Djerba, March 24, 2026
The Sahara and Sahel Observatory held the 28th session of its Strategic Orientation Committee (SOC), bringing together high-level experts to discuss the Organization’s future guidelines in a rapidly evolving international context.
In their opening remarks, the Executive Secretary, Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, and Mr. Assane Soumaré, SOC Chairperson, recalled the Committee’s key role in informing strategic decision-making and strengthening the consistency of the OSS actions. Discussions highlighted the need to consolidate the Organization’s positioning by leveraging its comparative advantage and affirming its role as a leading actor at both regional and international levels.
The exchanges focused on the OSS transformation pathway, trusted to be gradual, realistic, and sustainable, as well as on clarifying strategic choices and prioritizing actions. Particular attention was given to the economic model and the diversification of funding sources, through consolidated partnerships and improved resource mobilization.
The SOC also underscored the importance of Member States’ role, whose contributions constitute a key lever for ownership and support of the Organization, as well as the need to enhance the alignment of all OSS interventions with national priorities.
Discussions further highlighted ongoing internal modernization efforts, particularly in governance, risk management, and digital transformation, with the deployment of the ERP system as a structuring tool to improve the Organization’s performance and management.
Finally, SOC members emphasized the need to strengthen the OSS role in advocacy and visibility, as well as the importance of an integrated approach to climate-water-agriculture nexus issues and resilience, in order to better address environmental challenges in Africa.
The session ended with the SOC restatement of its commitment to supporting the OSS in its transformation process and its ambition to reinforce its role as a key actor in advancing sustainable development across the continent.