In the light of its firm pursuit to develop the capabilities of partner institutions in the endowment and charitable field, the IICO hosted a delegation of the Niger's Higher Authority of Waqf, to review the pioneering Kuwaiti experience in the field of endowment, through holding numerous meetings with the concerned institutions, and sharing experiences regarding preparation for the International Conference on Endowment Investment, to be held in Niger this year 2023, under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Niger, Muhammad Bazoum, and in cooperation with The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank. 

Through its Afro-Asian tour which included several countries experienced in Endowment field including Kuwait, the Niger's Delegation seeks to promote a set of endowment projects which target strengthening partnerships among governmental, private, and charitable sectors, opening new prospects for cooperation, coordination, and partnership with Kuwaiti Charitable entities in order to attract more humanitarian interventions and charitable projects to support the humanitarian status in the Niger. 

In this context, the IICO hosted the introduction, coordination, and experiences sharing meeting in its headquarter under presidency of the IICO Acting General Director, Abdul Rahman Al-Mutawa, and presence of the Chairman of IICO Observation and Guidance Council, the Niger's Former Prime Minister, the Former Secretariat-General of OIC, Dr. Hamed Al-Ghabed, and his accompanying delegation, the Ambassador of Niger in Kuwait, H.E Ousseini Tinni, and group of Kuwaiti charitable and humanitarian action leaders. 

Al-Mutawa warm heartedly welcomed the Niger's Delegation conveying the greetings of both IICO Chairman, Dr. Abdullah Al-Maatouq and the Director-General Eng. Badr Al-Sumait hoping that their visit to Kuwait achieve success within the context of fruitful constructive cooperation which yields great benefits to the marginalized and most needy groups in Niger. 

Al-Mutawa expressed his thanks and appreciation to the leaders and representatives of Kuwaiti Charitable Organizations for accepting invitation and their keenness to participate by enriching the meeting through their interventions, questions, and suggestions on developing the Niger's Waqf portfolio, and legalizing its projects in order to protect and keep its sustainability and maximize its effect. 

In the opening speech of that meeting, Al-Mutawa said that this meeting is an important opportunity to share experiences and open new prospects for cooperation and coordination, within the common humanitarian goals, efforts on supporting the endowment projects in the State of Niger. 

"Through presence in Niger, via our regional office established since 1987, the IICO seeks to provide all forms of humanitarian , developmental, educational, and cultural support for the most vulnerable groups in Niger within our strategic approach aiming at building human, and to economically, culturally, and educationally empower them, to become effective in their community", Al-Mutawa said. 

For his part, Dr. Al-Ghabed expressed his joy with this visit to Kuwait, and aspiration to benefit from the Kuwaiti experiment in managing endowments to improve his country's nascent experience in endowment field. Al-Ghabed praised the Kuwaiti charitable and endowment endeavors, and the evident Kuwaiti leadership in charitable and humanitarian actions internationally.

He pointed that Kuwait has unique and rich field experience in charity, which made the Charitable Work Super Stars, most notably Dr. Abdurrahman Al -Sumait, one of most prominent charitable work leaders. 

For her part, the Director-General of the Higher Authority of Waqf, Khadija Diallo demonstrated the objective of the visit saying: "we are visiting Kuwait to end a promotional tour for Niger's Higher Authority of Waqf projects', which includes several pioneer countries in the endowment field, to review the Kuwaiti model and make use of the expertise of Kuwaiti charitable and humanitarian organizations which are highly skilled in managing endowments, as well as charitable and humanitarian action." 

In a presentation about the Niger's Higher Authority of Waqf, Diallo denoted that the Authority was established in 2020 under a presidential Decree in order to promote the charitable work in Niger and make it a developmental sustainable work, spread Waqf Culture among the community members, combat poverty and decrease social differences, and manage endowments affairs, pointing that the Higher Authority of Waqf has established an endowment fund inspired by the Kuwaiti endowment model to support families of orphans, widows, and martyrs. 

Diallo drew attention that the Higher Authority of Waqf aims at maximizing the effect of the charitable work and sustaining its resources by 2030, in addition to raising necessary funds to fill the gaps in the social sectors affecting the citizens' lives such as Health and education sectors, economically empowering youth and vulnerable groups of society, and making a quantum leap in rural development, by considering that almost 80% of Niger's population are residing in rural areas.

"In order to achieve these objectives, the Higher Authority of Waqf seeks for organizing an international conference on the endowment investment in Niger this year, for which all member states in OIC are called to participate in, under the auspices of OIC and the Islamic Development Bank", She added.

Diallo stated that the establishment of the Higher Authority of Waqf made Niger a destination for Islamic Social Finance, especially because 99% of the Niger's population are Muslims, having a 40-year-old Islamic University affiliated to OIC, a 40-year-old Islamic Bank, and a 13-story endowment commercial building which contains an accommodation for female students of 23 African states. 

The Leaders of Kuwaiti Charitable Work had valuable discussions on the priorities of the Nigerian Endowment within the upcoming stage, whether there any endowments prior to the establishment of the Authority, or a media platform. The Discussions also tackled challenges of Waqf System in Niger and its connection to judicial, security, and economic systems, as well as guarantees which are considered a protection for endowment projects and encourages Waqf maker to enter Niger. 

In her answers to inquiries and questions of Kuwaiti Charitable Societies and Organizations, Diallo asserted that Niger's Higher Authority of Waqf is a recently established organization which is incorporated only two years ago, and critically needs to benefit from the expertise of the Kuwaiti organizations in developing Endowment project case studies, the approaches of managing endowments, and quick response to support and finance some of its charitable projects such as Endowment Investment Fund, Orphans' Families Support Project, and Economic Empowerment of Society's Vulnerable Groups.

Diallo stated that the Delegation's tour in several Asian and African states yielded numerous MOUs and MOCs, all in addition to the entities which expressed their tendency to sign partnership agreements after accepting some conditions. 

It is noteworthy that the Niger's Government has honored IICO office in Niger in appreciation to its efforts in social development and fighting poverty in Niger. The IICO office has recently implemented several major developmental projects benefited tens of thousands of needy people, the most prominent of which is 5 complementary typical villages, an educational community, and diverse of small developmental projects designed to combat unemployment spreading among youth and scarcity of the state's resources.