AISSS
AFRICA INSTITUTE
FOR STRATEGIC AND
SECURITY STUDIES
Meet the
advisory Board Members and the CEO
Former Prime Minister Nahas Angula
Namibia
Nahas Angula is one of the very few prominent Namibian politicians who accomplished a lot towards the liberation of Namibia and the collapse of the apartheid system. Nahas Angula earned his degrees from esteemed universities; Columbia University NY, the University of Manchester in England, and the Teachers College at Columbia University. Nahas Angula left Teachers College in 1990 on Nahas Angula is one of the very few prominent Namibian politicians who accomplished a lot towards the liberation of Namibia and the collapse of the apartheid system. Nahas Angula earned his degrees from esteemed universities; Columbia University NY, the University of Manchester in England, and the Teachers College at Columbia University. Angula left Teachers College in 1990 on the eve of Namibia’s independence so that he could return home and create a new education system that "proved the theories of apartheid wrong.”
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Nahas Angula is a member of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). He was Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport from 1990 to 1995 and Minister of Higher Education from 1995 to 2005. In the role of Minister of Higher Education he rebuilt Namibia’s education system, using radios, cell phones and ultimately, computers, to reach the nation’s diverse and widely scattered population of the then roughly two million people. He served his country with absolute integrity and loyalty to the aspirations of the people of Namibia for whom he was prepared to pay any sacrifice. In 2005, he was elected as the third Prime Minister, the second most powerful position in Namibia’s government and worked tirelessly to meet the expectations of the people of Namibia and to strengthen Namibia’s relationship with the rest of Africa. In 2012 he served as the country’s Minister of Defence.
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For Nahas Angula country came first above everything else. He stands out as a leader, innovator and an educator in practice and a scholar who has contributed a lot in raising awareness and proposing the best way for ward to peace, stability, prosperity and democracy both in his own country and in Africa.
Kamel Morjane
Tunisia
A politician, diplomat, peace builder and a passionate African who served the international community and his people with great distinction. In his earlier years he worked at the UNHCR (1977 -1996) in many capacities including, in 1990, Director for South West Asia, the Middle East and North Africa and in 1994 Director for Africa. He was appointed in October 1996 as Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva.
In November 1999 the UN Secretary General appointed him as his Special Representative for the DRC to set up the U.N. peacekeeping mission and later as Assistant UNHCR High Commissioner. From 2005 until January 2010 he served as Defence Minister of Tunisia. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs (2010-2011). He later created a new political party.
Mohammed Omar
Somalia
Served his country as Deputy Prime Minister and twice foreign minister of Somalia in the most difficult times, with remarkable integrity and commitment to bring about peace and stability in Somalia, a leading Somali figure and businessman who is passionate about Africa and keenly monitors political and socio-economic developments in the Horn of Africa.
Dr. Adama Guindo
Mali
Served, as Senior UN/Undp Official for more than 25 years, was Undp Resident Representative in Liberia, Madagascar, Senegal, The Gambia and Deputy SG Special Representative in Haiti, currently an activist on West African security issues. Prior to UN career, Dr. Guindo served as Associate Professor at the University of Niger teaching International Relations.
Brig. Gen Saleh Bala (Rtd)
Nigeria
A distinguished retired Nigerian military officer, academic and specialist on West African and the Sahel defense and security issues. Formerly Military Chief of Staff of the United Nations Mission in C'te d'Ivoire. Currently Chief Executive Officer of White Ink Consult; a Strategic Communication, Defense and Security, Research and Training consultancy, based in Abuja, Nigeria.
Ambassador Muyonga Pastor
Tanzania
Is a Tanzanian who has spent his entire adult life in the service of Tanzania and Africa. He comes with an impressive experience in diplomacy and international relations.He has served his country as foreign affairs official in many capacities mainly as an expert on African regional organizations and as senior official at Tanzania Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York for 6 years (1982-1988). He served as Tanzania Deputy High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa for 6 years (1997-2001) and as Tanzania High Commissioner to the Republic of Mozambique and to the Kingdom of Swaziland concurrently for 5 years (2007-2012). Ambassador Ngaiza also served as Tanzania Ambassador to the Republic of Madagascar and to the Union of Comoros concurrently for 5 years (2007-2012). He also served as Director for Europe and the Americas in the Tanzania Foreign Ministry for 4 years (2003-2007).
His distinguished service for his country has earned him immense appreciation from his Government and other African Governments who had the opportunity to work with him. He is committed to peace and stability in Africa and finds AISSS a good institute through which he can make a further contribution to Africa.
Osei G Kofi
Ghana
Osei Kofi has masters degree in journalism and has received African awards for his distinguished services writing and reporting from most conflict areas in Africa. Osei Kofi is a Ghanaian multilingual leading African journalist who covered most of the crises in Africa, traveled extensively on the continent, with focus on the conflict zones, published a book titled Hello Africa, and several articles on Africa. He is currently a consultant to UN agencies and a trainer of chief executives in communication empowerment. Osei Kofi's work focuses on how to adapt to a new media world that is time-sensitive and more interactive. He is an advocate of bloggers and citizen journalists who mobilize for various causes, including good governance, security and prevention of transnational crimes".
Dr Seife Tadelle Kidane
Executive Board Member and
Head of Strategic Research
Seife has held executive positions in the governmental, private, not-for-profit, international, and academic sectors. He has served in national, regional, and international capacities. He formerly worked with the Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Culture as a senior government advisor for policy strategies. He also worked as a public diplomat for more than fifteen years, rising to the rank of a chief commissioner. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Africa Connect Addis Ababa and Chief Operating Officer of Africa Technology Holdings in South Africa in the private sector. He was a lecturer at private colleges and universities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and an e-tutor at the University of Pretoria. Former Pan African Youth Movement (PYU), president and African Youth Peace Council (AYPC), Vice President of World Federation Democratic Youth (WFDY), Africa Speaks and Great Run Africa. He has also served at the African Union and the United Nations ECOSOC. Currently, he is working at the Institute of Pan African Thought and Conversation (IPATC), the University of Johannesburg, as a Senior Research Fellow. Dr Seife has written about, among other things, the unification of Africa, identity politics, citizenship and peace and security, Pan-African thought, the resolution of conflicts, and Africa's international relations.
Ambassador Idd Bedel Mohamed
Somalia
Ambassador Idd Bedel Mohamed served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Alternate Permanent Representative of Somalia to the United Nations in New York. He concurrently represented Somali government to United States before opening of Somali Embassy in Washington DC. He has been Somali diplomat at the United Nations in New York from 2001 to 2016. He served as Advisor to the Prime Minister of Somalia, senior Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Internal Security.
Ambassador Mohamed has extensive experience of more than sixteen years in multilateral organization of intergovernmental organizations such as United Nations, European Union (EU), Organization of Islamic Conferences, African Union (AU), League of Arab States (LAS) and IGAD countries. He has been member of Somali delegations for international forums; among them, United Nations General Assembly, UN Security Council, Africa Union, Europe Union, League of Arab States, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and IGAD. He involved AU-IGAD led Peace Processes on IGAD and Africa.
He founded Investment Group International (IGI), firm that provides Consulting, Lobbying, Public Relations and Strategic Advices for governments and businesses; he is Chair of Somali Institute of Security Studies.
Ambassador Mohamed gave speeches in many US and Internationsl forums.
He has several degrees from esteemed universities in the US and Canada.
Dr. John Gai Yoh
Dr. John Gai Yoh, is a South Sudanese national, obtained BA in Political Science, MA in history from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon and PhD in International Politics from University of South Africa in Pretoria.
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He has served in various capacities within South Sudan and abroad. His assignments included Presidential Advisor on Education Affairs, Minister of Education, Science & Technology and currently a member of Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA).
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He also served as the first South Sudanese ambassador to the Republic of Turkey and was the head of Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) Southern African Liaison Office, Pretoria. The Mission was accredited to South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius and SADC Organization. He traveled to over 40 countries in five continents.
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Dr. Yoh, has lectured in universities in Middle East and South Africa. He was Resident Research Associate at the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, Amman, Jordan as well as lecturer at University of South Africa (UNISA) between 2003 and 2007.
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Dr. Yoh has authored several works on Sudanese politics, regional and international organizations, colonial politics, Pan-Africanism, security, strategic studies, and African political conflicts.
Dr. Yoh is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of South Sudan Center for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS), Juba.
Dawit W Giorgis
Executive Director
Originally from Ethiopia, US citizen, permanent resident of Namibia; served as P.S of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Governor of Eritrea (prior to independence) and Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner during one of the most publicised famine relief operations. He later served as UN consultant in 11 African conflict and post conflict countries; was a visiting fellow at Princeton University, University of Cape Town and Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Wash, D.C. at different times.
He has published four books (his most recent titled "What a Life", a 640 page on his personal African experience), several articles, and several research works more recently on The Iran Saudi Rivalry and the Scramble for the Horn; Ethiopia: The Realignment and Buildup of Forces in the Horn of Africa; War Ravaged Africa and the Myth of Africa Rising; Ethiopia and the United States: Can the Crisis be Prevented?; Organ Trafficking and the African Migrants; Border Walls and the Rise of the Right; and more which can be found on the website of AFRICAISSS. www.africaisss.org. He has made presentations in many international conferences on Terrorism and Transnational Crimes in Africa.
