UCLG Africa’s ALGA Academy organizes of a Pilot Program on: “Using Data to diagnose Cities’ Resilience and inform Land-based policy and financing”

On May 17 and 18, 2023, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), through its African Local Government Academy (ALGA), in partnership with the Sahel and West Africa Club of OECD (SWAC/OECD), and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy organized a pilot training program on: “Using Data to diagnose Cities’ Resilience and inform Land-based policy and financing “, on the sidelines of the CIB Annual Meeting.

At the initiative of the OECD Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat, and with the support of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 26 participants from seven African countries (Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Morocco, Uganda and Zambia) benefited from this Pilot Program, which was held at the Cité de l’Innovation of Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Kingdom of Morocco, on Wednesday May 17 and Thursday May 18, 2023, in face-to-face mode and on Zoom.

The program targeted Technical Directors, Urban Planners, Architects and other stakeholders working in the field of Resilience, Land Use Planning, Land and Data, with the aim of building their capacity to use online data to better diagnose City Resilience, disaster risk and sustainability, with a particular focus on land policy and financing.

This program also aimed:

  • Greater awareness of data platforms and ability to share these links with relevant colleagues in local governments.
  • A diagnostic of their city using presented indicators related to sustainability and resilience and be able compare their city with ones of similar sizes.
  • Increased awareness of land policy and financing as well as urban planning tools for climate resilient development.
  • Identify tools and processes, including scenario planning, to better manage uncertainties and trade-offs inherent to urbanisation, land use, and climate change.

During these two days of training, learners benefited from a training, awareness-raising, capacity-building and coaching session on:

  • Using Data to diagnose Resilience;
  • Land Policy for Inclusive, Climate Resilience.

The program was prepared, implemented and facilitated by a team of trainers and experts from the OECD SWAC Club and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: Marie Trémolières, PhD, Head of the Urbanisation and Environment Unit at the Sahel and West Africa Club at the OECD, Jorge Eduardo Patiño Quinchía, PhD, Geographer at the Sahel and West Africa Club at the OECD, Brilé Anderson, PhD, Environmental Economist at the Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC) at the OECD, USA-Suisse, Brilé Anderson, PhD, Environmental Economist at the Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC) at the OECD, USA-Suisse, Mpho Sadiki, Earth Observation (EO) Data Scientist for Digital Earth Africa, Enrique Silva, PhD, Vice President of Programs at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, USA, Prof. Amy Cotter, Director of Climate Strategies at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, USA, Prof. Patrick Welch, Analyst in the climate strategies team at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, USA.

The program concluded with a Closing and Certificate Award Ceremony for this 1st Class, on Thursday May 18, 2023, in the presence of:

  • Dr Najat Zarrouk, Director of Development, Knowledge Management and ALGA of UCLG Africa;
  • Dr Enrique Silva, Vice President of Programs at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy;
  • The entire team of Trainers and Experts.

« I think you’ve created an initial nucleus here, a good nucleus representing the various players and stakeholders in an area that is truly challenging. If there’s one area where local authorities are facing challenges today, it’s land use planning, urban development and the availability and use of land, particularly for infrastructure, facilities, services, investment and the creation of job opportunities,” declared Dr Najat Zarrouk.

Dr. Enrique Silva also took the opportunity to thank the Partners who took part in this Pilot Program and contributed their expertise. This first training course is just the starting point for a Partnership that the Institute values on several levels.

Read the full resume here

Read the full report here.

Presentation of UCLG Africa’s ALGA Partners

The Sahel and West Africa Club of OECD (SWAC/OECD),
The SWAC/OECD’s mission is to promote regional policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people in the Sahel and West Africa.  It is an independent international platform, housed within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), whose members strive to “improve regional governance of food and nutrition security, develop the knowledge base on ongoing transformations in the region, and inform policy-making through spatial and prospective analysis.

https://www.oecd.org/swac/about/events/

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is a think tank based in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA) that seeks to “improve quality of life through the efficient use, taxation and stewardship of land”. A foundation of private, not-for-profit operations whose origins date back to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to the earth as a solution to economic, social and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications and events, the Institute integrates theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide. The organization is currently headed by George W. McCarthy, formerly Director of Metropolitan Opportunity at the Ford Foundation. In July 2014, he succeeded Gregory K. Ingram, urban economist and former Director of Evaluation at the World Bank.