A week long training session focusing on strategic partnerships for African NGO’s concluded at International Humanitarian City, Dubai (IHC) on October 14th 2010. Organized by leading regional NGO, Al Muntada Al Islami, the session saw participants from NGO’s of various African nations, and was visited by representatives from leading local and regional charities, the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities, and IHC CEO Ms. Makiya Al Hajiri.

The objective of the session was to train the participants in strategic partnerships, marketing and networking to enable them to be more efficient NGOs. The session was divided into a number of lecture discussions, on topics such as quality control in charity work, criteria for international partnerships and investments, transforming ideas into projects, managing and marketing projects, and strategic planning for partnerships. Participants also visited Dar Al Beir Charity, the Department of Islamic Affair and the World Food Programme warehouses at IHC, to see how the different organizations operate. The session aimed to give the NGO’s opportunity to build connections not just in Dubai, but also amongst themselves.

IHC CEO, Ms. Makiya Al Hajiri, reiterated IHC’s role as a humanitarian hub. “IHC’s aim is to connect east & west and empower those who want to positively impact the lives of others. We want to support any development of humanitarian professionals to ensure that they work effectively and help those in need.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the General Secretary of Al Muntada Al Islami, Dr. Khaled Abdullah Al Fawaz, talked about the importance of UAE support and encouragement to the humanitarian organizations. He mentioned that, “creating a humanitarian hub like IHC is great; the location, facilities and welcome given by IHC has made this training possible and successful. We are thankful for the support of the IHC and the leadership of the UAE.”

This was the second such workshop organized by IHC and Al Muntada Al Islami. The first was attended by organizations and UN agencies working out of the UAE, while this workshop was exclusively for representatives of NGO’s in Africa. 29 participants have come to Dubai from various nations, such as Nigeria, Chad, Kenya, Egypt etc.