Given the needs and gaps that exist in West Africa in terms of training, the Humanitarian Leadership Academy is aiming to increase the resilience and preparedness of the population, and the skills of local humanitarian staff. Its future centre will provide support to the training and capacity building structures in the region in order to reinforce the capacity of those closest to the affected population.
Groupe URD’s role will be to advise the HLA in its choice of location for its future centre and to provide a general overview of the social and humanitarian issues at stake in the sub-region. Our knowledge of the region, built up over the years, and the previous studies we have carried out, notably in the Sahel, will help us in this endeavour.
We will gather information about existing training courses, and the training providers already present in the sub-region. We will analyse the competencies that are needed (and the gaps that remain in relation to the training currently on offer), and the profiles of the staff of local and international organisations present in the region.
A launch meeting was organised in London on 28 September, and visits and interviews will be carried out with stakeholders in West Africa in the coming weeks (government agencies, civil society, international NGOs, etc.).