AIDE | Our History

AIDE | TRANSITIONING FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH AND SUCCESS

AIDE (African Institute for Development and Equity) was borne during the exit of CORDAID Sierra Leone, a reputable Dutch NGO with over 120 years of global operations. With CORDAID Sierra Leone NGO operations ending in Q3 of 2022 after twenty-two years of operations—CORDAID and the CORDAID Sierra Leone and Liberia Office Country Director Mohamed Sesay began to find ways to: 

1. Sustain the gains made by CORDAID in the areas of Healthcare; Private Sector Development; Security and Justice; Community Development; and Systems Strengthening 
2. Continue to utilize the staff and keep them gainfully employed in an organization which will harness and develop their skills—as well as use them for a common good. 
3. Close the gaps in expertise that will be needed—when CORDAID exits Sierra Leone--for future development grants and projects. 
4. Strengthen localization and achieve CORDAID localization goals by creating a local entity with the similar expertise as the dissolving entity (CORDAID). 
5. Create partnership channels where the expertise of CORDAID’s Experts, Communities of Practices; and Networks can be utilized when the opportunity allows. 

The CORDAID exit team consisted of The Country Director, Senior Managers (3), Mid-level Managers, and some Project and Administrative Support staff.  In January 2022, The then CORDAID Country Director Mr. Mohamed Sesay requested a formal transition with no financial or legal obligations from CORDAID Sierra Leone to a Local Non-Governmental Organization—which he will lead alongside the existing team—if possible. 

With the support of the Local NGO Strengthening initiative by the Sierra Leone Government; mainly, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, under the Leadership of Dr. Francis Kai Kai--we took the first step to realizing our dream of owning our own NGO by incorporating a legal local Non-Governmental Organization named AIDE (AFRICAN INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND EQUITY).