Visit to UCLG Africa headquarters by Dr. Sofiane Sahraoui, Director General of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IISA)

On Monday September 18, 2023, ALGA facilitated a visit to UCLG Africa headquarters by Dr. Sofiane Sahraoui, Director General of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IISA). For Dr. Sahraoui, the purpose of the visit was to know more about United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), and to explore further opportunities for collaboration with this organization, whose African Local Governments Academy (ALGA) co-organizes with the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA), the specialized body of IISA, its annual Conferences since 2022.

Dr. Najat Zarrouk, Director of Development, Knowledge Management and ALGA Academy of UCLG Africa, on behalf of Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa, welcomed Dr. Sahraoui to Morocco and to UCLG Africa. She presented UCLG Africa, its vision, objectives, structure and governing bodies, as well as the various projects to which UCLG Africa is committed, in particular those contributing to the unity of the continent, the dynamism of local authorities and the effective implementation of global agendas.

Dr. Zarrouk also presented ALGA’s vision, mission, actions and achievements to date in the field of capacity building for African territorial managers.

Mr. Lionel Nzamba Nzamba and Ms. Fatima Razouki, both Task Managers in the Gender & Youth Department of UCLG Africa, presented the Department, and discussed on the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) and the Network of the Young Elected Local Officials of Africa (YELO).

During Dr. Sahraoui’s stay, ALGA facilitated a number of his visits, notably to the Higher Institute of Information and Communication (ISIC) and the Moroccan Observatory of Public Administration (OMAP).

IISA is an international scientific organization founded in 1930. Its headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium. Its activities focus on the study of public administration. In the field of comparative studies, it organizes conferences and forums where the practical experiences and theoretical analyses of public administration specialists (practitioners and scientists) from all over the world and from all cultures are presented and discussed.

Each year, IISA organizes three conferences in three different countries around the world, welcoming over 900 participants, publishes one to two books and four issues of its prestigious International Review of Administrative Sciences (in French, English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese). The Institute has its own specialized organization, the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA), of which Dr. Najat Zarrouk is President.