Nourdine M. Harouna Abdou has more than 15 years of experience in youth leadership, particularly in youth organization and civic and political training for better participation of youth in the democratic process and governance in Niger. He has more than 10 years of experience working on security programs that have addressed themes such as community dialogue, peacebuilding, and building community resilience against violent extremism, particularly amongst young people and women. He has also worked on civilian-military dialogue to build trust and on the dynamics of access to justice.

Nourdine has coordinated several community dialogue programs and led various studies and evaluations. He has conducted quantitative and qualitative studies, and evaluations related to issues of security and peace. Through his work, Nourdine has built solid professional relationships with political and military authorities, with nationally and locally elected officials, civil society leaders, customary authorities, and youth networks.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Countering Violent Extremism in Niamey 5

50 representatives including community leaders, women’s rights activists, civil servants, religious figures, students, and people with disabilities discussed the fight against violent extremism in Niamey. This forum took place in two stages and lasted for two days. The first part of the forum focused on training the project participants on violent extremism and the prevention of radicalization. The second part of the forum allowed the participants to evaluate the security situation of Niamey 5 and to reflect on solutions and actions which enabled them to face the rise of violent extremism and radicalization. The objective of these trainings was to prevent extremism and radicalization in young people and women.

The project trained actors on violent extremism and radicalization, how to diagnose security challenges and identify the best behaviors to adopt in the face of terrorism, and identified ways community members can take meaningful action. Participants learned to identify socioeconomic and cultural reasons why young people fall into extremism. They also gathered resources to learn about names given to extremist groups to better identify them and intervene in cases of youths moving towards extremism.

Project participants created an action plan to combat the rise of violent extremism by targeting key players in communities to engage. The key players identified were religious leaders (imams, pastors, and animist priests), teachers (secular and religious teachers), and community leaders. By engaging these community members, issues such as drug use and religious intolerance can be mitigated

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IVLP Exchange Experience 

Mamane was a participant in the IVLP Project Countering Violent Extremism, organized by the U.S. Department of State and World Learning in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana, WorldDenver, Boulder Council for International Visitors and International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles.

Mamane's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "IVLP allowed me to strengthen my expertise in innovative initiatives to fight against violent extremism."

U.S. Communities Visited

Los Angeles, CA; Boulder, CO; Denver, CO; Washington, DC; Louisville, KY

Country: Niger 

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