Official Launch of “Territorial Coaching” Program in Oujda, Morocco

/in /by

Territorial Coaching Program was officially launched, Monday 17thNovember 2014, in Oujda, the capital city of the Oriental Region of the Kingdom of Morocco. UCLG Africa Secretary General took part in this event among many other stakeholders.

This program is the result of a partnership agreement between UCLG Africa and the Oriental Region Council, concluded last June in Oujda in the fringes of the second seminar on decentralized cooperation.

The Coaching Territorial Program is based on developing the existing forces, improving the human relations and wittingly managing behaviors. This approach is novel on both levels, national and continental, and it mainly aims at granting ownership and empowerment for the benefit of local structures and actors.

UCLG Africa Secretary General has specified, during his speech that by adopting the 2011 Constitution, Morocco has made the determined choice in favor of a more decentralized management and that the advanced regionalization will effectively introduce a profound mutation in the way public matters are managed.

The choice of the Oriental Region of Morocco is justified by the expectations of the elected representatives and the local actors who have shown a real interest for this program proposed by UCLG Africa during Rabat-2013. Hence, local actors in this region of Morocco will benefit from a support, which will allow them to better assess the problems confronting them and to mobilize the existing resources advisedly.

For more information about the Coaching Territorial Program, you can visit the website here (in French only).

You can check the press concerning this event as well by clicking on the following links.

http://www.lematin.ma/journal/2014/programme-pilote-dans-l-oriental_le-coaching-au-service-des-elus/211832.html?sthash.nw2A7CfA.qp1Ibf3u.mjjo

http://www.libe.ma/Lancement-officiel-du-programme-de-coaching-territorial-dans-la-region-de-l-Oriental_a56147.html

http://www.map.ma/fr/phototheque/le-secretaire-general-de-cglu-afrique-donne-oujda-une-declaration-la-presse

 

REsolutions Africa / Marrakesh 2014 Conference

/in /by

The Marrakesh City Council, the FMDV and UCLG Africa will organize the REsolutions Africa / Marrakesh 2014 Conference, which will be held the 11th and 12th December, 2014 in Marrakesh, Kingdom of Morocco. 

 

In a constantly urbanized world, African cities will be home to 1.26 billion city dwellers by 2030. Hence, Africa offers the greatest potential of urbanization worldwide. From this perspective, the organizers of the conference are convening African Local Authorities and all their partners to create today the opportunities to finance the African cities of tomorrow. 

Therefore, the aim of the Conference in Marrakesh is to stimulate exchanges between the diverse stakeholders, in order to go beyond the existing findings and wishes and to move towards principles and proposals for actions, as well as commitments.

The organizers, as a result, are putting a great emphasis on the sharing of interrogations and experiences in order to create appropriate responses adapted to the African diverse contexts. That is why; the Marrakesh City Council, the FMDV and UCLG Africa are expecting that the conference will achieve: 

 

  • •Promoting a shared vision of the diagnosis concerning both structure and conditions associated to the financing of African cities ​
  • •Encouraging the emergence of strategic alliances in order to offer adequate and sustainable solutions for the financing of African cities, consistently with the socio-political and economic context of the continent, and with due consideration to the international financial environment evolution
  • •Suggesting a realistic continental strategy based on the different stakeholders’ commitments to work together implementing the necessary partnerships able to mobilize financing for the African cities; considering the challenges linked to the continent’s rapid urbanization
  • •Presenting examples of solutions and best practices in order to inspire other stakeholders
  • •Providing a meeting space dedicated to policy makers, provider of operational solutions, and economic/financial leaders, in order to conclude business and financial partnerships.

 

If you want to join the High Level Pan-African participants taking part in Marrakesh Conference 2014 and contribute to define operational financing solutions toward urban development, register now here and check the conference program.

Download the Press Release

 

Cities Alliance Exco Meeting

/in /by

The UCLG Africa Secretary General participated in the meeting of the executive committee and of the Consultative Group of the Cities Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 5 to 7 November 2014.

 

The Cities Alliance Consultative Group (CG) amended and adopted the new charter of the Alliance to take it to another level. The revised charter opens up the Alliance membership to six (6) types of stakeholders: (i) National governments; (ii) Inter-governmental and Multi-lateral Institutions and International or Regional Financial Institutions and Development Banks; (iii) Associations of Local Governments; (iv) Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organisations; (v) Private Sector and Foundations; and (vi) Universities, Research Centres and Knowledge Networks.

The revised charter also defines the three new governance structures that are: a) the Assembly; b) the Management Board (The Board); and the Secretariat, as well as their roles and functions. The charter provides also for the nomination of senior advisors by the assembly.

The CG also approved the setting up of an interim management board that will manage the Alliance between now and the entry in force of the new structures to be put in place following the provisions of the revised Cities Alliance charter.

The CG also adopted the 2015 work plan and budget of the Cities Alliance, the Performance Indicators Monitoring Systems (PIMS), and the update Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

The CG finally discussed the results of the Joint Work Programmes, and also endorsed the Medium Term Strategy for 2014-2016, and CG received the presentation of Ethiopia Country Programme

The City of Dakar in Guangzhou Award 2014

/in /by

The Municipality of Dakar is nominated, among other cities from different parts of the world, to win the 2014 prestigious Guangzhou Award for urban innovation. In fact, the only African city in the competition is presenting a project called the « Dakar Municipal Finance Project (DMFP) ».

The project was set to strategically position Dakar as a creditworthy issuer in the regional market in order to collect funds to finance a large market that will benefit the economically active poor in the city. The DMFP has made the City of Dakar the first city in French-speaking West Africa to source funds for investment projects using the capital markets.

The initiative has been principally funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, while Dakar has received additional support in developing its strength in municipal finance from the French Development Agency, the West Development Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Cities Alliance.

Therefore, the City of Dakar has earned a place among the fourteen other cities from every part of the world, all hoping to win the Guangzhou Award 2014.

That is why; the City of Dakar needs your support and encouragement by voting online before November 26, 2014. Click on this link to place your votes:

For more information about the Guangzhou Award, visit their website here 

For more information about Dakar Municipal Finance Project (DMFP), visit the website here

Launch of the 2014 Microfinance Barometer

/in /by

“Microfinance Barometer 2014” is now available in English..

 

The Europe based platform for thought, “Convergences”, have just published the English version of its publication “Microfinance Barometer”. Previously accessible uniquely in French, Researchers and  experts of the sector can now have insights on the evolution and prospects of microfinance, along with latest figures on the sector in France and across the world.

This year’s edition is entitled “The future of microfinance: towards a new deal?” and is downloadable here

Tags :

Microfinance,

Online Course: Street Addressing and Management of Cities

/in /by

The e-Institute for Development in collaboration with the World Bank designed an online course for Local Government officials, municipal staff, service providers, utilities and private operators handling the issue of street addressing and its role in cities management.

The objective of the course is to raise awareness of the importance of street addressing for city management, service delivery and maintenance, public asset management, land management, municipal resource mobilization, and business development.

Applications to this course must be submitted before November1st, 2014 using the link here

The course will be given in English and it is free of charge.

Tags :

street addressing,  cities management,

Africities Launch – Report by JoburgToday TV

/in /by

banner-Africities launch

 

11th Ordinary Session of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa

/in /by

The 11th ordinary session of the Executive Committee of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) was held in Johannesburg on 13 October 2014 in the fringes of the official launch of Africities 7 Summit preparations activities.

The proceedings of this meeting focused on several points related to the activities of the General Secretariat of UCLG Africa and the upcoming Summit of Africities 7 expected on December 2015.

The first point was related to the adoption of the 10th session of the Executive Committee held in Victoria, Seychelles and the state of the implementation of this session’s recommendations and resolutions.

The second point concerned the different activities of the General Secretariat of UCLG Africa between May to October 2014 and the sum up of the planned activities between October and December.

In the third place, the Foresight Group presented its report on the contributions and their mobilization strategy as well as the sanctions in case of non-payment within the allotted limit of time.

The fourth point concerned the presentation and the adoption of the 2015 budget of UCLG Africa.

The fifth point focused on the preparations of the Africities 7 Summit and the official launching ceremony. Hence, the General Secretariat addressed the progress made in the preparation of the Summit. He recalled the composition and role of the main entities that pilot the Summit preparations.

At the end of the meeting, the Secretary General of UCLG Africa seized the opportunity of the presence of all the Executive Committee members in order to share many points with them on which UCLG Africa is expected.

 

UCLG Africa’s Participation in Prepcom I for Habitat III

/in /by

In order to contribute to the debates of national governments and provide the views of local authorities in the key issues of interest, the Global Taskforcecoordinated a High-Visibility Event of Local and Regional Governments, on the 16th of September 2014, at the UN Headquarters in New York.  

It was called for in order to discuss the development of the Global Agenda of Local and Regional Governments, present views on the implementation of Habitat II, discuss the links between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Habitat III, and set out their priorities for the Habitat III agenda, involving the presence of High-Level UN officials. It was held in collaboration with the Office of ECOSOC Support and Coordination, DESA, as a follow-up to the ECOSOC Integration Segment on Sustainable Urbanization.

This High-Visibility Event is part of a series of events scheduled in the Framework of the first Preparatory Committee (Prepcom I) of Habitat III taking place in 2016. 

The President of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), Mr. Khalifa Sall, attended this meeting to put forward the position of the cities of the South regarding the SDGs and the Habitat III conference.

To watch Mr. Khalifa Sall full intervention during the meeting, please visit the UN WebTV here.

 

Preparatory meeting for Africities launching

/in /by

As a part of the preparatory activities for the 7th edition of the Africities summit, which will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 1st to 5th december 2015, a working group meeting was held, from 3 to 4 september 2015 at the UCLG Africa headquarters.

The meeting comprised representatives of the city of Johannesburg, the strategic support group, the foresight steering group and the UCLG Africa secretary general.

The aims of this meeting were, among others, the definition of the content, the format and the proceedings of the official launching of the preparation of Africities summit which will be held on 14th october 2014.