UCLG Africa launches call for submission to 2018 Climate Initiative Awards at Africities Summit

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In the framework of the organization of Africities 8 Summit, which will be held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, from 20 to 24 November 2018 in Marrakech, UCLG Africa and the “Initiatives Climat” Association organize the “Climate Initiatives Awards 2018 – African Local Government Authorities “. The theme of the Africities 2018 Summit is: “The transition to sustainable cities and territories: The role of Local and Sub- national governments of Africa.”

The Awards are for African Local and Sub- national governments which are carrying out initiatives to tackle the negative effects of climate change in Africa (adaptation and mitigation).

The competition is open to three categories of local government:

– Small Cities: less than 20,000 inhabitants,

-Intermediary Cities: From 20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

-Big Cities: More than 100,000 inhabitants.

Local authorities wishing to compete in the Awards are required to submit a ‘Climate Initiative’ by completing the online form available here.

Only eligible projects that are included in the online database may take part in the Awards. It is the responsibility of participating local authorities to ensure that they receive an acknowledgement of submission after sending their application to the Coordinators via the website or via its email address (initiativesclimat@gmail.com). Each local authority may only compete in a single category.

The jury will select nine nominees, three nominees per each category. The nine selected initiatives will then be submitted to the delegates of the Africities 2018 Summit to vote the winner of each category. The nine nominees are supported (one person per municipality) to participate in the Africities summit from 20 to 24 November 2018. A trophy will be awarded to all winners at the Africities summit gala dinner on 24 November 2018.

Applications should be sent to the Coordinators no later than 29 October 2018, at midnight (GMT Time).

The names of the 9 nominees will be announced by the jury in the beginning of November 2018.

Read the rules of the Awards.

Read a template of one initiative already online.

UCLG Africa invited its members to participate actively by submitting initiatives led by their municipalities.

For further information: initiativesclimat@gmail.com ; gyomi@uclga.org

 

For all your requests about Africities 2018 Summit please contact africities@uclga.org

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In order to facilitate your participation at the next Africities 8 Summit, which will be held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, from 20 to 24 November 2018 in Marrakech, UCLG Africa provides you with an email address for all your questions around the summit.

Via this email address africities@uclga.org, we are committed to processing your requests as soon as possible.

The theme of the Africities 2018 Summit is: “The transition to sustainable cities and territories: The role of Local and Sub- national governments of Africa.”

Visit the website of the summit www.africities.org

Read the concept note of the summit.

 

 

Complete our Survey on Local Public Services and the quality of Service Delivery in African Cities

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UCLG Africa, his African Local Government Academy (ALGA) and his Observatory of Human Resources of Local Governments in Africa, initiate the survey on local public services and the quality of service delivery in Africa Cities.  The objective of this survey is to assess quality in the delivery of services of Cities in Africa through the perception of citizens and users over the period from January to August 2018. The result will be incorporate in the 1st Report on the state of HRM at the level of African Local and Regional Governments, which will be presented at the Africities 8 Summit in Marrakech from 20 to 24 November 2018.

During the period from January to August 2018, you used your Municipality to request one or more services. We would like to know your opinion, your perception and your appreciation of the quality of the service (s) through your own assessment of the following topics:

Read more

Challenge African Youth: Showcase solutions for the Africa We Want at the 2018 Africities Youth Forum

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The 8th edition of the Africities Summit will take place from November 20-24, 2018 in Marrakesh, Morocco, under the theme: “The transition to sustainable cities and territories: The role of Local and Sub- national governments of Africa.” The Africities summit is the flagship event of the pan African Organization United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa). The summit is held every three years in one of the five regions on the continent.

The Africities 2018 Summit will be organized by the Kingdom of Morocco, UCLG Africa, and the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils (AMPCC). 5000 participants are expected at the event, representing all the stakeholders of African local life as well as their partners from other regions of the world, including: The Ministers (for local governments), The Ministers for housing and urban development, public service, finance, leaders and officials of city and subnational governments, representatives of the business sector, civil society organizations and trade unions; traditional and moral authorities, researchers and academia, development partners and international cooperation agencies, among others. For this edition, a special focus will be given to youth.

To ensure that the voice of youth is heard, UCLG Africa has joined forces with BEES 55, a solidarity network that focuses on programs that create jobs and develops entrepreneurs, to organize the Youth Forum-Creative Lab. UN Habitat – Safer Cities Program, and UNESCO – Science, Technology and Innovation have also pledged their support for Africities Youth Forum.

In the framework of the 2018 Africities Summit Youth Forum, a competition has been launched that is open to young Africans. It aims is to harvest as many ideas as possible that will accelerate the transition towards sustainable cities and territories in Africa, targeting the main Global Agendas (Agenda 2030 of the United Nations for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Agenda 2063 of the African Union for the realization of “The Africa We Want,” and the five priorities (High Five) proposed by the African Development Bank to accelerate its implementation). Its main objectives are to contribute to find the best strategies to improve the living conditions of Africans and define solutions to accelerate the dynamic of integration, peace building and unity on the continent, starting from its territories.

The Youth Forum is open to young Africans aged between 15 and 35, from Africa and from the Diaspora. The competition aims to select 20 young Africans who will be invited, free of charge, to the 2018 Africities Summit, where they will participate in a Creativity Lab consisting of a Cartoon Camp Challenge and a Virtual Reality Contest.  The topic will be “Imagine a sustainable future for Africa and its cities and territories, in 2030 and 2063.”

Those selected to participate in the Creative Young Innovators Lab will be required to work during the first 4 days of Africities (from November 20 to 23, 2018) in:

  • The Cartoon Camp Challenge; helping the participants to project themselves into the future. The Cartoon Camp promotes a mindset conducive to innovation. Building dreams is at the root of any innovation project. The Cartoon Camp will help participants to think about smart cities and smart economies based on African values and ways to produce an adequate standard of living for Africans. The Cartoon Camp will allow young people to think about Africa with all its imperfections and all its qualities and to suggest solutions inspired by local know-how and also by new technologies. Projects may concern: the organization of city systems in different countries or the continent as a whole; spatial planning or organization of a city in a country of interest; proposals for different types of construction, buildings, housing, equipment, street furniture or any other product, that highlights a dynamic, sustainable development, takes into account the latest technological developments, and respect the most fundamental African values.
  • The Virtual Reality Contest that will consist of a hackathon competition. Participants will conceptualize, create and plan prototypes of IT solutions to speed up the transition towards sustainable cities and territories in Africa, with priority given to the following areas: energy solutions, food security, access to water and sanitation services, waste management and waste valorisation, development and maintenance of infrastructure for transport, mobility and telecommunication, tourism, culture and heritage, education, health systems, other solutions…

The qualified prototypes will then be submitted to the Africities 2018 delegates for the selection of the 3 best projects from the Creative Lab, Virtual Reality Category. Submissions will take place during the AWARD Ceremony of the closing Gala Dinner on November 24, 2018. For each category, 3 laureates of the Africities 2018 Young Innovators will receive respectively: • 1st Position: 5,000 euros • 2nd Position: 3,000 euros • 3rd Position: 1,500 euros. In addition, the winner of each category (1st Position) will benefit from a 1-year mentoring program to further develop their projects with the assistance of senior professionals identified by the organizers. It’s time for youth to make a change on the continent.

How to submit? 

  • File a candidature registration form
  • Send a 4 page storyboard explaining your ideas, with an annex of support illustrations that may include drawings, plans, diagrams, virtual images, IT tools, etc., depending on the category you are entering, (Cartoon Camp or Virtual Reality).
  • The storyboard and annexes must be received no later than September 30, 2018 at 17:00 GMT.

Register now !

October 15, 2018, the Jury, selected by the organizers, will announce the final results of the competition.

Watch the video presentation of submission.    

 

Enclosure: Competition rules

For more information, please contact:

Gaëlle Yomi: Phone + 212 610 56 71 45

e-mail:   gyomi@uclga.org

 

Call for Applications: Communication Officer- Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa

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The Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) is a 4-year project with the
general goal of increasing the capacities of Sub-Saharan cities in their fight against climate
change and in their efforts in ensuring access to clean energy. Started in 2015, the initiative is
shaped by local authorities for the local authorities to reflect the local context and specifics.
The CoM SSA is looking for a full-time Communication Officer to manage the projects online
and offline communication activities. The Communication Officer will work closely with the
project coordination team based in Brussels, Belgium, the Helpdesk of CoM SSA based in
Accra, Ghana, all project partners and the communication team of the Global Covenant of
Mayors (G CoM).

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Manage the delivery of the communication strategy of CoM SSA with the aim of
increasing the visibility of the initiative to its target audiences, including Sub-Saharan
cities, EU Delegations, journalists and other relevant stakeholders
• Manage all media work, including actively pitching stories, write articles, press releases,
newsletters, and respond to press and other inquiries
• Develop the website in close collaboration with the developer and social media content,
maintain and update regularly the project’s website, Facebook, Twitter accounts in
English and French

• Maintain and update a database of journalists and media contacts and proactively
engage with media
• Coordinate, design, write, proofread and edit all types of informational and promotional
materials in English and French, such as brochures, leaflets, posters, banners, etc.
• Coordinate the production and execution of audio-visual materials such as infographics,
images and videos
• Ensure visibility of the project at key events, including live coverage on social media
• Measure and report on analytics and impact of the communication efforts
• Liaise closely with project partners to collect contributions (including translations in
Portuguese) and engage on their activities
• Ensure smooth, quick and close interaction with CoM SSA signatory cities to
communicate about their activities
• Any other tasks related to communication and dissemination aspects

Experience required

• At least 2 years of relevant experience in communication, media relations, social media
campaigns, etc.
• Excellent command of English and French, both spoken and written, is required.
Knowledge of Portuguese, would be considered an asset
• Experience in pitching stories for media and developing engaging content
• Experience working with stakeholders and media in Africa
• Strong event organization skills, experience with organization of large events is a plus
• Perfect command of social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram)
• High proficiency in the MS Office suite, database management and Adobe Creative
Suite
• Experience in managing and updating websites (especially WordPress),
• Knowledge of the energy and climate issues

Desired Profile

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Independent, problem solver, team player, flexible

• Capacity to work on his/her own initiative
• Good organisational skills and ability to juggle priorities and assignments, sometimes
with short deadlines.
• Good interpersonal and networking skills
• Great attention to detail
• Capacity and interest to work in a multicultural and international environment
• Ability to liaise with a variety of stakeholders
• Capacity to travel for work and reasonable flexibility in working time
Deadline to receive applications is the 20th September 2018 at midnight GMT.
Applications should be sent to the following addresses:
uclgawaro@gmail.com; Daniela.GodinhoLourenco@ccre-cemr.org; jmekone@yahoo.com.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the continuation of the process.

Capacity Building: Register for the MOOCs on SDGs, Corruption Prevention & Urbanization

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The African Local Goverment Academy (ALGA) of UCLG Africa shares the following training offers available online on topics related to local governance :

– MOOC on the SDGs of ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency): End of registration on 03 October 2018 :

– MOOC “Building sustainable in tropical humid zone” of the ADEME

– MOOC on the prevention of corruption in the local public management carried out by the CNFPT and the French Anti-corruption Agency: free registration and open to all. The next class will begin on September 24, 2018.

– Online course offer from UNPAN .  Available topics include: Citizen Engagement and Development Management, Electronic and Mobile Government, Institution and Human Resources Management and Knowledge Management in Government.

 

UCLG Africa presents the African Cities Development Fund (ACDF) at the Workshop on Integrated Urban Development of the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities

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Sustainable and inclusive urban development is the vision that guides the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (GSPC).  As part of the implementation of this vision, GSPC organized, in partnership with the World Bank and the African Development Bank, a workshop on Integrated Urban Development, from May14-16, 2018, in Dakar, Senegal.

Approximately one hundred people took part in the workshop, including representatives from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank, the African Development Bank (Afdb), and 10 African countries.

The Global Platform for Sustainable Cities brings together all participating cities and a wide range of entities that are working on issues for urban sustainability to create a shared platform for global knowledge and an evidence-based, integrated approach to realize its outcomes.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the platform currently comprises of 28 cities in 11 countries, including a dozen African cities, (Accra, Johannesburg, Abidjan, Dakar, Djamnagio, Saint-Louis, Douala, Nairobi, Yaoundé and Dodoma). The purpose of the Dakar workshop was to promote integrated approaches to urban development, capacity-building and an exchange of experiences.

Issues addressed included urban data, the implementation of integrated planning, urban mobility in Africa, the “Transport oriented Development” (TOD) approach , financial municipal viability and public-private partnership.

In the financial dimension section, a presentation of the African Cities Development Fund (ACDF) was made by the Director of Programs for UCLG Africa, Dr. François Yatta.  The African Cities Development Fund is designed as a cooperative fund of the major African cities, (about 20 cities at first), that will undertake to disburse a seed capital of 100,000 Euros.

This seed capital should be used to raise additional resources from the financial institutions or the financial markets. The fund is intended to finance the investments and services needed to cope with the rapid growth of the continent’s cities making the current operation of most African cities globally ineffective. Access requirements should also help to improve the financial performance and governance of local and regional governments and promote more cost-effective and efficient investment choices economically and socially. The call for expressions of interest for the ACDF  was shared with cities present at the workshop.

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In addition, the meeting allowed participants to learn from the application of the  “Urban Sustainable Framework”  or Urban sustainability Framework approach. This approach is structured in two parts

The first is to understand and achieve urban sustainability through a four-step approach that includes:

– The diagnosis of the current situation of the city.

– The definition of a vision for change and priority setting;

– A financing approach in the plan that demonstrates fiscal viability;

– Monitoring and evaluation.

The second part concerns the GPSC’s measurement framework, which builds a common understanding of sustainability in the urban context through two dimensions.

The Enabling Dimension:

– Governance and integrated urban planning

– Fiscal viability

The dimensions of the results:

– Urban economies.

– Environment and natural resources;

– Climate action and resilience;

– Inclusiveness and quality of life.

The exchanges helped to explore good practices and positive results achieved in the cities.

ALGA, a committed actor for investment in the Human Capital of African Territorial Governments through learning, training and capacity building

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In the Margin of the Regional Strategic Meeting of UCLG-Africa in West Africa and the
organization of the 1st Focus Group of Observatory of Human Resources of Territorial
Governments in Africa, a delegation of UCLG-Africa and the African Local Government
Academy (ALGA) led by its Director Dr. Najat ZARROUK, carried out an institutional visit
day to anchoring Institutes of ALGA based in Ghana, as well as to NALAG and to the West
African Regional Office of UCLG Africa on Thursday, May 31, 2018 in Accra, Ghana.
In accordance with the program of this visit, the Director and her delegation visited the
following offices and training institutes:
– Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) ;
– West African Regional Office of UCLG Africa ,
– The headquarter of National Association and Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) ;
– Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS);
– Urban Management Institute (UMI).

The purpose of these visits is to fulfill the mandate and visions of the Academy which are to empower the Members and Networks of UCLG Africa through Learning, Training, Capacity Building, Networking, Benchmarking, Sharing Knowledge and Best Practices and making the most of Partnerships, Cooperations and Collaborations.

It was therefore necessary to visit the anchoring institutes based in Ghana, such as ILGS and UMI, and one of the members of UCLG-Africa (NALAG) as well as the Regional Office, and to identify and extend the ALGA Network of Institutes in the Region.

The day started with a visit to GIMPA. Dr. Najat ZARROUK and her delegation met with Professor Samuel ADAMS, Dean of the School of Public Services and Governance and his team; then they were received in audience by Professor Philip DUKU OSEI, Vice Rector of GIMPA.

During the interview which took place in a spirit of frankness and conviviality, a presentation of the activities of the two Structures was reviewed as well as different opportunities of collaboration and possible partnership. In this regard, it was emphasized during the various exchanges the importance of capacity building at Local level, guaranteeing the success of the implementation of the different African and World Agendas.

Thus, the meeting was an occasion to agree on the preparation of a draft Partnership Agreement between the two institutions. This draft will be prepared by the Academy and will be soon submitted to the attention of GIMPA. This was followed by a visit to the Campus including the Distance Learning Center, the elearning, the Conference and the Accommodation Centers for Participants. The program of the day was then punctuated by the visit of the West African Regional Office, led by Mrs. Juliet SALE MEKONE, Regional Director, and the visit of the NALAG
Office.

Finally, the delegation of the Academy continued with the visit of its two Anchoring Institutes in Ghana, where it was received respectively:

– Within ILGS, by Dr. Margaret SACKEY, Head of the Local Governance Administration Department and Dr. Frederick AGYARKO ODURO, Head of the Urban and Environmental Management Department and

– Within UMI, by Dr Prosper DZANSI, Executive Director of the Urban Management Institute (UMI) and his team.

These two visits are part of an approach to implement the Partnership Agreements already signed with these two Institutes in 2016. They discussed the various aspects of collaboration in progress, in particular the ILGS Accreditation process, the preparation of the launch of the Executive Master in Management of Cities of the Academy as well as the strengthening and identification of new projects that can be carried out together, such as: the organization of Side Events, the setting up of joint on-site training, the definition of new training topics on which each Institute has expertise so that it can be identified as “Center of Expertise of Excellence” in the field.

It was also an opportunity to raise the question of the delay in the transmission of Training Modules by ILGS and UMI to ALGA of the Executive Master in Management of Cities, and this, in accordance with the commitments made at the Seminar of harmonization and coherence held in Rabat in March 2018.

In the permanent will of the Academy to serve and respond to the needs of the African Territorial Governments, Dr. ZARROUK specified the importance of developing partnerships with the Anchoring Institutes to promote relevant joint actions. In the end, these visits allowed the various parties to further strengthen not only their dialogue but also the relationships of mutual understanding and trust that bind them together.

During these various visits, documentation was provided by the ALGA team for the marketing on its various activities./.

Download the document in PDF.

UCLG AFRICA REGIONAL STRATEGIC MEETING IN ACCRA (GHANA)

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The regional strategic meeting of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) for the Western Africa Region will be held at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra, Ghana, on May 28th and 29th, 2018. The meeting is organized by UCLG Africa, the Pan African representative and the voice of local governments on the continent in collaboration with the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG).

Accra, will host the fourth meeting of a series of UCLG Africa strategic meetings that will take place across the five regions of Africa (North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa). The third first meetings were held in Nairobi, Kenya from 10 to 11 April 2018 for the East Africa region, in Libreville, Gabon from 16 to 17 April 2018 for Central Africa region and in Walvis Bay, Namibia from 7th to 8th May for Southern Africa region. As the representative voice of local authorities on the continent, UCLG Africa aims to:

  1. Take stock of the state of decentralization in the different regions and address the priorities of the decentralization agenda in the regions
  2. Deliberate on the priority actions required to support local governments to become reliable partners for national governments; the regional economic communities; other development partners and stakeholders.

The meetings will address specific issues such as:

  • Updating the UCLG Africa members in the region on the Global and African Agendas and the involvement of local governments in their implementation, especially the African Union Agenda 2063, the New Urban Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Climate Change Agenda, and The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction;
  • The status of the signature and ratification of the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development in the different countries of West Africa
  • The participation of the UCLG Africa members in Western Africa in the preparation and implementation of the Africities 2018 Summit, the flagship event of UCLG Africa, which will be held from November 20 – 24, 2018 in Marrakesh (Kingdom of Morocco), around the theme: “The transition towards sustainable cities and territories: The role of African local governments.”
  • The preparation and participation of the members of the Western Africa Region in the Elective General Assembly of UCLG Africa to be held on 23 November in the framework of the Africities Summit.

The official opening of the meeting will be chaired by Honourable Hajia Alima Maham, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ghana, in the presence of:

  • Hon. Nii Felix Anang, President of NALAG and Mayor of Tema Metropolitan Assembly
  • Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.

The meeting will be attended by the presidents of the national associations of local governments, leaders of the Network of Locally Elected Women (REFELA) and the permanent secretaries of national associations of local governments. Other participants in the meeting will include experts on decentralization, urbanization and climate change.

The national and international media based in Accra are invited to cover the opening ceremony this Monday, May 28, 2018 at 09:00 am at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra, Ghana and the closing press briefing on Tuesday, May 29 at the same venue at 04:15 pm.

The last UCLG Africa regional strategic meetings will take place in Rabat (Morocco) on 18 -19 June 2018, for the North Africa Region.

 

For further information, please contact:

Gaëlle Yomi: Tel: + 212 610 56 71 45
Email: GYomi@UCLGa.org

Em Ekong: Tel: + 44 7801 701 675

Email: eekong@uclga.org

UCLG Africa Condolences for the Loss of Mr. Mamadou Diop, Former Mayor of Dakar

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It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Mamadou Diop, Senior Officer, Magistrate, former Minister, former Mayor of the City of Dakar, Senior State Servant, on March 26, 2018 at the age of 82.

Mamadou Diop was a man of strong ideas. He was deeply committed to building the African municipal movement. It was at his initiative that the meeting of African mayors was held in Dakar in 1997, where the idea for the Africities Summits was born. The first Africities Summit was organized in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in January 1998 and has become one of the continent’s flagship events. Mr. Diop’s loss will be felt by the entire African movement of local authorities.

On this sad occasion, I would like, on behalf of the President and the Executive Committee of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa)  and on behalf of the African Community of Local Authorities as well as in my own name, to express our greatest sympathy and sincerest condolences to the family of Mr. Diop, to his relatives and friends, and to his collaborators in the city of Dakar as well as to the Senegalese people. We share their deep loss and sorrow.

In Mamadou Diop, we have lost a tireless advocate for decentralization and local governance, a man who left his indelible mark on the African and global municipal movement.

May his soul rest in peace in the land of our ancestors.

Signed

Jean Pierre ELONG MBASSI,  

Secretary General, UCLG Africa