written by Mannat Singh
Over the past six years BSC has trained 382 practitioners in 81 countries through its flagship 6-month Implementing Public Policy (IPP) executive program. The program was created to equip policymakers around the world with multiple tools to solve today’s complex public problems. A key component of the program is the IPP community of practice, a growing and thriving network of program alumni who engage regularly, continue their learning, and support each other in ongoing professional and personal challenges and successes.
We hosted our first IPP community of practice seminar for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in Bahrain from January 31st-February 2nd, 2025. With the generous support of the MENA Centre for Investment and leadership by the event Co-Chairs Mohamed Hejres and Hana Kanoo, both IPP alumni from the class of 2019, along with coordination by Shirley Almeida, the event was a roaring success.
The IPP seminar provided an opportunity for alumni to reconvene, meet like-minded people, and collectively address complex policy challenges. Iteration is the operative word in PDIA and a key question for those learning our tools is- how does one adapt the framework to solve problems in different contexts? Organizing an event dedicated to real experiences from IPP alumni and practitioners in the MENA region served as an important reminder that PDIA indeed works when done properly.
“If you’re stuck and genuinely care about solving problems, not just delivering outputs, this methodology might be for you.”
Matt Andrews, Faculty Director, Building State Capability
Figure 1: Alumni and BSC team members at the IPP Alumni Seminar in Bahrain
Bringing together the Community of Practice
Our Community of Practice includes 4500 practitioners across 156 countries who have been trained on PDIA. Our newly launched Community of Practice platform along with our vast array of events have allowed us to not only sustain but also grow this network. The IPP alumni seminar held in Bahrain was no different. Convening 21 IPP Alumni from 15 countries, along with representation from the Building State Capability team, the event brought together some new and familiar faces.
“We are deeply committed to engaging and activating our entire PDIA community of practice. We want to build a global movement of public problem solvers.”
Salimah Samji, Executive Director, Building State Capability
An event to remember
With a dinner reception, fireside chat, PDIA cases, panel discussions and interactive sessions, the event was truly one to remember. The two day-long function was kicked off with a dinner reception gathering IPP alumni along with influential policymakers and practitioners in Bahrain. After a warm welcome by the co-chairs, the guests learned about sustainable prosperity in the Arab Gulf from Dr. Jarmo Kotilaine, Chief Economist of Bahrain Economic Development Board. A special Ardah dance by a folklore band was the finishing touch to a spectacular evening.
Figure 2 (Left): Presentation on Sustainable Prosperity in the Arab Gulf by Dr. Jarmo Kotilaine; Figure 3 (Right): Ardah dance performance
The next day, the delegates attended an exclusive fireside chat between Minister of Cabinet Affairs, HE Hamad Almalki and Matt Andrews. HE Hamad Almalki drew from his own experience of working in the government and emphasized the importance of adopting a curious and learning mindset to address policy challenges (read a blog post featuring HE Hamad Almalki in our leading through crisis series). Having learned about PDIA in the context of Bahrain, the next session zoomed into applying the framework in other parts of the MENA region, specifically in Tunisia and Jordan.
Figure 4: Fireside chat with HE Hamad Almalki and Matt Andrews
Lobna Jeribi, Public Sector Director, Wevioo International Consultancy, and Tim Kornprobst, Technical Advisor, GIZ, discussed their success using PDIA in addressing solid waste management in Tunisia and Jordan respectively. In her presentation, Lobna emphasized the importance of using the triple A analysis (Authority, Acceptance and Ability) to find an entry point in her problem- addressing financing mechanisms for municipal waste management. These efforts ultimately led to improved selective sorting initiatives and a mobile application for real time monitoring. Innovations like a Waste Management Consortium and Social Innovation Incubators also proved to be helpful in driving overall success. A similar positive outcome was observed in Jordan as presented by Tim Kornprobst, who used PDIA to address long decision making in solid waste management. By securing authorization, conducting a PDIA workshop, forging partnerships and iterating along the way, Tim emphasized how they closed data gaps which in turn improved operational efficiency in waste management. The result? “10.000 JD per month saved, the environment better protected, and hundreds of families have more income, their providers have more dignity”. Following both presentations, the Q&A session with Peter Harrington underscored the importance of not only creating the right conditions around PDIA (authorization, support, stakeholders) but also strengthening the inner workings of PDIA teams including building team capability and trust.
Watch the video recording:
Figure 5: Panel discussion with Tim Kornprobst, Lobna Jeribi, and Peter Harrington
Matt Andrews closed the day with an exciting new session on time management. During this session Matt explained that the issue with time is not that one does not have enough of it, rather it is that one is not using it properly. Emphasizing that time is a finite entity, Matt urged the delegates to value their time better. Through Lego-based activities and value charts, he made the attendees identify their core values and encouraged them to prioritize them. Overall, the session proved to be eye opening and made participants rethink their own perceptions and more importantly, misconceptions around time.
Figure 6: Matt Andrews presenting on time management
But the event was not just work and no play! After immense hard work over two days, the delegates headed out to explore the beautiful country of Bahrain. They explored the stunning Grand Mosque and delved into Bahrain’s rich history at the National Museum. In Muharraq Old Town, the participants indulged in shopping and savored delectable local food. The journey concluded at the historic Bahrain Fort—a perfect finale to an unforgettable trip.
Figure 7: PDIA Community at the Bahrain Fort
Key Reflections from our Organizing Team
“Organizing the event with Dr. Hana made me realize the importance of hearing from other IPP practitioners. We all encounter challenges—some hurdles, and at times, even walls—but with our positive approach as IPP practitioners, we can navigate and overcome them successfully.”
Mohamed Hejres, IPP Alumni 2019 & Co-Chair-IPP Alumni Seminar 2025
“I am so happy that the IPP Community of practice were able to meet up again in Bahrain. Thank you so much Matt, Salimah and Mannat for making this possible. It means so much that I was able to meet up with all of you and remember why I started on the IPP journey all those years ago. It’s the networking and confidence building with likeminded people that helps us with our motivation and perseverance to move forward.”
Hana Kanoo, IPP Alumni 2019 & Co-Chair-IPP Alumni Seminar 2025
“The IPP Alumni Seminar held in Bahrain from January 31st to February 2nd, 2025, was exceptionally well organized. The coordination team did a fantastic job in bringing delegates from across the MENA region together. The delegates were so pleasant and thrilled, making it a pleasure to reconnect. The insightful sharing by Ms. Lobna, Mr. Tim, and Mr. Matt made the delegates feel like they were back at Harvard Kennedy School, bringing back all the lovely memories, and gave them an opportunity to enhancing their ability to address current issues they are facing. Strongly suggest that this reunion should be an annual event to stay connected and up-to-date and more delegates can attend. Ms. Salimah and Ms. Mannat did an amazing job overall. Keep it up!”
Shirley Almeida, Organizing team- IPP Alumni Seminar 2025