Kenya joins Sahara Sahel Observatory Board as 3rd Vice President

Kenya has officially joined the Board of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) as the 3rd Vice President, a key leadership position that reaffirms the country’s growing commitment to regional environmental cooperation and climate resilience.

The announcement was made Wednesday during the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) Board meeting.

Speaking Wednesday after the announcement, Kenya’s Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary Dr. Festus Ngeno who is representing Kenya in the meeting said the new leadership role strengthens Kenya’s voice in shaping sustainable land and water management strategies across the Sahel-Saharan region.

“We look forward to working with member states to advance collective climate action and ecosystem restoration in Africa”. He said.

The Chairman role was taken by Egypt, with France, Libya Benin, Mauritania as first, second, and fourth vice chairs respectively.

Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Tunis since 2000, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory is an international organization with a focus on Africa.

Its mission is to promote and support partnerships that address key environmental challenges such as water resource management, land degradation, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation.

Today, the OSS has 28 African and 7 non-African member countries along with 12 entities representatives of West, East and North Africa, as well as several UN agencies and non-governmental Organizations.

These collaborations aim to strengthen shared efforts for a sustainable future in the region.

The OSS mission is to help its African member countries sustainably manage their natural resources, especially in a particularly disadvantageous climate change context. Its action focuses on arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas of Africa.

Kenya’s new leadership role at the OSS Board is expected to enhance its influence in driving Africa’s environmental policy agenda and contribute to sustainable development across vulnerable ecosystems in the region.