In October 2025, Stake experts launched the second cohort of its Professional Exchange Program for Conflict Mitigation by CSOs, an initiative designed to support leaders of West African organizations navigating a period of profound upheaval. Over three months, participants receive intensive guidance to strengthen their institutions’ resilience and competitiveness through practical programme development tools. In this feature, we spotlight one of the four members of the second cohort: Florent ABALOROU.
Florent ABALOROU is a young leader passionate about civic engagement and community development. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Literature. As co-founder of the GBAMBA association and Monitoring & Evaluation Officer since 2022, he has coordinated community resilience projects funded by USAID-OTI, notably focusing on training and equipping young people for cashew nut processing in Copargo.
His journey has been deeply shaped by field experiences, particularly within the NGO Havre de Paix, where he contributed to projects on conflict prevention, combating gender-based violence, addressing early and forced marriage, and promoting children’s rights, with support from partners such as UNICEF, Canada, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He began as a mentor for adolescents before becoming a school facilitator.
Driven by his commitment, Florent was elected Youth Mayor of Copargo and represents young people at the Communal Observatory for Education (OCE-Copargo). He is also a member of the Jeunes Amour et Vie club, where he continues his work in youth empowerment.
He is currently developing a multidimensional approach to community development, built around several pillars: promoting peace and social cohesion through sports tournaments, creating a school of governance and public administration to train future leaders, recognizing young entrepreneurs through excellence awards, establishing platforms for peaceful dialogue in conflict management, and raising youth awareness against violent extremism through citizen marathons.
Florent aspires to become an influential actor in sustainable development, with the ambition of actively involving young people in concrete actions to fight underemployment and strengthen civic participation. He envisions a development model where every young person is a pillar of stability and progress for their community.
His participation in the second cohort of the STAKE EXPERTS professional exchange program is part of his ongoing effort to strengthen his capacities to effectively address issues related to community conflicts.
GBAMBA, an Organization Committed to Social Cohesion and Prosperity
Founded in February 2022 in Copargo, Donga, Benin, the GBAMBA Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to peace, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Its mission is to strengthen community resilience, particularly among young people and women, through initiatives in education, conflict prevention, combating gender-based violence, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Among its achievements are training young people in cashew nut processing and women in shea butter production, with the establishment of local processing units. GBAMBA prioritizes participatory and digital approaches to mobilize communities and enhance cooperation, relying on a structure composed of an executive office, a board of directors, and volunteers to pursue its vision of an environment of peaceful and prosperous communities. Following the CSO Fellowship, GBAMBA plans to reinforce its conflict prevention and community resilience initiatives in the commune of Copargo, develop new projects, and strengthen its partnerships with civil society organizations and local authorities.
For more information, please contact fellowship@stakeexperts.com.