IGAD Centre of Excellence

In October 2016, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) launched the first regional centre to tackle violent extremism in the Eastern Africa region. The IGAD Center of Excellence in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICEPCVE) promotes regional sharing of good practices and lessons learnt in preventing and countering violent extremism initiatives and to bring together actors involved in P/CVE work in the region to ensure an inclusive and holistic approach.

Albany Associates were contracted by the US State Department CT Bureau to provide technical assistance to set up and operationalise the Center.

Our project objectives were to meet the following:

• Objective 1: Facilitate the development and execution of a legal framework, administrative processes, and financing that results in an acceptable and sustainable IGAD Centre of Excellence.
• Objective 2: Enhance the IGAD COE’s capacity to research, develop, network, train, build/ sustain P/CVE capacity and allow for the exchange of ideas across the broad range of complex, dynamic issues in the region.

After 14 months, Albany successfully set up a regional Center which serves the Eastern Africa region with its core activities being, research, civil society and community and engagement, strategic communication and training capabilities. For more information on the center visit: www.icepcve.org.

Over the course of 14 months Albany successfully achieved to:

• Set up a regional Center of Excellence institutionalizing good practices on P/CVE in the Eastern Africa region
• Created a multi-lingual and multi-media platform that serves as a knowledge base for all actors and stakeholders working on P/CVE
• Supported the creation of a diverse and innovative Civil Society Hub ensuring a wide representation of grass roots actors from across the region
• Implemented a series of capacity building initiatives on P/CVE using innovative approaches and practice
• Launched alternative and counter narratives campaigns