USOFORAL and CIH Launch Strategic Partnership to Promote Peace, Leadership, and Community Innovation in Senegal

Dakar, Senegal — The Regional Women’s Solidarity Committee for Peace in Casamance – (USOFORAL) and the Community Innovation Hub (CIH) have officially entered a strategic partnership. Their goal is clear: strengthen peacebuilding, community cohesion, and socio-economic innovation across Senegal. This collaboration prioritizes women empowerment, and youth, and local communities’ engagement through leadership development, social entrepreneurship, and technology-enabled solutions.

A Strategic Partnership for Community Resilience

Under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), USOFORAL and CIH will jointly design, implement, and scale initiatives that enhance community participation and prevent conflict. USOFORAL brings decades of experience in peacebuilding, civic education, and women’s empowerment. CIH contributes its expertise in community-led innovation and digital solutions.

“This partnership is about transforming community needs into practical solutions while fostering leadership and resilience,” said Assiatou Kama-Niang, Co-founder and Executive Director of CIH. “By working hand in hand with local women and youth, we can co-create programs that are inclusive, impactful, and sustainable.”

Driving Leadership, Peace, and Innovation

The USOFORAL × CIH collaboration centers on three main pillars:

  • Leadership and Peacebuilding: Programs will strengthen the role of women and youth in conflict prevention, civic engagement, and community cohesion.
  • Community Innovation and Socio-Economic Empowerment: Initiatives will combine social innovation, technological solutions, and entrepreneurship to support economic resilience and stability.
  • Resource Mobilization and Advocacy: Both organizations will identify funding opportunities, promote innovative approaches to peace and leadership, and raise visibility through panels, workshops, and strategic communications.

 

“Our aim is to create spaces where communities can voice their needs, experiment with innovative solutions, and see tangible benefits from collaboration,” noted Sylvia Dooper, Development & Partnerships Officer at CIH.

Echoing this, Rokhaya Anna Sané, Executive Director of USOFORAL, said, “By combining our deep local knowledge with CIH’s innovative approaches, we can empower women and youth to lead change, strengthen social cohesion, and build resilient communities across Senegal.”

Engaging Communities and Amplifying Impact

Communities are at the heart of this partnership. Women and youth will actively co-design programs, take part in innovation workshops, and lead initiatives addressing local challenges. Projects will focus on economic empowerment, social cohesion, and leadership development. The aim is clear: ensure that innovation delivers real, lasting impact on the ground.

USOFORAL brings strong local networks and legitimacy in priority regions. CIH contributes technical know-how, digital tools, and methodological expertise. Together, they will co-create initiatives that reinforce resilience in fragile communities, particularly in Casamance and other sensitive zones.  

Laying the Foundation for Sustainable Collaboration

The partnership establishes a framework for long-term cooperation. Each project will have clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation.

“This is more than a collaboration. It is a model for integrating community-led innovation with social impact,” emphasized Assiatou Kama-Niang. “By leveraging our complementary strengths, we are amplifying the voices of those who drive change at the grassroots level.”

Looking Ahead

USOFORAL and CIH plan to expand their collaboration. Future initiatives will include additional funding mobilization, technology-enabled solutions, and programs promoting economic empowerment, peacebuilding, and leadership development.

Together, USOFORAL and CIH are creating a new model for collaborative, impact-driven partnerships, where peace, innovation, and leadership come together to create lasting change.

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Bocar Traoré

Bocar Traoré

Strategic Partnerships and Development Intern

Bocar TRAORE is a Strategic Partnership and Development Intern at Community Innovation Hub, where he supports the organization's resource mobilization, project design, and partner engagement strategies.

Working closely alongside the Strategic Partnerships and Development Officer, Bocar assists in identifying strategic funding opportunities, conducting donor research, and supporting the development of concept notes and proposals across health, climate resilience, agriculture, education, and inclusive governance.

Bocar Traoré

Bocar Traoré

Stagiaire en Partenariats Stratégiques et Développement

Bocar TRAORE est Stagiaire en Partenariats Stratégiques et Développement au Community Innovation Hub, où il appuie la mobilisation des ressources, la conception de projets et les stratégies d'engagement des partenaires de l'organisation.

Travaillant en étroite collaboration avec la Chargée des Partenariats Stratégiques et du Développement, Bocar contribue à l'identification d'opportunités de financement stratégiques, à la recherche de bailleurs de fonds et à l'élaboration de notes de cadrage et de propositions de projets dans les domaines de la santé, de la résilience climatique, de l'agriculture, de l'éducation et de la gouvernance inclusive.

Nancy Akpo

Nancy Akpo

Communication Intern

Nancy AKPO is a Communication & Development Intern at the Community Innovation Hub, where she supports content creation, digital presence, and funding opportunity research across the organization's programs.

Her work combines digital communication and development strategy. She contributes to building CIH's editorial presence across platforms, producing content that makes the organization's impact visible and accessible, while also supporting the identification of funding opportunities aligned with CIH's mission.

El Hadji Malick Niang

El Hadji Malick Niang

Stagiaire Technologies & Innovation

El Hadji Malick NIANG est stagiaire développeur en Technologies et Innovation au Community Innovation Hub, où il appuie la conception, le prototypage et l'exploration technique d'outils numériques destinés aux programmes à impact communautaire.

Son travail de stage combine développement logiciel, automatisation, structuration de données et recherche appliquée. Il contribue à la création et au test de solutions pratiques comme des tableaux de bord, des scripts, des prototypes techniques et des modèles d'analyse, tout en aidant à évaluer comment les outils numériques peuvent soutenir des domaines comme la santé communautaire, l'agriculture, l'inclusion et le développement local.

Fatoumata Bakhoum Samb

Fatoumata Bakhoum Samb

Administrative and Financial Manager

Fatoumata BAKHOUM SAMB is the Administrative and Financial Manager (RAF) at Community Innovation Hub, where she leads the organization's financial stewardship, administrative operations, budget management, and internal compliance systems.

With more than a decade of experience in administrative, accounting, and financial management, she has worked across corporate consulting, private enterprise, renewable energy, and social innovation. Her work is rooted in establishing transparent financial governance, driving operational efficiency, and building rigorous management frameworks that support sustainable development.

At CIH, Fatoumata oversees financial planning, treasury management, internal audits, and administrative execution in support of community projects focused on inclusion, education, and innovation. Drawing from her background in structuring financial systems for energy transition initiatives at Coseer Energy and managing corporate compliance at Fideo Holding, she ensures that the organization maintains accountable, high-performing financial practices.

Fatoumata holds a degree in Accounting and Finance from ESUP Dakar and possesses technical expertise in modern financial software, including Sage Saari 100, Odoo, and QuickBooks.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time on family outings, traveling, and shopping in her free time.

Steve Charvet

Steve Charvet

Responsable Technologies et Innovations

Steve CHARVET est le Responsable Technologie et Innovation au Community Innovation Hub, où il pilote la stratégie numérique de l'organisation, supervise le développement des outils technologiques et sert d'interface principale entre les équipes techniques externes et le CIH sur l'ensemble des projets en cours.

Fort d'un parcours à la croisée de la technologie et du développement, il apporte son expertise dans les systèmes d'information géographique (SIG), l'intelligence artificielle appliquée et la conception d'outils numériques adaptés aux contextes à ressources limitées. Son travail repose sur un principe simple : mettre la technologie au service des personnes, et non l'inverse.

Au sein du CIH, Steve coordonne le déploiement de plateformes technologiques dans des domaines stratégiques tels que la santé communautaire, l'agriculture et l'équité de genre. Il gère les systèmes internes de suivi et de traçabilité des financements de l'organisation, tout en identifiant des opportunités de partenariats stratégiques pour développer et faire passer à l'échelle le portefeuille d'innovations du CIH.

Avant de rejoindre le secteur du développement, Steve a travaillé comme compositeur de musique en France à la fin des années 1990, lors de l'essor des technologies sonores numériques, une expérience qui a forgé sa conviction que les technologies les plus puissantes sont celles qui amplifient l'expression et le potentiel humains.

Steve est titulaire d'un DEUG en Langues, Littératures et Civilisations Étrangères (Anglais) de l'Université Jean Moulin (Lyon III) et d'un titre certifié en Communication Digitale et Management Marketing délivré par le CIFAP.

En dehors du travail, il continue de se passionner pour la musique, la création musicale et de passer du temps de qualité en famille.

Sylvia Dooper

Sylvia Dooper

Partnerships and Development Officer

Sylvia DOOPER is the Strategic Partnerships and Development Officer at Community Innovation Hub, where she works alongside the Executive Director to drive the organization's resource mobilization, project design, and strategic alliance building.

With a solid background in international development, diplomacy, governance, and partnership building, she has worked across issues ranging from local governance and higher education to global health, advocacy, and regional development. Her work is rooted in connecting people, ideas, and resources to champion locally led solutions and create sustainable, long-term impact through meaningful collaboration.

At CIH, Sylvia focuses on identifying and cultivating strategic partnerships, developing high-impact concept notes, and designing funding proposals across health, climate resilience, agriculture, education, and inclusive governance. Drawing from her background across diplomatic, multilateral, and advocacy organizations, including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, VNG International, The ONE Campaign, and GDI Advisors, she builds robust networks to scale the Hub's reach.

Sylvia holds a Bachelor's degree in International Development Studies from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, a Master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Lund University in Sweden, and a Master's degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Antwerp University in Belgium.

Outside of work, she is passionate about sports and thrives on challenges that require discipline and resilience, qualities she brings into her professional life.

Assiatou Kama Niang

Assiatou Kama Niang

Executive Director

Assiatou KAMA NIANG is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Community Innovation Hub, where she leads the organization's strategic direction, partnerships, resource mobilization and program development across Africa.

With more than a decade of experience in public health, public policy, gender equity and community engagement, she has worked across research, policy analysis, partnership development and multi-country program management. Her work is rooted in translating evidence, technology and local knowledge into practical solutions that respond to community priorities.

At CIH, Assiatou provides strategic leadership for the organization's growth across health, climate resilience, agriculture, education and inclusive governance. She guides the development of CIH's program portfolio, cultivates institutional and technical partnerships, leads resource mobilization efforts and ensures that the organization's work remains grounded in locally led, evidence-informed innovation.

Assiatou holds a Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Oregon State University, a Master's degree in Health Promotion Management, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy Analysis from American University in Washington, D.C.

Outside of work, she enjoys family time, good food and making space for rest and relaxation, especially well-deserved spa days.