9th Africities Summit: Official Opening of the 9th Edition of the Africities Summit

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Kick Off of the Discussion on the Role of Intermediary Cities in Africa in the Implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the Africa Union Agenda 2063

KISUMU, Kenya, May 18, 2022/APO Group/ —

The 9th edition of the Africities Summit has been launched today in Kisumu by His Excellency, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. Former Seychelles head of state, His Excellency Danny Faure also took part in the official ceremony in the presence of 3500 delegates from around the world and more than 2000 local authorities. For this event, Kisumu has set up an Africities Village at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium and its surrounding areas in order to welcome participants and exhibitors from the four corners of the world.

During the 5 days, discussions will be held around the theme of the summit: “The role of intermediary cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063”. In line with the theme, Kisumu is the first intermediary city to host the event.

His Excellency, President Uhuru Kenyatta in his speech called on the participants of the summit to make it a questioning forum for the summit to be successful. He proposed a 12-point questioning framework based on how national central governments can support a mobilization of resources to unlock effective delivery service in intermediary cities. what strategies and policies are required to combat the threats of radicalization and terrorism especially in the urban areas including our intermediary cities and what legal and policy frameworks should be established so as to foster the robust and sustainable development of intermediary cities among other questions.

“Time is ripe for scaling up the role of intermediary cities as the next frontiers of African urbanization and development. An unprecedented rate of urbanization has seen 1086 intermediary cities become home to 174 million people representing 36% of our continent’s total urban population and contributing about 40% of our continent’s GDP. As we convene to deliberate on how we can establish a shift towards a new urban paradigm and unleash the potential of intermediary cities in fostering inclusive development and the realization of our SDGs and all other socio economic development initiatives we must keep in mind that Africa is becoming increasingly urbanized. The traditional rural focus within development plans risks marginalizing a growing section of our population which will soon be the majority,” said His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya.

Local governments play a key role in the achievement of Agenda 2030 and SDG 13 through ensuring a paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways. Cities produce between 71% and 75% of total greenhouses gas emissions (GHG). In this regard, despite increasing levels of attention and action on climate change at city scales, much of this activity is largely decoupled from national policy framework. UCLG Africa position on climate is that the battle against climate change will be lost or won in cities and territories. UCLG Africa advocates for territorialization of NDCs and the adoption of a bottom-up approach to their definition, starting from locally determined contributions (LDCs).

“The reality of our continent is reflected in the way we treat our intermediary cities. Intermediary cities are your key target of governance. Treat them well and they will treat African citizens well, treat them bad and we will fail in our progress,”said Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.

A dialogue between former head of states followed the official opening on financing infrastructure and urbanization in Africa to achieve the SDGs and the UN 2030 Agenda and the Africa Union Agenda 2063.

African Union High Representative For Infrastucture Development, Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga called for the establishment of an African Infrastucture Fund to fund the monetary deficit needed to build Africa’s infrastructure.

Time is ripe for scaling up the role of intermediary cities as the next frontiers of African urbanization and development

“Africa needs 170 billion dollars per annum to be able to meet its infrastructure needs but has a deficit of about 110 billion dollars. We can work with several institutions to establish this fund because we have identified that Africa has idle capital such as sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and insurance funds. We are working towards tapping these resources to enable Africa fund its own development,”he said.

Former President of Seychelles, His Excellency Danny Faure highlighted the need for bankable strategic infrastructure based on data.

“It is important that we back up our interventions based on facts and data that shows us where we are in terms of development. The next step is to strategically choose the right infrastructure that will have the most effective impact on the continent and whose outcomes will be beneficial to our nations and populations. The approach on the continent concerning infrastructure needs to be co-ordinated and not fragmented,” he said.

This first day of the summit was also dedicated to Diaspora. The African diaspora accounts for around 150 million people of African descent located in all the regions of the world. The African Union considers Africa’s Diaspora as the sixth region of Africa. Consolidating the relations between the Africa Motherland and its Diaspora and all the dimensions to give to these relations was at the heart of the discussions of the Diaspora Day. It is a key agenda to ensure the realization of the United Nations 2030 agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063. Its contribution to economic development is greater than public aid from international institutions. Also, a certain form of transmission of the Afro-descendant history gives rise to a great involvement of the new generations for a better knowledge of its identity but also an active participation in the emergence of this continent.

Synergy needs to be developed between the diaspora and the local population and local authorities need to set up programs in which the diaspora can concretely participate in for the development of the continent at local, national and continental level to make the continent shine internationally.

One of the best illustrations of the reality and weight of African Diaspora, is Ms Lupita Nyongo, who is the first Goodwill Ambassador of Africities. In her official video, Ms Nyongo expressed how honored she felt to be the Africities Goodwill Ambassador for this Year “Kisumu is my ancestral home and I have witnessed its potential first hand. It has so much to offer and I can finally see its vibrant energy being tapped with the radical leadership of its governor, my father Professor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o. I could not think of a better place to come together to discuss tangible solutions for the challenges facing Africa and its intermediary cities than the Africities Summit. Over the next 5 days, you will participate in interactive sessions, you will hear from inspirational speakers, take workshops, implement projects and dream up the Africa we want to see. One where everyone has access to food, healthcare, education, housing, public safety and peace.”

Tomorrow the main sessions will include Africities Trade and invest forum, Digital Day, Culture Day, and a series of assemblies of UCLG Africa  Networks to elect their office bearers. These include: the General  Assembly of The Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA), the General Assembly of Network of young local elected officials (YELO),  the  Assembly of Territorial Coaches, the Assembly of Permanent Secretaries/ Executive Directors of National Association Of Local Authorities,  the Assembly of  the network of City Managers (Africa MAGNET);  the Assembly of the network of City Chief Finance Officers (Africa FINET); the Assembly of the network of City Chief Technical Officers (Africa TECHNET) and the Assembly of the network of Human Resource Managers of African Local and Regional Governments (Local Africa HR-Net); the Assembly of Territorial Managers in charge of Decentralized Cooperation ; the  Assembly of the African Media For Development (MADEL).

PS: Don’t miss the daily press conference at the venue at 8:30 AM. Venue: Africities Media Centre

 

Find all the information: Presentation / Program / Speakers on: www.Africities.org

Africities Explained To Youth!

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As part of the communication actions around the Africities 9 summit scheduled from 17 to 21 May 2022 in Kisumu, Kenya, UCLG Africa and the Institut Supérieur de l’Information et de la Communication (ISIC), Rabat combine their efforts with the establishment of 3 newsrooms (Radio, TV, Print) composed of students of ISIC. This podcast is produced in the framework of this program.

UCLG Africa is particularly interested in youth through its seven priority areas of action in its strategic vision GADDEPA 2.0 (2021-2030).

Let us recall that ISIC and UCLG Africa collaborate closely through a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed in March 2021

The podcast is in French.

 

The “Vox Pop” capsule of the 9th edition of the Africities Summit

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As part of the communication actions around the Africities 9 summit scheduled from 17 to 21 May 2022 in Kisumu, Kenya, UCLG Africa and the Institut Supérieur de l’Information et de la Communication (ISIC), Rabat combine their efforts with the establishment of 3 newsrooms (Radio, TV, Print) composed of students of ISIC. This podcast is produced in the framework of this program.

UCLG Africa is particularly interested in youth through its seven priority areas of action in its strategic vision GADDEPA 2.0 (2021-2030).

Let us recall that ISIC and UCLG Africa collaborate closely through a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed in March 2021

The audio is in french.

 

 

UCLG Africa and CitiIQ Announce Scoring of 60 Major African Cities

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Africities Summit on May 17-21 to focus on challenges faced by more than 1,000 Intermediary cities

Rabat/Toronto, April 26, 2022 – The United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) and CitiIQ, creator of an innovative global city measurement standard, announced today that 60 major African cities have been scored as a contribution to the Africities Summit being held in Kisumu, Kenya from May 17-21. Research shows that the continent of Africa will experience unprecedented population growth over the next 30 years with a dramatic urban surge expected to pressure its cities, large and small.

CitiIQ uses an evidence-based methodology to score 35 essential Considerations, within the five Dimensions of Basic Needs, Competitiveness, Opportunity, Livability, and Destiny. Using an intuitive online dashboard, a city’s measurements are readily available to clients through a cloud-based annual subscription.

The scoring of the 60 major cities models the importance of measurement for the intermediary cities of Africa. Accurate and consistent data collection is critical for the growth and development of African cities. Local, regional, national, and international investor confidence is significantly increased where progress over time can be reliably determined. Intermediary cities need to institute accurate data measures to resource their needs, fundamental to building capacity for growth. A consistent scoring system will accelerate the growth of effective data cultures for intermediary cities.

UCLG Africa is a membership of 51 national associations of local governments from all regions of Africa, as well as 2000 cities and territories that have more than 100,000 inhabitants. As such, the organization represents nearly 350 million African citizens.

Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, the Secretary General of UCLG Africa says, “We have specifically selected the theme for the 9th Africities Summit, to focus on the role of intermediary African cities in implementing the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations and the African Union´s Agenda 2063”. UCLG Africa mobilizes strategies, methods and tools to support its members under three pillars aimed at supporting the development of local governments to better serve their communities.

Kisumu, Kenya is the first ever intermediary city to host the Africities Summit.

CitiIQ uses a wide range of technological tools and expertise to collect data for cities that is processed through its global city measurement algorithm. Comparable scores out of 100 are produced for the 35 most important Considerations of any city. The data powers a dashboard that readily illustrate the scores and allows clients to drill down into the data for the 114 city indicators used.

“Increasingly, the health and wellbeing of the world’s people depend upon the effectiveness of their city,” says Don Simmonds, Chief Executive Officer of CitiIQ. “Municipal leaders face immense challenges and benefit greatly when comprehensive, comparable data can guide their decisions.”

Most cities struggle to translate disparate data into actions that can make life better for their citizens. The CitiIQ method normalizes data so that city elements can be readily compared within a given city, or with other cities around the world. The service is delivered as an application that can function on any website that a customer city chooses. This is viewable across desktop, laptop, tablet, and smart phone formats.

*UCLG Africa Regions and 54 country borders (image courtesy of UCLG Africa)

CitiIQ has recognized the critical role intermediary cities play around the world as home to more than half of the global urban population. Often underserved, these cities play key roles in SDG localization, empowerment of local governance, and policy coherence that links higher order priorities with the local priorities of citizens.

Accurate, frequent, and accessible data for local governments and their citizens supports more effective decision making. The CitiIQ dashboard is a common point of reference across the complex interactions of society. Data also plays an increasingly vital role as the currency of equity and support for vulnerable populations. CitiIQ provides a point of reference for the values of solidarity, responsibility, transparency, and service that characterize intermediary cities.

In Africa, there are 56 cities with a population between 1M and 500K, 85 with population between 500K – 300K, 380 with population between 100K-300K, and 564 with population between 50K-100K. These 1086 cities need strong data infrastructure to make their development effective over coming decades.

60 African Cities Scored by CitiIQ

Region Country City   Region Country City
Northern Africa Algeria Algiers, Oran   Central Africa Central African Republic Bangui
  Egypt Cairo, Alexandria     Chad Ndjamena
  Libya Tripoli     Republic of the Congo Brazzaville
  Mauritania Nouakchott     Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa
  Morocco Rabat, Casablanca     Equatorial Guinea Malabo
  Tunisia Tunis     Gabon Libreville
          Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome
Region Country City     Cameroon Yaoundé
Western Africa Benin Cotonou        
  Burkina Faso Ouagadougou        
  Cape Verde Praia   Region Country City
  Cote d’Ivoire Abidjan   Eastern Africa Burundi Bujumbura
  The Gambia Banjul     Comoros Moroni
  Ghana Accra     Djibouti Djibouti
  Guinea Conakry     Eritrea Asmara
  Guinea-Bissau Bissau     Ethiopia Addis Ababa
  Liberia Monrovia     Kenya Nairobi, Kisumu
  Mali Bamako     Madagascar Antananarivo
  Niger Niamey     Malawi Lilongwe
  Nigeria Lagos     Mauritius Port Louis
  Senegal Dakar     Rwanda Kigali
  Sierra Leone Freetown     Seychelles Victoria
  Togo Lomé     Somalia Mogadishu
          South Sudan Juba
Region Country City     Sudan Khartoum
Southern Africa Angola Luanda     Tanzania Dar-es-Salaam
  Botswana Gaborone     Uganda Kampala
  Eswatini Manzini        
  Lesotho Maseru        
  Mozambique Maputo        
  Namibia Windhoek        
  South Africa Johannesburg, Cape Town        
  Zambia Lusaka        
  Zimbabwe Harare        
             
             

About CitiIQ 

CitiIQ is known for its unique system measuring the overall wellbeing of a city scoring 35 essential elements called Considerations, within a framework of Basic Needs, Competitiveness, Opportunity, Livability, and Destiny. Most cities struggle to translate the increasing volume of disparate data into actions that can make life better for their citizens. The CitiIQ measurement system converts raw data into scores out of 100 so those city elements are easily understood and readily comparable within a given city over time, or with other cities around the world.

 

CitiIQ is working to become the global standard for city diagnostics and employs an evidence-based methodology that objectively informs human-centric design to help a city reach its full potential. As a cloud-based subscription service, CitiIQ is easy to use, economical and effective.

 

In April 2020 as the pandemic was expanding globally, UN-Habitat commissioned the CitiIQ platform where city level COVID-19 data was measured and displayed daily for 2600 global cities.

For further information contact:

Milton Friesen, Managing Director

mfriesen@citiiq.com

About UCLG Africa (United Cities and Local Governments of Africa)

www.uclga.org

The umbrella organization for African local governments, was founded in 2005 in the City of Tshwane, South Africa as a result of the unification of three continental groups of local governments, namely the African Union of Local Authorities (AULA); the Union des Villes Africaines (UVA); and UCCLA AFRICA, the Africa Chapter of the União das Ci União das Cidades e Capitais Lusófonas (UCCLA), The founding congress of the organization was held in May 2005 in the city of Tshwane, South Africa. UCLG Africa brings together 51 national associations of local and regional governments from all regions of Africa, as well as 2000 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. UCLG Africa represents over 350 million African citizens. A founding member of the world organization UCLG, it is its regional chapter for Africa. Its headquarters are based in Rabat, capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, where it enjoys diplomatic status as a Pan-African International Organization. The organization also has regional offices on the continent.

About the 9th edition of the Africities Summit

www.africities.org

The 9th edition of the Africities Summit (Africities 9) will be held from 17 to 21 May 2022, in Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, with a population of 409,000 according to the 2009 census. This is the first time ever that the Africities Summit is being held in an intermediary city. The theme of Africities 9 is: “The contribution of Africa’s intermediary cities to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations and of Agenda 2063 of the African Union”.

For the very first time, the Africities 9 Summit will highlight the first level of the continent’s urban framework, which is made up of around 1,500 intermediary cities in Africa with populations of between 50,000 and 500,000 inhabitants. This layer of the continent’s urban landscape currently accounts for a little over 30% of the urban population. It is the basis for the development of local economies that structure relations between populations living in rural and those in urban areas. It is the first level of development and improvement of local potentialities and productions. It thus represents the first stage in the structural transformation of the continent.  It also acts as a buffer and shock absorber in the migration flows between rural areas and large cities and metropolitan regions.

For further information contact:

Milton Friesen, Managing Director

mfriesen@citiiq.com

Christophe Lumsden, Senior Advisor, Office of the Secretary General of UCLG Africa

clumsden@uclga.org

Media contact:

Gaelle Yomi

gyomi@uclga.org

 

Lupita Nyong’o: Goodwill Ambassador for the 9th Africities Summit (PRESS RELEASE)

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The 9th edition of the Africities Summit is scheduled to take place on May 17 to 21, 2022 in Kisumu, Kenya. Placed under the High Patronage of His Excellency, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya, the theme chosen for the summit is: “The role of intermediary cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and of the African Union´s Agenda 2063”.

 

For the first time, the Africities Summit will have a Goodwill Ambassador: Ms. Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar-winning Kenyan actress, star of the movie “Black Panther” and its upcoming sequel “Wakanda Forever”. One of the goals of this edition is to mobilize the African and Afro-descendant diaspora to begin the journey towards African renaissance with their fellow citizens who have remained on the continent, as well as with all people of goodwill interested in the development, integration, and unity of Africa.

 

Organized every 3 years over a 5-day period, alternately in the different regions of Africa, the Africities Summit is the largest democratic gathering organized on the African continent. This flagship event of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) organized in partnership with the Government of Kenya, the Council of Governors of Kenya (CoG), and the County of Kisumu will for the very first time be held in an intermediary city.

See the Africities 9 Summit official promotional spot  here .

Discover Kisumu on video here .  

Made your  media accreditation here .

The media Kit is available here .

Find all the information: Presentation / Program / Speakers on: www.africities.org

Press contact: Gaëlle Yomi: media@africities.org

 

 

Dr. Mpho Phalatse: Determined to bring Johannesburg back to life

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Elected in November 2021 as the first female mayor of the municipality of Johannesburg (South Africa), Mpho Phalatse has taken the time to make her mark and to give a new dynamic to the city. In office for a five-year term, she is the first black woman to head the Johannesburg mayor’s office and the first woman since 1946.

On April 21st, 2022, five months after taking office, she outlined the situation of her municipality and presented the priority sectors to bring her city to a new standard, which is the economic lung of South Africa with 15% of GDP.

Speaking in the Braamfontein City Council Chamber, she outlined her team’s new vision, entitled “The Golden Start”. With seven priorities, the mayor is committed to give residents, visitors, businesses and civil society: A city that meets the basic right; A safe city; A caring city; A business-friendly city; An inclusive city; A well-run city; and A smart city.

In short, to make Johannesburg “a city of golden opportunities: a vibrant, safe and resilient city, where the local government provides a quality life for every resident,” says Ms. Mpho Phalatse. For her, it is time for her municipality to regain its true status. ” The City of Johannesburg… attracts visitors from all over the world — 55% from other parts of Gauteng, 36% from other provinces, and 9% from beyond our borders. They all come in search of golden opportunities synonymous with the city’s promise of gold. However, following years of neglect, mistreatment and abuse, our city now lies in ruins”. To rebuild, the trained physician calls for the involvement of various stakeholders. “It would be a profound mistake to assume that the council and its municipal administration can fix the city on its own. Partnership is often missing internally. Departments and entities must cooperate. Residents must receive real responses and not be… shoved from pillar to post. The entire municipality must work as a team.”

It was while working with vulnerable communities that Mpho Phalatse realized there were problems she could not solve with medicine, but rather with leadership.

 “As a doctor, I was trained to bring things to life that are almost dead. I think a lot of the skills in medicine are transferable. The city is like a patient, it is sick and needs to be brought back to life, so you use the same approach as in medicine, the history, diagnosis, and come up with a treatment plan,” the mayor explained.

In the context of her country this is a real challenge. “It’s a challenge because South Africa is very diverse, even the socio-economic status of the people in Johannesburg. So you have the billionaire on the one hand, who is looking forward to this first world city, and then you have someone in an informal settlement that says, ‘Just give me a toilet’. You have to be able to meet the needs of both constituencies”, says Phalatse.

Grateful to be a pioneer

Being the first woman to become mayor of Johannesburg honors her and emphasizes her sense of responsibility: “I’m very grateful to God, I feel it’s an honor. It could have been any other woman, you know, the fact that God chose for me to be that woman. I really, don’t take it lightly. I’m very appreciative of holding that title. But I also realize the responsibility that comes with the title because it says, you are a front runner, you’ve opened the door for other women to come after you”.

Express bio

Dr. Mpho Phalatse spent the early years of her life with her maternal grandmother in Hebron, northwest of Tshwane, before moving with her parents to Mabopane.

The ethic of diligence and resilience was instilled in Dr Phalatse at an early age, as she was born to Komane and Moserwa Phalatse, who were both educators in the then country of Bophuthatswana.

Dr Phalatse graduated from Loreto Convent School in 1994 and was then admitted to the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) to study Chemical Engineering. She enrolled here in 1995. However, after much self-reflection and a desire to focus on a more people-oriented career, she did an about-face in her second year at Wits and returned to Tshwane to study for a Doctorate in medicine at the Sefako Makgatho University of Health Sciences, formely known as MEDUNSA.

She obtained her medical degree in 2005 and underwent her medical training at Tembisa Hospital. She then did community service in Hammanskraal, in the north of Tshwane, where she rendered services at Jubilee Hospital as well as various clinics in the area. Dr. Phalatse enrolled in a project management course at Cranefield College while doing community service. She now holds a graduate degree and post-graduate diploma in project management and program management. She is also a Certified Independent Medical Examiner (CIME) with the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (ABIME). She returned to Wits University in 2011 to enroll in a Master of Medicine (Mmed) in Public Health Medicine, a decision that saw her move permanently to the Golden City. Since then, she has worked as an emergency manager at Alexandra Community Health Center and as a sexual assault care practitioner at Far East Rand Hospital in Springs, while also serving on the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) ethics committee. She was appointed as a member of the Mayor’s Committee (MMC) for Health and Social Development between August 2016 and October 2019. In her role as MMC, Dr. Phalatse has championed the expansion of service hours at city clinics, as well as the city’s multi-faceted substance abuse prevention and treatment strategy, among many other initiatives.

Sources : 1 , 2, 3 , 4

 

Call for expressions of interest : ” Committee on Culture 21 Africa”.

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“Culture 21 Africa Commission”

The Committee on Culture of Mayors in Africa

Preamble

Considering Agenda 21 for culture of United Cities and Local Governments,

Given the ambitious program on culture in Africa adopted by the General Assembly of UCLG Africa during the eighth edition of the Africities summit,

Having regard to the three-year program of the city designated as African Capital of Culture,

UCLG Africa wishes to launch a call for expressions of interest aimed at local authorities in order to constitute the first members of its committee on culture called ” Committee on Culture 21 Africa”.

This committee on culture will be responsible for providing guidance related to the culture program of UCLG Africa, encouraging peer learning, financing the implementation of three-year programs, participating in the organizing committee of the African capital city of culture, and being the political voice, and the ambassador of culture in Africa in the cities and local authorities and with the partners.

The goals of the committee

The main goal of the Committee  on Culture is to materialize the will of cities and local authorities to make culture the fourth pillar of sustainable development.

The secondary goals are:

  • Develop and supervise the culture program within UCLG Africa,
  • Be the political voice of the culture program with the national governments, the development partners, the cultural actors and the stakeholders.
  • Actively participate in the work of the Committee on Culture of UCLG (world).

The composition

  • 10 city mayors (2 per region), for a three-year period
  • It is supplemented by partners (cultural operators on the continent and international partners who will have an advisory role)
  • The term in office of the commission is renewed during each edition of the celebration of the city that is designated as African capital of culture.
  • Membership is open to cities and local governments in Africa
  • The Secretariat of the Commission of Mayors is provided by the Culture, Migration, Peace, and Security Department of UCLG Africa.

Programs

  • Cities, African Capitals of Culture
  • Development and implementation of cultural policies within the cities and local governments
  • Capacity Building, Peer Learning and Sharing
  • Capitalization, communication, and dissemination
  • Mapping the tangible and intangible heritage of cities and local authorities in Africa
  • Decentralized cooperation
  • Cooperation with the private sector.

Organization

  • One annual meeting, and an annual report
  • A summit every 3 years (organized and supported by a city) as part of the African Capitals of Culture
  • Holding of the Culture Day during the Africities summits
  • Participation in similar activities of partners and other chapters of UCLG
  • Preparatory meetings for the Executive Committee meetings (an annual report)
  • A dedicated website
  • A communications strategy.

Link with UCLG and its Committee on Culture

  • Goal: To actively participate in the work of the Committee on Culture of UCLG (world).
  • Actions:
    • Close coordination in capacity building and learning programs (UCLG-Africa, UCLG and Culture and Development), such as Pilot Cities, Culture 21 LAB, and the Seven Keys
    • Ensure the participation of UCLG-Africa in the UCLG Culture Summit, and in the great moments of the global debate on culture and development
    • Ensure participation in the UCLG Prize – Mexico City – Culture 21 and the emergence of best practices from the five African regions
    • Participation in the annual meeting of the Committee on Culture of UCLG (world)

Contacts :

Mustapha MOUFID ​

Director Department of Culture, Migration, Peace, and Security
UCLG Africa, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa

mmoufid@uclga.org

+212 6 61 63 14 33

Sara Zeroil

Personal Assistant to the Secretary General of UCLG Africa

szeroil@uclga.org

Official Launch of the Training Program “The Executive Master in African Cities Management (MEMVA) ” at Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane

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On Thursday April 21st, 2022, UCLG Africa proceeded, through its African Local Governments Academy (ALGA), to the official launch of the training of the first promotion of the Executive Master in African Cities Management (MEMVA), on the Zoom platform of the Organization.

This accredited Training Program is carried out within the framework of a Partnership with Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane, the General Directorate of Territorial Communities (DGCT) of the Ministry of the Interior, the Region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, the Region of Fès-Meknès and the Region of Souss-Massa in Morocco, as well as the Representatives of the African Territorial Communities beneficiaries of the Scholarships of the African Fund for International Decentralized Cooperation (FACDI).

This training program, which is in line with UCLG Africa’s support strategy for its members and its service offer in terms of training and capacity building, targets four (4) territorial professions considered as the “support professions” of local governments, namely: General Secretaries/Directors of Services; Financial Directors; Technical Directors; Human Resources Directors

This first promotion is composed of twenty-one (21) students, from French-speaking countries of the African continent, namely:

The 16 scholarship students of the FACDI:

  • The Regional Council of Hauts-Bassins in Burkina Faso (02);
  • The Regional Council of Nouakchott in Mauritania (02);
  • The Regional Councils of Grands Ponts and San Pedro in Côte d’Ivoire (06);
  • The Regional Council of Timbuktu in Mali (01).

This group of Scholars was joined by 5 students:

– The Municipality of Ifrane in Morocco (02);

– The City of Niamey in Niger (01);

– The City of Dakar in Senegal (02).

The official opening ceremony was marked by several speeches including that of Mr. Khalid Safir, Wali, Director General of the DGCT represented by Mr. Abdelouahab JABRI, Governor in charge of Cooperation and Documentation, the Representatives of the Councils of the Regions of Morocco and the Representatives of the Local Governments beneficiaries of the FACDI.

In his opening remarks, the Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi took the opportunity to express the deep gratitude of UCLG Africa to all the Partners who supported this initiative including the FACDI of the DGCT of the Ministry of Interior, Al Akhawayn University and all the Partners involved in this initiative. He recalled the context of this program and invited the professors and trainers to emphasize the practical dimension of all the issues that will be addressed, and asked the group of students to get involved in the search for excellence, to show assiduity and discipline to take full advantage of this training program.

Governor Jabri expressed in his speech that this initiative is also part of the promotion of South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Africa, especially in the areas of training, capacity building, exchange of best practices and knowledge.

All the political Leaders of the Territorial Communities involved in this Program expressed their deep gratitude for the multiple opportunities offered by the support of the FACDI which not only contributes to the strengthening of the links of cooperation, partnership and solidarity between the African Territorial Communities, but especially targets the fields answering the expectations of these entities, in particular the investment in the Human Capital.

The ceremony was also marked by the intervention of Dr. John-Mary Kauzya, former United Nations official and Senior Expert in Governance and Public Administration, who gave useful advice to the different actors by emphasizing their participation in the development of the Continent through a transformational leadership.

Then, a round table discussion was held to present the first promotion that will benefit from the MEMVA.

Following the official laughing ceremony, an inaugural conference was animated by Mr. Jean Pierre MBASSI, Secretary General of UCLG Africa, on the stakes and the context of Decentralization in Africa.

As a reminder, the MEMVA will be deployed 80% online (online seminars, peer learning, case studies, readings and projects) thanks to the latest digital infrastructure available at Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane, and 20% face-to-face, including the final defense and a study trip to Morocco to discover the Moroccan experience in decentralization and advanced regionalization.

To follow the entire proceedings of the MEMVA Launching Ceremony and the Inaugural Conference, here are some links:

Africities 2022 in Kisumu, Kenya: We Are There! (PRESS RELEASE)

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One month before the 9th edition of the Africities Summit scheduled to take place on May 17 to 21, 2022 in Kisumu, Kenya, the program of sessions is complete. 170 sessions were recorded for this edition placed under the High Patronage of His Excellency, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. The theme chosen for the summit is: “The role of intermediary cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and of the African Union´s Agenda 2063”.

Organized every 3 years over a 5-day period, alternately in the different regions of Africa, the Africities Summit is the largest democratic gathering organized on the African continent. This flagship event of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) organized in partnership with the Government of Kenya, the Council of Governors of Kenya (CoG), and the County of Kisumu will for the very first time be held in an intermediary city.

Distinguished personalities are expected to attend the gathering in Kisumu and take an active part in the main dialogue platform on decentralization and local governance, which brings together African ministers; as well as mayors, leaders and elected representatives of local authorities; civil society organizations; traditional authorities; representatives of the African Diaspora; actors from the world of economics; experts, researchers and academics; financial institutions, as well as development partners.

The President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Mr. Macky Sall, accepted the invitation of the organizing committee to participate in the summit in his capacity as current President of the African Union (AU). Invitations to participate were sent to the following personalities: H.E. Mr. Mohamadou Issoufou, former President of the Republic of Niger; H.E. John F. Kerry, former United States Secretary of State, President’s Special Envoy for Climate; Ms. Amina J. Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ms. Maimuna Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Ms. Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA); Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB); Prof. Benedict Oramah, Chairman of Afreximbank; Mr. Samuel Eto’o, President of the Cameroon Football Federation; and Mr. Didier Drogba, former Ivorian international footballer.

“I am delighted to officially announce that the city of Kisumu will host the largest Africities summit ever held in Kenya.”, said His Excellency, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya, on June 01, 2021 in Kisumu

The Summit has so far recorded more than 3,000 participants already registered to take part in the 5 days of reflection around the theme of the summit, organized within the framework of thematic sessions, sessions on local policies and strategies, and the political segment of the Summit. Africities 9 also consists of specific days organized on the major topics that mobilize the attention of mayors and leaders of local governments on the continent, namely Climate Day; Diaspora and Afro- descendants Day; Digital Day; Culture Day; Urban Planning Day; Housing Day; Women’s Day; Youth Day; as well as the Africities Trade and Investment Forum. As part of the Summit, the International Exhibition of Cities and Local Governments will also be held. The Africities Exhibition offers institutions, economic

operators, academia and research, as well as civil society organizations the opportunity to exhibit their experiences, know-how, methods, tools and products in response to requests and needs in terms of support to local authorities for the implementation of their mandates The Africities Exhibition also makes it possible to organize B2B meetings with local authorities, which could possibly lead to the signing of contracts between protagonists. The Africities 9 summit will also serve as a framework for the elective General Assembly aimed at designating the members of the organization’s governing bodies. Indeed, the elective General Assembly of UCLG Africa will be held on May 19, 2022, preceded on May 18 by the general assemblies of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) and of the Network of Young Local Elected Officials of Africa (YELO). As icing on the cake, it is planned to organize a conversation between the former heads of State, honorary members of UCLG Africa and the young elected representatives of local governments of Africa, concerning their involvement in the African renaissance, given the lessons to draw from the experience of former African leaders. This conversation is scheduled for May 20 in the afternoon.

See the Africities 9 Summit official promotional spot (Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2waKnrDdKo )
Discover Kisumu on video (Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44dY7Xm_jnM ).
Made your media accreditation: https://africities.org/registration/press/
The media Kit is available here : https://africities.org/media-resources/
Find all the information: Presentation / Program / Speakers on: www.africities.org

Press contact: Gaëlle Yomi: media@africities.org

ACP-EU Culture Programme – Créer en Afrique centrale: the second call for proposals is open

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After the launch in March 2021 of its first call for proposals which funded 10 projects, the ACPEU Culture –Créer en Afrique centrale Programme is launching a second call to support initiatives aimed at strengthening the role of CCIs as economic, social and cultural actors, in order to increase the economic revenues of the creative sector, to promote the creation of sustainable jobs linked to the cultural sector as well as to improve the accessibility, recognition and valorisation of Central African artists and their works.
This call is open to organisations legally registered in one of the following countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and São Tomé and Principe. Applicants are invited to form partnership with at least one other entity in the sub-region, other ACP countries or European.

Read More.

Deadline: 6 June 2022.