Signing of a Headquarters Agreement Between the Government of Burkina Faso and UCLG-Africa for the Establishment of ALGA-Ouagadougou

The Government of Burkina Faso and United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), represented respectively by His Excellency Mr. Alpha BARRY, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi,

The Government of Burkina Faso and United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), represented respectively by His Excellency Mr. Alpha BARRY, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, signed a Headquarters Agreement on behalf of the African Local Government Academy (ALGA) on Friday, November 30, 2018, in the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The Headquarters Agreement lays down the rules on which the African Local Government Academy (ALGA) is established and operates in Burkina Faso, including the privileges and immunities arising from its establishment in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

On behalf of the Government of Burkina Faso, His Excellency Mr. Alpha BARRY, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, reiterated the willingness of the Burkinabe Government to support this initiative and to surround it with all the conditions for success. He thanked the Secretary General, and through him UCLG Africa, for this show of confidence in Burkina-Faso, which will now house the ALGA headquarters for the French-speaking countries of West and Central Africa.

The Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong MBASSI, welcomed the commitment of the Burkinabe Government to UCLG Africa and wished that this Academy be a reference in the sub-region in terms of professionalization of human resources of the Local and Subnational Governments.

For the record, this Headquarters Agreement follows the Partnership Agreement signed on December 21, 2016 between UCLG Africa and the Ouagadougou Commune in Rabat, Morocco, defining the modalities of cooperation for the implementation of ALGA’s activities in French-speaking West and Central Africa.

As a reminder, ALGA-Ouagadougou has taken over and is now developing the activities of the former International Center for the Training of Local Stakeholders (CIFAL) in Ouagadougou created in June 2003 under the auspices of the Ouagadougou City Council,

registered in 2007 in the worldwide network of Centers accredited by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and funded by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF).

This Headquarters Agreement will enhance the achievements of this reference center through the revitalization of its activities and the implementation of ALGA’s Action Plan in the two regions concerned.

The two (2) parties welcomed this Agreement and expressed their common desire to work towards strengthening these relations with a view to contributing significantly to the development of skills and improving the performance of the human resources of the local and subnational governments of Africa.

Done in Ouagadougou on November 30, 2018.