March 6, 2025 / AFLEX / Addis Ababa – A consultative discussion was held between the President of AFLEX, Mr. Zadig Abreha, and representatives from the Institute of International Education (IIE) regarding potential areas of collaboration between the two organizations.

Mr. Zadig Abreha presented AFLEX’s recent initiatives, emphasizing the organization’s role as a bridge-builder between the civil society, private sector, and public sectors, as well as fostering leadership among African leaders.

He highlighted the academy’s goal to strengthen Africa’s global communication, stating that the current one-way communication between Africa and the world must be transformed. To address this, AFLEX introduced the African Davos project, which seeks to ensure that the 22nd century is not another missed opportunity for Africa. He noted that the African Davos initiative is a solution to bridging the leadership gap and increasing Africa’s presence on the global stage.

He also discussed AFLEX’s broader vision, noting that leadership development is an ecosystem that goes beyond mere training.

The Director of IIE’s Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa Office, Mrs. Ethiopia Tilahun, shared their extensive experience in Ethiopia, where IIE has successfully implemented a range of leadership development programs, focused on organizational effectiveness and higher education scholarship administration. The IIE representatives explained that their leadership development program is structured in three phases: self-discovery, organizational leadership, and systems thinking, extending leadership principles beyond individual organizations.

Both parties agreed to explore collaborative efforts in the area of leadership development, expressing a strong commitment in working together and discussing how AFLEX can contribute and add value to IIE’s existing programs, particularly in creating impactful leadership initiatives.