ethiopia and Africa. The collaboration with UNDP, UNIDO, UNESCO, and UN will undoubtedly bring valuable support and expertise to AFLEX’s initiatives. With a shared vision of transforming Africa through leadership and innovation, this partnership has the potential to make a significant impact in the region.