Harouna Saley Abdoulaye
Harouna is the Country Director for Niger and Burkina Faso at International Alert. He leads and manages Alert’s initiatives in both countries, focussing on developing intervention strategies in the Sahel and monitoring the security dynamics and political context of coastal Africa.
For over five years, Harouna has been at the forefront of local efforts to prevent violent extremism through peacebuilding projects and programmes that inspire youth to take action. He implemented Voices for Peace, a regional project in West Africa designed to build local community resilience to violent extremism narratives by tapping in to a wide range of local actors and resources, including community radio stations, civil society organisations, young influencers and community leaders from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds.
With more than 24 years of experience in development, humanitarian work, governance and social cohesion programming, Harouna brings a wealth of expertise to his role. Since 2014, he has been actively involved in addressing the root causes of violent extremism and other destabilising conflicts, including the stigmatisation of ethnic groups.
Harouna holds a Master’s degree and has a Certificate in Civic Engagement from the University of Georgia and a Certificate in Social Therapy from the East Side Institute.
