Lukas, Junior Advisor, at the Deutsche Gesellchaft für International Zusammenarbeit

Lukas Drammeh has graduated in International Security. Coming from Germany, he works as Junior Advisor, at the Deutsche Gesellchaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Ethiopia and Djibouti. 

>What is your role and main responsibilities? 

In my current role as Junior Advisor, I am based in the Republic of Djibouti. I work at GIZ (German Development cooperation agency) in the “SIMPI” project, which stands for “Strengthening IGAD’s Migration Policy Implementation”. Hence, the project directly collaborates with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - an African Regional Economic Committee (REC) - that includes seven member states in the Horn of Africa and East Africa. We support  this organization in (a) establishing and monitoring its regional migration and displacement policies, and (b) supporting IGAD member states to adapt national legislation and accommodate the provisions of IGAD policies. 

I oversee the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system of our project. This means that I regularly conduct survey interviews with politicians and beneficiaries of project activities, in order to assess the impact of our interventions, and measure the change that these provoked. Moreover, I regularly conduct evaluations of political convenings, such as Scientific Conferences on Migration and Displacement, policy forums on IGAD’s regional policies and its domestication in member states, national consultations on Costed Plans on Refugee Education, and many others, in order to collect feedback by participants on the influence of newly acquired learnings on their day-to-day work.

Last, I regularly compile information about our project results for progress reports requested by our commissioning party, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).  As communication focal person, I collaborate with my IGAD counterparts to produce various knowledge products such as policy briefs and flyers, explanatory videos, human impact stories, and interviews, but also organigrams and brochures, in order to disseminate accessible knowledge about the work of the IGAD Migration Programme both internally, as well as to externals (such as German ambassadors). I also serve as direct administrative support to our Project Team Lead in various tasks, including the preparation of meetings with IGAD stakeholders, German ambassadors and Ministry representatives, and partner organizations such as IOM, ILO and UNHCR, but also legal documentation, the editing of Implementation agreements to officialize our cooperation with IGAD and other official documents, among others. 

How did you secure this role? 

I was interning during my third semester of Sciences Po at GIZ Headquarters in Bonn in a project was addressing Human mobility in the context of climate change. At the time, the project was establishing new component in Djibouti, which is why other GIZ projects based in Djibouti (including the one where I am currently working) were rather familiar to me. Months after the end of my internship, my former supervisor contacted me to strongly suggest that I should apply for the Junior position in Djibouti. After three months, another Junior who was initially selected backed out, and a second round of applications was launched. It was then that I was invited for an interview, and finally selected to join the SIMPI project. 

What is the most fascinating and/or surprising aspect at your role?

Working with a regional African organization means interacting (in my case) with colleagues from: Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya. Most IGAD meetings, which take place throughout the region, are rich in languages, cultural backgrounds, and reflective of the socio-political dynamics and progress of not one, but seven African countries! 

How did your PSIA experience help you with the role? 

Curiosity: For one, having worked on various topics at PSIA has nourished my curiosity to learn about complex dynamics in the Horn of Africa by moving beyond the specifics of my work. As such, I also ensured to acquire more knowledge about conflict mediation processes led by IGAD and the African Union in the region, the ancient history of IGAD member states such as Ethiopia and Sudan, migration patterns from, within, and through my duty station Djibouti, economic challenges, diaspora dynamics, etc.  

Multitasking: the work at GIZ is labour-intensive, an requires a high level of multitasking and prioritizing. At PSIA, students usually work on various papers, presentations, and larger projects simultaneously, which requires a to establish and maintain an orderly and system to not get overwhelmed. This skill, which I am still improving, has proven to be useful.  

Conciseness: My day-to-day activities also entail presentations and briefings on a variety of technical topics. Having learned to present complex topics orally in a timeframe of 10-15 minutes at PSIA has taught me to be clear and concise in my briefings. Creating PowerPoint presentations that only figure the most essential information is highly appreciated, especially at upper-management level. 

What advice would you give to others? 

Create a solid network of teachers and peers: if you have high-ranking and experienced teachers whose work and career you find interesting, reach out to them and find a way to establish a regular line of communication. Being elected class representative, for example, is an excellent way to create a personal relation, and ensure that you are remembered even after your graduation. Being able to refer to those teachers in reference letters is usually well seen. Moreover, some of your former peers might share job advertisings with you, before they go online!  

If you can, add at least one more UN language (apart from English and/or French) to your repertoire. From my experience as a German national, speaking French and English already gave me a clear advantage on the job market (for positions where foreign languages were required, which is usually the case in large corporations and international organizations). With Arabic, which is the second national language in Djibouti next to French, I had a clear advantage during the application procedure! 

• More about the Master in International Security
• More about the Deutsche Gesellchaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)