Hybrid Training and Capacity Building Cycle on Decentralized Cooperation and International Action of Local and Regional Governments Preparation of a Module on: “Peer Learning through Practical Cases”

Hybrid Training and Capacity Building Cycle on Decentralized Cooperation and International Action of Local and Regional Governments Preparation of a Module on:”Peer Learning through Practical Cases”

As part of the preparation and development of the Hybrid Training and Capacity Building Cycle on Decentralized Cooperation and International Action of Local and Regional Governments by the African Local Governments Academy (ALGA) of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), and taking advantage of the participation of African Territorial Managers in charge of Decentralized Cooperation (DC) at the Annual Meeting of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)’s Capacity and Institution Building Working Group (CIB), the Academy organized the Module on “Peer learning through Practical Cases” in the field of Decentralized Cooperation (DC) and International Action of Local and Regional Governments (IATC). The event took place in Marrakech, Kingdom of Morocco, on Tuesday, May 16^th, 2023, with the presence of various stakeholders.

The session brought together key actors in DC and IATC from different regions of Africa, including Local and Regional Governments, Development Partners, and Experts. The main objective of this session was to promote the sharing of good practices in DC and IATC, while enhancing the capacities of the involved actors in Africa. Participants had the opportunity to attend presentations of concrete experiences in DC and IATC projects, highlighting the different stages of the process, from design to evaluation, including the challenges faced and the results achieved.

The first part of the session focused on presenting concrete experiences of DC and IATC projects carried out in different regions of Africa, including Benin, Cameroon, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, and Tunisia. It was a valuable moment for sharing knowledge, experiences, difficulties encountered, lessons learned, and successes achieved.

The second part of the session concentrated on analyzing the presented projects, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and discussing ways to enhance the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of these initiatives.

Several recommendations emerged from this training session, including:

At the strategic level, it was recommended to develop and distribute a planning guide for DC and IATC at the level of Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) and National Associations of LRGs, establish a comprehensive digital platform for information and exchange among DC and IATC actors, and promote DC and IATC practices through multi-level and multi-actor collaboration.
At the technical and operational level, it was recommended to enhance capacity building activities for actors, particularly through online training, and provide technical assistance in structuring the cooperation services of Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) and National Associations of LRGs.

This training session successfully facilitated the sharing of good practices and capacity building for DC and IATC actors in Africa. It fostered collaboration among stakeholders to promote effective and sustainable Decentralized Cooperation for the development of territories in Africa.

Following this session, the facilitators moved to Casablanca to record the introductory Module of this Training Cycle, Module 3, which focuses on identifying partners and setting up a DC project, as well as Module 5, discussing the fundamentals of drafting and monitoring DC and IATC agreements (Models), and finally, Module 6, addressing the implementation, monitoring, reporting, evaluation, and capitalization of DC and IATC projects. These recordings were made with the support of Cabinet Ideo Factory, a partner of UCLG Africa in the establishment and deployment of the e-Academy.