Advocacy and Mobilization

The UCLGA West Africa Regional Office (WARO) is based in Accra, Ghana and covers all the ECOWAS countries which include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte D’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

WARO maintains cordial relations with the Ghanaian Authorities and is managed by a team of four:

Regional Director

Juliet Mekone Sale

Programs Officer

Joachim Hunlede

Help Desk Officer for Climate Change for Sub-Saharan Africa

Abdoul Gafarou Tchalaou

Office Assistant

Yelbert Koffi Amissah

Decentralization is at different stages in the various member countries with only Togo and Liberia not having a democratically elected local government. In the West Africa region, local governments play a key role in entrenching democracy and providing services to citizens. It is well documented that this is the level of government that has the most contact with communities.

DEMOCRATIC LOCAL ELECTIONS IN WEST AFRICA

No.

Country

Tenure of office

Previous elections

Next elections

1. Benin Five years May 2015 May 2020
2. Burkina Faso Five years May 2016 May 2021
3. Cape Verde Five years September 2016 September 2021
4. Gambia Four years April 2013 March 2018
5. Ghana Four years Appointed by the President of the Republic with a 2/3 majority from the assembly members. Next appointment year is 2021 (The Government of the Republic of Ghana have announced they will organize democratic local elections in 2018)
6. Guinea Appointed Appointed by the President of the Republic Elections in February 2018.
7. Guinea Bissau Appointed Appointed by the President of the Republic
8. Ivory Coast Five years April 2013 April 2018
9. Liberia Appointed for a 6 year period
10. Mali Five years December 2016 December 2021
11. Niger January 2017
12. Nigeria

 

Local elections are organized by the State. Some States dissolve local government and replace it with a Caretaker Committee appointed by the State Governor.   The various states will determine their next election period.
13. Senegal Five years June 2014 June 2019
14. Sierra Leone Four years November 2012 March 2018
15. Togo Appointed by Central Government