Decentralization & Climate: Joint UCLG Africa and WAEMU CCT mission in Togo

From April 27 to May 1, 2021, a joint mission of UCLG Africa and the Council of Local and Regional Governments of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (CCT / WAEMU), was carried out in Lomé, Togo. The goal of the mission was to mobilize the partners intervening in the field of decentralization, climate action and local authorities in Togo with a view to their contribution and participation in the Forum on the strengthening of resilience and the increase of climate ambition of local authorities in Africa scheduled to take place on June 10 and 11, 2021 in Lomé. This International Forum is organized in collaboration with the WAEMU Commission within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors for Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) which supports local and regional governments in preparing climate-energy plans but also to access climate finance.

The UCLG Africa delegation was made up of Ms. Macoura Dao, Mayor of Foumbolo, Côte d’Ivoire, President of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA), Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, UCLG Africa, Mr. Mohamed Nbou, Director of the Climate, Biodiversity and Food Systems Department, UCLG Africa and Ms. Nisrine Bennani, Assistant in the Climate, Biodiversity and Food Systems Department, UCLG Africa. The WAEMU CCT team was made up of Ms. Aminata Sy, Director of Regional Planning, WAEMU Commission, Mr. El Hadj Malick Diop, President of the Economic and Financial Commission, CCT / WAEMU, and Mr. Eric Talardia Kondia, Senior Technical Expert, Local Transboundary Cooperation Program (PCTL), CCT / WAEMU.

Working sessions were held with His Excellency Mr. Payadowa Boukpessi, Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Development of Territories;  Professor Dodzi Komla Kokoroko, Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education and Handicrafts, President of the University of Lomé, Mr. Antoine Edjeba, Minister Delegate to the Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralization, and the Development of Territories; Mr. Kamal Alao Adjayi, Mayor of the Golfe 3 Commune in Lomé, but also with the delegation of the European Union, the UNDP Togo, the BOAD, the ECOWAS Bank of Investment and Development (EBID), the Municipalities of Togo (FCT) and with REFELA-Togo. Two partnership agreements were signed between UCLG Africa and the University of Lomé and between UCLG Africa and EBID.

The Forum should enable local authorities in the WAEMU area to prepare their contributions to the Meeting of Mayors and Elected Officials of Local and Regional Governments scheduled within the framework of COP 26 which will be held in Glasgow (Scotland) in November 2021. One of the results that UCLG Africa wishes to have at the end of the Forum is the definition of a Readiness program for the access of local authorities in the WAEMU area to the Green Climate Fund, thanks to the support of its partnership with BOAD which is an entity accredited with the Green Climate Fund.

The Secretary General of UCLG Africa pleaded and asked the Minister of Territorial Administration of Togo that Togo should be among the signatories of the African Charter of the Values ​​and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union during their conference held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea in June 2014 and that the umbrella organization of Togolese municipalities should  be considered as a public entity, and not a non-governmental organization under the law on associations.

Meeting with the E.U. Delegation

The working session with the European Union Delegation of took place on April 28, 2021. Discussions with Mr. Joaquim Tasso Vilallonga, Ambassador, Head of the EU Delegation to Togo revealed that the consultations conducted between the government and the Togolese actors and the European Union resulted in the choice of three priority pillars for European cooperation in Togo: 1. Human development; 2. Agriculture and agribusiness; 3. Peace and security, of which the decentralization policy constitutes an essential element. In addition, three flagship programs have been selected for Togo in the new 2021-2027 cycle of European cooperation within the framework of Team Europe, namely: 1. Decentralization: 2. Renewable energies; 3. Support for SMEs / SMIs, particularly in the agricultural and agribusiness sector. The projects eligible for the European cooperation program in Togo would be assessed according to three markers: a) a gender marker (85% of projects proposed for European cooperation funding would be assessed according to their heir impact on women); b) a climate change marker (at least 50% of projects submitted for funding from European cooperation would be assessed according to their contribution to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and to adaptation to climate change); and c) a job creation marker for young people (at least 50% of projects will be analyzed according to their impact on the employment created or maintained for young people to be eligible for funding from European cooperation).

The other stakeholders that were met during the mission, namely UNDP, BOAD, BIDC, and Expertise France, expressed their willingness to take part in the Forum on strengthening the resilience and increasing the climate ambition of local governments in Africa scheduled to take place on June 10 and 11, 2021 in Lomé.

The working session with the umbrella organization of Municipalities of Togo and REFELA-Togo was held on April 29, 2021. Ms. Yawa Kouigan, Mayor of the Ogou 1 Commune of Atakpame, President of the FCT, was accompanied by Ms. Dede Akpedje Messan , Municipal Councilor in the Municipality of Golfe 6 Baguida, Lomé, President of the Locally Elected Women of Togo,  and by Mr. Koumtchane Siangou, Permanent Secretary of the FCT. The FCT President expressed great interest in having her 117 members adhere to the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA). The President of REFELA held a special session with the President of REFELA Africa on the strategy for implementing the campaigns and the REFELA action plan.