Register for the Webinar on : “Climate Finance of Adaptation and Mitigation Projects in African Municipalities: which financial instruments can strengthen local climate action ?

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In the framework of the implementation of the Covenant of Mayors for Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA), an initiative launched by the European Union, which aims to strengthen advocacy for a significant mobilisation of climate finance for the benefit of projects carried out by Local Communities, I have the honour to invite you to participate, as a panelist, in the webinar jointly organised by the CoM SSA, WAEMU and UCLG Africa under the theme Climate Finance for Adaptation and Mitigation Projects of African Municipalities: which financial vehicle to strengthen local climate dynamics?

This webinar focusing on the WAEMU zone will address the reflection on the establishment of innovative financial vehicles to mobilize public/private partnerships in order to accelerate the implementation of NDCs in Africa.

This webinar of 2H will address the following questions in particular:

• The nature of the actions to be supported
• The role of the private sector and the financial sector
• Challenges faced by cities in obtaining funding
• Existing funding programmes for local climate action

Registration link here

REFELA: Ten years is worth celebrating !

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From March 08 to March 11, 2021, the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Created in Tangier (Morocco) in 2011, REFELA has since come a long way.

On March 8, in addition to the celebration of International Women’s Day, REFELA, which is the Standing Committee of UCLG Africa for Gender Equality, will take the time to celebrate on the one hand this important women’s day but also to celebrate until March 11 its 10 years of presence within the African municipal movement.

Thus on Monday March 8, 2021, a webinar will be held at the level of UCLG Africa and at the level of each of the National Chapters of REFELA in their respective countries. In a second phase, from March 11, a second webinar will be held by REFELA with all REFELA-Country Chapters under the aegis of the President of REFELA, Ms. DAO Macoura COULIBALY.

The meetings of March 8 will be devoted to the theme chosen by the UN for the celebration of the International Women’s Day: ” Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.”

From March 09 to March 11, festivities will be held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of REFELA. This will be the opportunity to review the network’s support for the promotion of female leadership and gender equality in local authorities in Africa, but also to honor the various presidents who have taken turns at the head of the network: Ms. Milouda Hazib (Morocco), Ms. Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick (Mauritania), Ms. Maria Elena Langa (Mozambique), Ms. Célestine Ketcha Courtès (Cameroon), and Ms. Macoura Dao (Côte d’Ivoire).

On March 09 and March 10, an online capacity building workshop will be held through the African Local Government Academy (ALGA) of UCLG Africa and in partnership with the International Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights at the Local and Regional Level (under the auspices of UNESCO). The theme chosen is: “Local Approaches to Guarantee Women’s Rights”.

The discussion panels on March 11 will be held on the themes of “REFELA, a Network, a Vision and an Agenda at the service of the promotion of female leadership and gender equality in local Africa” and “Role and commitments of REFELA for the promotion of gender equality in Africa”.

In ten years, REFELA has managed to set up 30 national chapters in order to achieve its vision of building a gender-balanced, inclusive and gender-sensitive local Africa. Indeed, Indeed, the Standing Committee on Gender Equality of UCLG Africa is mobilizing for the presence of more women in municipal councils, is committed so that cities and local governments in Africa fight against the vulnerability of children, and works to make gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls effective, in accordance with the vision of Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the Global Development Agendas.

Some key dates of REFELA

2011: Creation of REFELA and integration of the network as a Standing Committee on Gender of UCLG Africa video here:
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2015: Training on gender-sensitive budgeting, in collaboration with UN-Women
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2016: Integration of the President of REFELA as a member of the Presidency of UCLG Africa.

2018: Launch of the “ Campaign of African Cities without Children in Street Situations ”, under the Effective Presidency of Her Royal Highness Princess LALLA MERYEM of the Kingdom of Morocco, as part of a ceremony during the Africities 8 Summit, in Marrakech, (November 24, 2018).

2018: Signing of the Europe – Africa Pact for Local Equality, in Marrakech.

2019: Launch of the campaign: “African cities with zero tolerance for violence against women ”.

2019: Launch of the online consultation for the drafting of the Local Authorities Charter for Gender Equality in Africa.

2020: Launch of the campaign: “African cities conducive to the economic empowerment of women”.

2020: The REFELA honored with the IDEALKENT Award for the Woman-Friendly City, at UNESCO

2020: Development of the analytical report of the results of the online consultation for the drafting of the Local Authorities Charter for Gender Equality in Africa.

UCLG Retreat: UCLG Africa’s Priorities in the Global Agenda

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From February 15 to February 22, 2021, UCLG Africa took part in the seventh edition of the annual retreat of the world organization of Local and Regional Governments (United Cities and Local Governments, UCLG).

The second day of the seminar under the theme of “UCLG: A Global Community that Cares” had the Africa chapter moderate the first plenary.

The goal was to share with the great UCLG family ideas and points of view on Africa’s priorities on the global agenda of local authorities.

During his speech, the Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, paid tribute to the late Mr. Kadir Topaz, former mayor of Istanbul and president of UCLG (2010-2016), who died on February 13, 2021. Mr. Mbassi also reaffirmed his desire that all activities of UCLG Africa be turned towards the future and aligned with the Pact for the Future, supported by the world organization UCLG.

Ms. Rahmatouca Sow, Advisor for International Relations and Political Affairs of UCLG Africa, presented the work plan of the organization focused on the renewal of its strategic priorities, with the aim of making UCLG Africa a “one stop shop” for Local Africa over the 2021-2030 decade (GADEPPA 2.0).

The new strategic orientation includes 3 pillars (Advocacy and mobilization for decentralization, Capacity and knowledge management of local authorities and National Associations, Access to funding and Technical assistance of local authorities and their associations) and fundamentals that ensure the institutional development of UCLG Africa.

These pillars are anchored around 7 priority themes that will enable African local and regional authorities to implement the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and other global development agendas. In this new approach, the regional offices of UCLG Africa will occupy a central place for an offer of local services to members. These themes are: 1- Local Economy and Finance, 2- Gender and youth 3- Climate, biodiversity and food systems 4- Basic services and localization of SDGs, 5-Migration, 6-Culture, 7- Peace and security.

The state of play of preparations for the Africities 9 summit (April 26-30, 2022, Kisumu-Kenya) was also presented during the session.

The question-and-answer session allowed other partners such as UNDP to appreciate the new vision of UCLG Africa and to consider a more systematic collaboration with the organization.

In addition to this session moderated by UCLG Africa, the staff of the organization participated in several other panels organized as part of the annual UCLG retreat.

For more information on the annual UCLG seminar, click here. 

JOINT PRESS STATEMENT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF AFRICITIES ON THE PLANNING PROCESS OF THE 9TH EDITION OF AFRICITIES KISUMU 2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in a profound way with countries racing to find ways of stemming its spread through various strategies such as controlling travels, avoiding large gatherings and most recently by the introduction of medical intervention such as vaccination.

In the process of stemming the spread of the virus, almost all the nations of the world focused their attention and resources towards implementing such control strategies.

Africities planning process was not spared either.

In racing to cover the lost time, the Africities stakeholders; the Government of Kenya, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), Council of Governors of Kenya and the County Government of Kisumu have made very good progress towards the successful realization of this premier Pan African and international event.

The leadership of the four partners are also quite impressed with the gains made around the world in managing the effects of the virus and its spread and are convinced of an impressive attendance to the Conference.

Despite the good progress experienced in the opening of economies and Summit planning process, a lot still needs to be done.

In view of the foregoing, the Executive Committee of Africities convened virtually on the 17th of February 2021, having considered the outstanding preparatory work and cognizant that some parts of the world are still under various levels of restrictions, has mutually taken the decision to move the date of the Summit from to 26th – 30th April 2022 in Kisumu City.

The Executive Committee has also deliberated on the proposed conference theme and pronounces itself that the Summit theme shall be “The Role of Intermediary Cities of Africa in the Implementation of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and African Union Agenda 2063”.
The two agenda focus on the urgent need to develop resilient and sustainable urbanization in Africa that are cognizant of livable urban space where over 50% of the African population will be found by 2050. Intermediary cities like Kisumu are likely to be the fastest growth points for this urbanization. Hence the need to focus on INTERMEDIARY cities at the Summit.

As part of the planning process to the new date, the Executive Committee working with various Africities Institutional Structures, will hold the official launch of the Africities website and the Early Bird Registration in Kisumu in the first week of April of 2021.

Welcome to the 9th Edition of Africities Kisumu April 2022.

Given under our seal on this 17th day of February 2021

Hon. Eugene Wamalwa, EGH
Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Devolution and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands
Republic of Kenya

H.E. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi
Secretary General, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa
(UCLG Africa)

H.E Martin Wambora
Chairman, Council of Governors
Republic of Kenya

H.E. Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, EGH
Governor, County Government of Kisumu.
Republic of Kenya

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr : From words to Action !

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Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has been mayor of Free town (Sierra – Leone) since May 2018 . First woman elected to occupy this position after Dr June Holst-Roness (1977 – 1980, Editor’s note: the position was not elective at that time), the city councilor of the Sierra Leone capital has made the transformation of her city her priority.

To achieve this goal, the ” Transform Freetown ” initiative was launched in January 2019. The three-year Transform Freetown plan outlines 19 specific targets across 11 sectors and covers issues ranging from waste management and housing, to improving urban planning, tackling environmental degradation. The plan aims to address the socio-economic challenges and environmental vulnerabilities of Freetown, which remains the country’s economic engine with a contribution of 30% to the GDP. The 11 priority sectors are grouped into four key groups : Resilience, Human Development, Healthy Cities, and Urban Mobility .

The municipal team led by Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr took stock of the progress made so far through the publication of the project’s annual report

In terms of resilience , the city has launched a reforestation campaign with the goal of planting 1 million trees by 2022. “ It’s not just about planting trees; it’s about growing trees and making sure that each of us is part of the process. A million trees is our city’s small contribution to increasing the much-needed global carbon sink.”, explained the mayor during her attendance of the famous TED conference cycle here. The report also highlights the actions taken by the municipality in the response to COVID.

Gender & Climate

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr can be presented as a woman of action, communicating and leading national and international advocacy for her municipality on major global agendas.

In 2020, Freetown implemented the Women4Climat program. The initiative aims to empower and inspire the next generation of women leaders in the field of climate change through global mentorship.

In January 2021, Freetown has notably been chosen e as one of the 5 cities of low- and middle-income countries that received the #GlobalCitiesFund grant from the Council of Mayors on Migration. “ With this grant, we will expand our sustainable waste management microenterprise program by helping young people from informal communities to create 40 new waste collection businesses to serve more households. This directly contributes to our goal of having at least 60% of solid waste collected and safely disposed of by 2022 “, says Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr.

Water and sanitation

Through the Freetown -Blue Peace project launched in December 2020, the Freetown City Council (FCC) intend to obtain innovative funding to implement a sustainable water project in the capital city. “ The Freetown-Blue Peace project considers water as an entry point for interventions that build peace and foster development, because conflict is more likely to occur where there’s no development. We start with water, but we move very quickly into sanitation, which cannot happen without adequate water. Then we will move into markets, which is a source of livelihood—over 60% of our population operates in the informal economy. You don’t often think of water when you think of markets, and that itself is a challenge: the need for water for sanitation in the markets, for cold storage, and so on. And the final element is water drainage. So, it’s beyond running taps. Significantly, Freetown-Blue Peace is about sustainability, and that has three components: first is a real water element, which consists of the provisions of water kiosks. This targets informal settlements, and 35% of our people live in informal settlements; second is sanitation, from the perspective of public toilets. We’ll be constructing 40 water kiosks and 25 public toilets; and lastly, there is the element of collection of solid and liquid waste. We will be procuring vacuum trucks for better collection of solid and liquid waste. Only six percent of liquid waste was being collected in Freetown when I became Mayor in 2018. We have a target to increase that to at least 60 % by 2022.”, she explained in the interview with Africa Renewal here

Halfway through her term, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr is on the right track to keep her word , she who the day after her election said : ” Freetonians, this victory is for all of us. Thank you for believing in my vision and for doing me the honor to servr you as your mayor for the next four years. I look forward to working with all of you to make Freetown a city we are all proud of . “

Good luck , Madam Mayor !

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Workshop response interventions and recovery post-Covid-19 for migrants/ City of Rabat

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After the city of Oujda in January, it was around Rabat’s turn to take part in the workshop on Post-Covid response and recovery interventions for migrants, held on February 12, 2021 in the form of a webinar. The workshop organized by UCLG Africa in partnership with the IOM and the city of Rabat, is part of the Project “Towards a shared migration governance”, which is funded by the City of Madrid. The Mayor of Rabat, Mr. Mohamed Sadiki, opened the proceedings in the presence of Mrs. Ana Fonseca, Head of Mission of IOM in Morocco, Mr. Ahmed SKIM, Director of Migration Affairs at the Ministry of Moroccans Residing Abroad and Migration Affairs, and Mr. François Yatta, Representing the Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi.  About a hundred people took part in the meeting, including ten presidents and general secretaries of migrant associations.

The involvement of the various actors around the management of the migration issue in the COVID and Post – COVID era underlines the importance of local authorities in migration governance according to Ms. Ana Francesca, Head of Mission of IOM Morocco. “This project gives us an opportunity to come together to ensure good governance of migration at the local level. The aim is to protect vulnerable migrants. The project meets the goals of the Global Compact for Migration and of the SDGs. On these two aspects, the local authorities play a key role. The program aims to stimulate all these links in the interaction of these actors in Morocco. And that with a perspective of South-South, South-North cooperation with the city of Madrid”, she explained.

The second part of the webinar was devoted to sharing experiences on the responses given to the migrant population of the city of Rabat during the pandemic. These actions were notably carried out by the city of Rabat, IOM, UNHCR, the “Orient Occident Foundation”, and other stakeholders.

It should be noted the creation of a digital app to help beneficiaries register their requests. It should also be pointed out that refugees benefited from UNHCR financial assistance, the dissemination of awareness-raising materials to deal with COVID, the launch of a psychological caravan, the establishment of a toll-free number open to all migrants, the launch of  a web radio (LiveRadio) to educate and support migrants and asylum seekers, the establishment of an SOS Migrants unit, the distribution of food baskets and telephone refills, the manufacture of sanitary masks, the development of an online training platform, and other actions.

The Actions on the ground have come up against the major challenge posed by the fear of some migrants to ask for help, because they are afraid to be arrested or deported. In addition, many migrants do not benefit from the Moroccan regime for medical aid to the most deprived (“RAMED”), underlined the associations present.

The associations ask in particular:

– that migrants be made aware of their fundamental rights;

-and that advocacy be made for local funding of associations helping migrants.

Mr. François YATTA, Program Mr. François YATTA, Director of Programs of UCLG Africa, thanked, on behalf of the Secretary General, the IOM, the City of Rabat, the City of Madrid, and the “local associations of migrants who do a painstaking work on the ground “. Mr. YATTA took the opportunity to thank the Kingdom of Morocco for the “establishment of the African Migration Observatory which is an effective tool for managing the phenomenon of migration. The added value of this observatory will be to set up a multi-level information gathering process”.

Watch  the full webinar below (in French). 

Recruitment staff for Jinja GOVERNANCE, RESILIENCE AND GREENING project

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In the framework of Jinja GOVERNANCE, RESILIENCE AND GREENING project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) in partnership with the Cities of Jinja (Uganda), Soria (Spain), Chefchaouen (Morocco) and Kisumu (Kenya), recruitment for the following positions is open:

Candidates who are interested in applying for one of the positions listed above should send their applications before 23rd February 2021, by 10.00am (GMT).

Postponement of the Africities 9 Summit (PRESS RELEASE)

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The pan-African organization of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) informs the public and partner institutions that the ninth edition of the Africities Summit (Africities 9) initially scheduled to take place from November 16 to November 20, 2021 in Kisumu (Kenya) ), is postponed for the period from April 26 to 30, 2022, still in Kisumu.

The Government of Kenya has requested the postponement of the Summit due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which is affecting the country, along with other nations of the world.

The theme of the Summit remains: “The role of Africa’s intermediary cities in the implementation of the UN’s Agenda 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063″.  

Kisumu is the very first intermediate city to host the Africities Summit. The previous Africities 8 edition, held in Marrakech in November 2018 in Morocco, was attended by a record 8,300 participants from 79 countries, including 52 African countries.

The Africities summit is the largest democratic gathering organized on the African continent. It brings together the ministers every three years; mayors and leaders of local authorities; representatives of civil society, the private sector, academia and research; national, regional and international financial institutions; development partners; and other stakeholders.       

The Africities summit offers a unique platform for dialogue on the role of local authorities in the development and unity of Africa, and on the place of decentralization in improving the governance of public affairs in Africa.   

For further information please contact:
Gaëlle Yomi :
Phone: + 212 610 56 71 45
e-mail : gyomi@uclga.org
Visit the UCLG Africa website : www.uclga.org

Watch the message of the SG of UCLG Africa

UCLG Africa Celebrates World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture

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Since 2019, UNESCO has proclaimed January 24 of each year as the World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture. For the 2021 edition, UCLG Africa and the African Network of Cultural Promoters and Entrepreneurs (RAPEC) have celebrated the event by organizing a panel discussion on the theme of the day: “Celebrating African culture for a reconciled humanity”.

The panel was made up of : Mr. Mohamed Sadiki, Mayor of Rabat ; Mr. Mouhamadou Youssifou, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Morocco, Mr. Abdelilah Afifi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture (Morocco), Mr. Driss El Yazami, President of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME), Princess Stella Aicha, spokesperson for the “Messengers of Messages” musical group, Mr. Monceyf Fadili, author of the book (Rabat, un printemps confiné) (“Springtime in a quarantined Rabat city), Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa, and Mr. John Ayité Dossavi, President and founder of the RAPEC NGO. The discussions were moderated by Ms. Farida Moha, journalist.

The meeting which was held at the headquarters of UCLG Africa and via the Zoom platform was attended by a hundred persons representing members of the diplomatic corps, local authorities, international organizations, cultural actors, and civil society associations.

The message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, was read before the start of the discussions. The Director General underlined the importance of the World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture. “As we begin 2021, which African Heads of State have declared the Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage, this World Day is therefore an opportunity to promote these African and Afro-descendant cultures in order to enable them to play their full part in development and peace. The Promotion of African and Afro-descendant cultures is all the more important as the global crisis has exacerbated all the tensions in our societies. The fact is that these cultures offer pride, answers and something to heal even the deepest wounds. Yet these cultures offer pride, answers, and what to heal the most intimate wounds”, she declared. (Read the full post here ).

The panelists addressed the theme : ” Celebrating African culture for a reconciled Humanity “, around three pillars : 1) The emergence of memorial issues with a demand for a new ownership of African history, 2) The importance of culture in the context of the search for the dignity of Africa, 3) The need to train young Africans in cultural and digital professions.

For Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, it is important to make the voice of Africa heard through its culture because “ culture is what makes us who we are ”. “ We are what we are because we are rooted in a culture. Losing one’s culture is losing oneself. Many leaders have lost sight of this. We are here to reiterate this simple truth : If you don’t know where you came from, you would never know where you are going. Amadou Hampaté Bâ is absolutely right when he says that our roots are what project us best into the future. The fact that most of our countries have given so little importance to cultural public policies is simply unconscionable. As of today, Africa is unable to have a radio channel which broadcasts African culture. This situation needs to be addressed by the African Union: it is extremely important that culture be rooted in this continent”, he said. “This is why UCLG Africa has taken the initiative to ensure that the debate on culture be also a local debate, a debate on local authorities. When we met at Africities 2018 in Marrakech, it was decided to celebrate the African Capitals of Culture and the city of Rabat was selected as the first African Capital of Culture. We believe that it is extremely necessary for our children and our young people to rediscover the African culture ”, pleaded Mr. Mbassi.

Faced with the observation that African authorities do not give enough importance to the cultural aspect, His Excellency Mouhamadou Youssifou, Ambassador of Cameroon to Morocco and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Morocco, recommended that ” Africa should invest in all areas of culture, so that the continent takes its place in the global cultural arena. It should be noted the importance of the exchange of intangible goods in the collective consciousness. It should be known that Africa has also contributed to the development of human civilization”.

Mr. Abdelilah Afifi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture (Morocco) shared Morocco’s actions to make culture more visible. “We are aware of the impact of the cultural component on socio-economic development. Actions have been taken to make culture more visible. The strengthening of cultural facilities with the construction of the Great Theater of Rabat, the Great Theater of Casablanca, and museums. We have also invested in training people for cultural professions. We have completed the construction of the Higher Institute of Music and Choreographic Arts (Rabat). By boosting culture, we also boost the economy. Cultural tourism can strongly contribute to the country’s GDP ”.

Mr. Monceyf Fadili underlined the importance of Afro-descendant culture marked by participation in festivals organized on the continent. About fifty festivals are organized in Africa. But South Africa and Morocco do stand out. Half of the festivals are organized by these two countries which are also the top tourist countries in Africa.

For Mr. Driss El Yazami, one cannot talk about African culture without talking about the diaspora. “Aimé Césaire played a central role in this area. It is through the diaspora, through our encounter with other people that we recover our sovereignty. There is no development without culture. Culture is at the center of development. It is culture that gives meaning to development. Our children who were born in European metropolises are in demand of African cultures in order to build their own identity”.

The mayor of Rabat, Mr. Mohamed Sadiki also spoke about the importance of culture in his city. “ Culture is a cross-cutting element. We are in charge of cities and towns. Rabat has experienced a very large program initiated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI since 2014. It is the “Rabat city of lights and capital of Moroccan culture” program. This is a responsibility for our city, which has endowed itself with a significant number of cultural infrastructures. Every nation must identify with its culture. At the level of local authorities, during the various Africities summits, there is always a cultural touch. We look forward to the end of this COVID pandemic to celebrate Rabat as African Capital of Culture ”.

Mr. John Ayité Dossavi insisted on the fact that the World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture is an initiative that was carried by African civil society. “The World Day becomes a bridge between our peoples. The idea that I wore in 2011, has been sealed at the 6th edition of the Africities Summit in Dakar 2012. In November 2019, the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference proclaimed the World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture. This celebration is the result of the efforts led by the RAPEC network with the support of UCLG Africa. The World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture is not just a folk day, but a day of reflection. We are in a process aiming at making the voice of Africa heard around the world”.

As far as youth is concerned, Mr. Mbassi recalled that the history of Africa “ does not begin with colonization. The narration of our history is a narration that does not rise up to Africa ”.

For Princess Stella, the feeling of belonging also means valuing mother tongues. “ We tend to lose our mother tongues. Children are at a loss right from the beginning. The mother tongue makes it possible to keep the tangible and intangible heritage. Art and culture are means that should be utilized to get there. “

In conclusion, Mr. Driss El Yazami, proposed to set up a large program of translation of the African culture that requires the involvement of local governments.

Retrouvez l’intégralité des échanges ici

In addition, the meeting also served as a platform for the presentation of the book “ Rabat, un printemps confiné” by Monceyf Fadili (More details here) and of the KEKELI Prize, a prized backed to the celebration of the World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture, aimed at supporting people who work for the promotion of African culture and living together of peoples.

Discover the 2020 winners here

European Union 2021-2027 Programming Process: Africa’s Local and Regional Authorities Hold National Seminars

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The preparation of African local governments is intensifying with a view to taking part in the negotiations for the 2021-2027 programming of European cooperation. Benefiting from the technical support of UCLG Africa since May 2020, the national associations of local authorities of the continent are working hard to meet expectations during the exchanges scheduled for the end of February 2021.

January 2021 was marked by the holding of national seminars for the validation of the roadmap that the associations will bring to the negotiating table. This roadmap highlights the priority areas of financing for local authorities according to the needs of the populations of their country. For this EU programming cycle (2021-2027), they will be around the table with national governments.

The first associations that have already organized their national seminars to validate their roadmap are : Libya (14 December 2020), Nigeria (19 January 2021), Cameroon (21 January 2021), Zambia (21 January 2021), Cape Verde (26 January 2021).

As a reminder, the national associations of African local authorities will have to lead the advocacy on 3 points:

1) To have local governments recognized as state actors. Associations must obtain this status from national governments on the basis of the EU Communication made in 2013;

2) To have national associations of local and regional authorities considered as political representatives of local governments and have them integrated into negotiations alongside national governments;

3) To ensure that all public policies are territorialized since there is a national dimension and a territorial dimension to any policy that will be implemented, including the financial support to be provided by the European Union.

The financing made available in the new programming of the European Union Commission for the period (2021-2027) amounts to Thirty-two billion euros.