EARO Successful Missions to Madagascar and Comoros to Advocate for Empowerment of Local Governments
The UCLG Africa East Africa Regional Office (EARO) mission to Madagascar started on 13th December and was successfully completed on 16th December 2016. The EARO staff was able to meet the Mayor of Antananarivo, Mrs.Lalao Ravalomanana, first woman mayor of the Capital City of Madagascar.
They also met with the Deputy Mayor, Permanent Secretary responsible for local government, Director General for local government, Director of decentralization. The staff also held a one-day meeting with 22 senior local government stakeholders.
The key mission outputs are:
- •On the main focus of the mission, the idea of forming a national association for cities and local governments was welcomed and a nine-person task force was set up to closely work with UCLG Africa on the matter;
- •It was expressed that the city of Antananarivo and many rural communes had an urgent and dire need for support in financial management, especially on the part of staff training and acquisition of a financial management software;
- •The city of Antananarivo also expressed interest in the mayor’s award scheme being introduced in the country and envisaged that their association of the six major cities in Madagascar would also most likely welcome the idea;
- •The City of Antananarivo pledged that they would soon be paying up their overdue membership arrears.
UCLG Africa team with The Mayor of Antananarivo and Director of Decentralization in Madagascar.
Comoros
The EARO staff mission to Comoros started on the 19th December was successfully completed on 22nd December 2016. Discussions were held with the following people:
- •Mr. Djalim Abdallah, Secretary General, Ministry of interior
- •Mr. Anzaouir Ben Alioiou, Director of Cabinet, Ministry of interior
- •Mr. Chamsidine Achirafi, chef de Cabinet, Presidency of the Republic of Comoros
- •Dr. Abdou Salami Abdou, Governor of Ndzuwani,
- •Mr. Amirdine Mohames, Acting Chairman of the National Association of Mayors of Comoros(ANMC) & Mayor of Mutsamudu
- •Different people and organization involved in Local Governance field in Ndzuwani
The discussion focused, among others,
- •on the role of Cities and Local Governments in decentralization, UCLG Africa interventions, the importance of having a national association of Local Governments, lobby for the ratification and signing of the African Charter on decentralization.
- •Comoros already have an association for mayors and it is, therefore, necessary to have a national wide association for local governments. This idea was welcomed and being considered.
- •There was also a request for support in the development and implementation of a national decentralization policy.
- •There is a commitment to lobby and advocate for the ratification of the charter in the first semester of 2017. The officials from the ministry understand the importance of the charter and pledged to work towards its ratification, as soon as possible.
UCLGA Staff gives a copybooklet of the charter to H.E Governor of Ndzuwani
