Ismaël Allahi Bizo

A graduate in agricultural sciences and rural economics, Ismaël has been very active in the fields of sustainable land management, combating desertification, rural advocacy and youth engagement in sustainable development in Niger. He holds an impressive number of senior positions in this sector, including: member of the coordination committee of CNCOD, a network of NGOs and development associations in Niger; Assistant to the national coordination of the Réseau Sahel Désertification (ReSaD) ; project and youth mobilization officer for JEDD (an NGO working to mobilize youth for sustainable development); and President of AJEEC-NIGER (National Executive Office of Youth Association for the Environment and Civic Education in Niger). Over the past four years, he has worked on a regional caravan for eco-citizenship in secondary schools, developed several environmental competitions in schools, worked on publicity campaigns and various tree-planting initiatives, and runs a monthly forum on agricultural entrepreneurship and agro-ecology at the University of Niamey. He coordinates a subregional forum (Sahel and Grand Muraille Verte countries) for young people on Desertification and Climate. In all his roles and activities, he shows enthusiasm, creativity and determination.

With the JWHI grant, Ismaël has sought to strengthen his leadership capacity by undergoing project management training with a consultancy firm, in which he developed his strategic planning and monitoring and evaluation skills. In addition, he took an English-language course in order to boost his communication skills with international partners.