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Africités 2006, le rendez-vous kenyan des autorités locales africaines : ... Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi - Pan Afrique - Kenya - Développement - Afrique

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:: Société :: Afrique de l’Est :: Kenya :: Pan Afrique

Edito Société Africités 2006, le rendez-vous kenyan des autorités locales Economie Internet africaines Entretien avec Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi Culture Sport lundi 18 septembre 2006, par Falila Gbadamassi Découverte Brèves Dossiers L’Afrique des collectivités locales se retrouve à compter de ce lundi à Nairobi, la capitale Infos par thèmes kenyane, dans le cadre du sommet Africités. Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, le secrétaire général du Infos par régions CGLUA (Cités et gouvernements locaux unis d’Afrique), en résume les enjeux pour Afrik. Infos par pays Carte d'Afrique Archives Voir aussi De notre envoyée spéciale au Kenya GROS PLAN - Le Pnud rend son La vie des Médias « Des stratégies qui permettent de s’ajuster aux Objectifs du millénaire pour le rapport 2006 sur l’indice de Monde créole développement, car, au rythme actuel, ils ne seront atteints que dans 110 ans », dixit Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi. Les propos du secrétaire général du Partenariat pour le développement Femmes d'Afrik développement municipal (PDM) et du CGLUA (Cités et gouvernements locaux unis humain Clips africains d’Afrique), organisateur du quatrième sommet des collectivités locales, Africités, - Pour une plus Beauté d'Afrik situe bien la portée de la rencontre qu’accueille la ville de Nairobi du 18 au 24 grande présence de septembre 2006. Après Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) en 1998, Windhoek (Namibie) en l’Afrique au sein du AfrikEco 2000 et Yaoundé (Cameroun) en 2003, les collectivités locales - le continent africain système onusien compte 15 000 communes - et leurs partenaires se donnent encore rendez-vous - La Chine promet SERVICES pour faire rimer décentralisation et développement. Le salon international des maires de doubler son aide et collectivités locales, Citexpo, se tient parallèlement aux travaux d’Africités. Jouez sur Afrik à l’Afrique Logos et sonneries - Abderrahmane Afrik.com : Quels sont les enjeux de ce quatrième sommet Africités ? Business Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi : Les enjeux de ce sommet sont contenus dans le thème Sissako : « un continent qui souffre Blogs choisi : « Construire des coalitions locales pour la réalisation effective des Objectifs du millénaire pour le développement (OMD) au sein des collectivités locales mérite d’être Rencontres africaines ». Le premier de ces enjeux est de persuader l’ensemble des acteurs raconté ». Petites annonces impliqués dans le développement, en particulier l’Etat, que sans l’intervention des Emploi autorités locales dont Kofi Annan, le secrétaire général des Nations Unies, a dit que Société 70% des OMD tombaient sous leur responsabilité, qu’il n’est pas possible de les Communiqués atteindre sans elles. Il s’agit également de faire savoir à ces acteurs que sans un - Situation trouble partenariat avec eux, il ne sera pas non plus possible d’atteindre ces objectifs. samedi à Kinshasa Deuxième enjeu : il faut que la décentralisation se poursuive afin que la gouvernance - La nouvelle de nos Etats s’améliore. Le développement sera local ou ne le sera pas. La patronne de l’OMS démocratie est locale ou ne l’est pas. Le troisième enjeu est qu’il y a une Afrique qui affirme son travaille pour améliorer le quotidien de milliers et de milliers de personnes et l’image de cette Afrique-là doit être projetée dans les média. Il n’y a pas que l’Afrique des engagement envers Afrik. désastres et des catastrophes. L’espoir est dans cette Afrique volontaire et non dans l’Afrique com Web les jérémiades dans l’injustice du monde que nous n’avons pas les moyens de - Elia corriger. Ce sont ceux qui se battent pour que les choses changent et qui ont foi en Ravelomanantsoa : leur combat qui doivent être mis en lumière. future présidente des Malgaches ? Afrik.com : Qui participera à ce sommet ? - La presse

Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi : Nous attendons 5 000 participants, sinon autant qu’à ivoirienne constate Yaoundé, c’est-à-dire au moins 3 500 délégués. En l’occurrence tous les grands la fin du tandem acteurs du développement local comme l’association des bidonvillois, les Gbagbo-Banny + d'infos associations de jeunes, de femmes, les représentants du pouvoir traditionnel, les milieux des affaires, de la finance et de la microfinance, les syndicats et les PUBLICITÉ organisations paysannes, des experts et des universitaires, les professionnels de l’administration locale et centrale. Les maires, les ministres et les partenaires au Votre email perso développement sont également attendus. Les deux premiers jours sont consacrés à des rencontres thématiques qui porteront sur les thèmes du sommet, à savoir les OMD. Les représentants des Nations Unies nous diront où nous en sommes et discuteront de leurs différentes stratégies avec les représentants des populations

http://www.afrik.com/article10409.html (1 sur 2)13/11/2006 11:26:53 Africités 2006, le rendez-vous kenyan des autorités locales africaines : ... Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi - Pan Afrique - Kenya - Développement - Afrique

concernées. Ensuite, nous revisiterons les politiques locales à la lumière de ces Pan Afrique Billet d'avion Objectifs. Enfin, tous ces acteurs se réuniront pour faire des recommandations adressées aux ministres et aux partenaires au développement. Viennent s’ajouter à - Employés From: ces sessions thématiques, des sessions spéciales. Elles concernent l’ensemble des musulmans de gens qui veulent travailler avec les collectivités locales. Le dernier volet du sommet Roissy : deux To : est politique et se déclinera en une réunion des maires, des ministres et une badges restitués rencontre tripartite entre maires, ministres et partenaires au développement afin de discuter de l’agenda de la coopération dans le domaine de la décentralisation en - Conférence du : fonction des OMD. mondiale sur le commerce des caravanes au Afrik.com : Justement où en est cette décentralisation dans les pays au : Sahara africains ? Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi : La décentralisation avance et elle est très marquée par - Sénégal : la la différence entre la volonté politique et la réalité de sa mise en oeuvre sur le contrefaçon et la Adulte(s): terrain. Cette dernière rencontre les résistances des administrations centrales qui ont piraterie passées au été habituées à gérer de façon centralisée la vie publique. C’est un combat dans crible lequel les collectivités locales doivent arracher petit à petit plus de pouvoir. Cela ne - Angola : naissance sera possible que si elles rendent service aux populations avec efficacité et de l’Association des transparence. C’est l’unique gage de leur victoire. pays africains producteurs de Voyage Afrique Afrik.com : Y a-t-il des modèles à suivre sur le continent ? diamants Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi : A l’heure actuelle, l’Afrique du Sud est le pays le plus PUBLICITÉ prometteur dans ce domaine. La décentralisation figure dans la Constitution sud- Kenya Une mise à jour de africaine. Les autorités locales sont reconnues comme un niveau de gouvernement Macromedia Flash intangible. Les Sud-Africains ont, par ailleurs, organisé les relations entre les - Conférence Player est requise. pouvoirs local, provincial et central. C’est l’un des meilleurs exemples en matière de mondiale sur le décentralisation, mais il y en a d’autres. Le Ghana a aussi fait des progrès très importants, l’Ouganda également, de même que le Burkina Faso et le Mali. Climat à Nairobi - Kenya : le petit Visiter le site d’Africités business center de Kibera - Football : Bernard Lama quitte son poste d’entraîneur Imprimez cet | Envoyez cet | Commentez cet article du Kenya article article - Africités : pour une meilleure image médiatique de l’Afrique

Présentation - Contact - Partenaires - Annoncer - Affiliation - Plan du site - Revue de presse - Version Texte Afrik.com c'est aussi : afrikeco.com - beaute.afrik.com - couplemixte.com - afrikblog.com Notre sélection : photo numérique - Imprimante - Autoradio - Déstockage informatique Tirage photo numérique - Annuaire - Logiciels Libres [ © afrik.com ]

http://www.afrik.com/article10409.html (2 sur 2)13/11/2006 11:26:53 La décentralisation est en marche en Afrique : Le sommet Africités s'est terminé ce vendredi au Kenya. - Pan Afrique - Développement - Afrique

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:: Société :: Pan Afrique

Edito Société Economie La décentralisation est en marche en Afrique Internet Le sommet Africités s’est terminé ce vendredi au Kenya. Culture Sport dimanche 24 septembre 2006, par Falila Gbadamassi Découverte Brèves Dossiers Infos par thèmes Le sommet des collectivités locales africaines, Africités, s’est achevé ce vendredi à Nairobi, la Infos par régions capitale kenyane. Pour ses organisateurs, ce sommet marque indéniablement un tournant Infos par pays majeur dans le processus de décentralisation en Afrique et la volonté des collectivités locales Carte d'Afrique de jouer pleinement leur rôle de premiers acteurs du développement en relevant le défi des Objectifs du millénaire pour le développement (OMD). Archives

GROS PLAN Voir aussi La vie des Médias De notre envoyée spéciale - Le Pnud rend son Monde créole « Maintenant la décentralisation est en marche, il ne peut plus y avoir de retour en rapport 2006 sur Femmes d'Afrik arrière. Les ministres qui n’abonderont pas dans se sens ne pourront que se sentir l’indice de Clips africains honteux. » C’est en ces termes que Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, le secrétaire général développement humain Beauté d'Afrik du CGLUA (Cités et gouvernements locaux unis d’Afrique), a résumé l’un des principaux acquis de la quatrième édition du sommet Africités qui s’est terminé ce - Pour une plus AfrikEco vendredi à Nairobi au Kenya. Plus de 4 000 délégués africains et occidentaux ont fait grande présence de le déplacement pour assister à ce rendez-vous des collectivités locales africaines. l’Afrique au sein du SERVICES Pour Gustavo Massiah, conseiller stratégique du Partenariat pour le développement système onusien municipal (PDM), cette édition d’Africités est le lieu où « les collectivités locales se Jouez sur Afrik sont affirmées comme acteurs de développement ». Aussi souhaitent-elles améliorer - La Chine promet Logos et sonneries « leur fonctionnement et se mettre à la hauteur des enjeux. Les projets qu’elles de doubler son aide à l’Afrique Business portent ne sont pas des projets abstraits et sont en parfaite adéquation avec les objectifs du millénaire ». - Abderrahmane Blogs Sissako : « un Rencontres Les OMD expriment en effet de façon concrète les problèmes auxquels les autorités continent qui souffre Petites annonces locales sont confrontées au quotidien : entre autres, lutte contre la pauvreté, accès à mérite d’être l’éducation, lutte contre le sida. Les OMD, selon M. Elong Mbassi, offrent la raconté ». Emploi possibilité de mettre en place un système de contrôle de leur mise en œuvre. A ce Communiqués titre, les participants ont suggéré dans la Déclaration de Nairobi, publiée à l’issue du Société sommet, qu’un système permanent d’évaluation des recommandations d’Africités 2006 soit mis en place sous l’égide du CGLUA. - Situation trouble samedi à Kinshasa Eviter la prolifération des bidonvilles - La nouvelle patronne de l’OMS L’établissement de partenariats entre les collectivités locales et les différents acteurs affirme son Afrik. du développement au plan national et international demeure un des leviers clés pour com Web engagement envers atteindre les OMD. Concernant les ressources financières émanant des bailleurs de l’Afrique fonds internationaux, Gustavo Massiah note que ce « sommet marque la naissance - Elia d’une nouvelle dynamique. Nous devons faire ce que nous pouvons faire. Nous ne devons plus penser à ce que veulent ou proposent les bailleurs de fonds. Ravelomanantsoa : Evidemment, nous avons besoin de financement et donc nous allons discuter avec future présidente des Malgaches ? les partenaires du développement, mais il faut qu’ils écoutent la demande. Et qui mieux que les collectivités locales peuvent exprimer une demande à la fois - La presse institutionnelle et participative. Un proverbe africain dit que la main qui donne est ivoirienne constate + d'infos toujours au dessus de la main qui reçoit. C’est ce qu’il faut changer ». De même, la la fin du tandem déclaration finale reconnaît comme un défi majeur l’urbanisation. Dans dix ans, la Gbagbo-Banny plupart des Africains seront des citadins et 70% d’entre-eux vivront dans des bidonvilles. PUBLICITÉ Votre email perso Le Vice-président kenyan, Moody Awori, l’ancien Président mozambicain, Joaquim Chissano, le ministre kenyan chargé des Collectivités locales, Musikari Kombo, le

http://www.afrik.com/article10440.html (1 sur 2)13/11/2006 11:28:01 La décentralisation est en marche en Afrique : Le sommet Africités s'est terminé ce vendredi au Kenya. - Pan Afrique - Développement - Afrique

ministre français délégué à la Coopération, au développement et à la Francophonie, Pan Afrique Billet d'avion Brigitte Girardin, et le dynamique maire de Nairobi, Dick Wathika, ont pris part à la cérémonie de clôture d’Africités. A noter qu’outre celle du Kenya, la délégation - Employés From: française était la plus importante, suivie par celles de l’Afrique du Sud et de la Côte musulmans de d’Ivoire. La France est le quatrième bailleur de fonds du Kenya et le français, Roissy : deux To : enseigné dans les établissements scolaires, est la langue étrangère la plus parlée badges restitués sur le territoire kenyan. - Conférence du : mondiale sur le commerce des caravanes au | Envoyez cet | Commentez cet article au : Imprimez cet Sahara article article - Sénégal : la contrefaçon et la Adulte(s): piraterie passées au crible - Angola : naissance de l’Association des pays africains producteurs de Voyage Afrique diamants

PUBLICITÉ Présentation - Contact - Partenaires - Annoncer - Affiliation - Plan du site - Revue de presse - Version Texte Une mise à jour de Macromedia Flash Afrik.com c'est aussi : afrikeco.com - beaute.afrik.com - couplemixte.com - afrikblog.com Player est requise. Notre sélection : photo numérique - Imprimante - Autoradio - Déstockage informatique Tirage photo numérique - Annuaire - Logiciels Libres [ © afrik.com ]

http://www.afrik.com/article10440.html (2 sur 2)13/11/2006 11:28:01 Le PDM, un acteur clé de la décentralisation en Afrique : Entretien avec...t municipal (PDM) - Pan Afrique - Burkina Faso - Développement - Afrique

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:: Découverte :: Afrique de l’Ouest :: Burkina Faso :: Pan Afrique

Edito Société Le PDM, un acteur clé de la décentralisation en Economie Afrique Internet Entretien avec Simon Compaoré, le président du Partenariat pour Culture le développement municipal (PDM) Sport Découverte mardi 26 septembre 2006, par Falila Gbadamassi

Brèves Dossiers Simon Compaoré est le maire de Ouagadougou et le président du Partenariat pour le Infos par thèmes développement municipal (PDM), l’organisation à qui l’on doit le développement du mouvement Infos par régions municipal africain et l’instauration du sommet Africités. Sa quatrième édition a pris fin le week- Infos par pays end dernier au Kenya. Simon Compaoré, qui a pris part à la manifestation, revient sur les Carte d'Afrique missions du PDM et l’intérêt de cette rencontre pour sa ville. Archives

Voir aussi GROS PLAN La vie des Médias - Le Pnud rend son Monde créole rapport 2006 sur l’indice de Femmes d'Afrik développement Clips africains humain Beauté d'Afrik - Pour une plus AfrikEco grande présence de l’Afrique au sein du Simon Compaoré est également le président de système onusien SERVICES l’Association des municipalités du Burkina Faso et membre du bureau exécutif du - La Chine promet Jouez sur Afrik CGLUA (Cités et Gouvernements Locaux Unis d’Afrique). Le Partenariat pour le de doubler son aide Logos et sonneries développement municipal (PDM) est composé de 18 associations de pouvoirs locaux à l’Afrique représentant autant de pays africains membres. Il est né en 1991 d’un partenariat Business entre les responsables africains et les bailleurs de fonds internationaux dans le but - Abderrahmane Sissako : « un Blogs de « soutenir les politiques de décentralisation et de renforcement des capacités des collectivités locales en Afrique ». L’organisation dispose de deux bureaux régionaux continent qui souffre Rencontres pour Afrique de l’Est et australe, basé à Hararé (Zimbabwe), et pour l’Afrique de mérite d’être Petites annonces l’Ouest et du Centre (PDM-Ouest) dont le siège est à Cotonou (Bénin). raconté ». Emploi Communiqués Afrik.com : A compter de ce sommet Africités qui vient de s’achever à Nairobi, Découverte le PDM qui avait organisé ces rencontres jusqu’ici, passe le flambeau au CGLUA pour l’organisation de cette manifestation. La naisance du CGLUA - Nouvelle modifie-t-il les missions du PDM ? découverte sur le Simon Compaoré : Le PDM, à sa création, avait pour but de renforcer le processus VIH/SIDA de décentralisation en cours en Afrique, de faire en sorte que la démocratie et le - Conférence développement local soient une réalité. Elle a ainsi travaillé à la mise en place mondiale sur le d’associations de pouvoirs locaux. Il s’agissait aussi, pour que le mouvement commerce des Afrik. municipal africain puisse gagner ses lettres de noblesse qu’il soit, non seulement, caravanes au com Web reconnu en Afrique et au-delà, mais aussi qu’il y ait une parole unique afin que Sahara l’action soit efficace. D’où l’idée de la création du CGLUA. Cela a été possible grâce à l’initiative lancée par le PDM dénommé Africités qui est une plate-forme de - Pronto condom : le dialogue. Ce qui se passe actuellement, ce sont les fruits de l’action du PDM. Nous préservatif qui n’allons plus effectivement organiser Africités et tout notre temps sera ainsi utilisé à s’applique en un

faire ce que nous faisons déjà. A savoir, entre autres, de la formation pour éclair augmenter la capacité des services techniques municipaux des villes et les - Découvrez le compétences des élus locaux. Car ces derniers, en dépit de leur bonne foi, n’ont pas Soudan ! + d'infos toujours le savoir-faire. Nous allons également consolider les outils que nous mettons à leur disposition et à celle des communes. PUBLICITÉ

Afrik.com : Votre assemblée générale qui s’est tenue en marge d’Africités a Votre email perso recommandé la mise en place de représentations du PDM un peu partout sur le continent africain. Au nord, notamment où vous n’êtes pas du tout présent. Simon Compaoré : L’Afrique de l’Ouest et l’Afrique centrale sont les deux régions

http://www.afrik.com/article10454.html (1 sur 2)13/11/2006 11:29:19 Le PDM, un acteur clé de la décentralisation en Afrique : Entretien avec...t municipal (PDM) - Pan Afrique - Burkina Faso - Développement - Afrique

où le PDM rayonne. Ailleurs, le PDM n’existe pas, ou même s’il est présent dans la Pan Afrique Billet d'avion partie Est, ce ne sont pas les mêmes réalités. C’est le Président Joaquim Chissano (ancien Président mozambicain, ndlr) qui avait souhaité lors d’Africités 3, à Yaoundé, - La nouvelle From: que nous installions des représentations du PDM dans d’autres régions. Il avait patronne de l’OMS compris que le PDM était un puissant outil pour faire progresser la cause de la affirme son To : décentralisation. engagement envers l’Afrique du : Afrik.com : C’est donc cela votre prochain défi : rendre le PDM actif partout en - Employés Afrique ? musulmans de Simon Compaoré : Je tiens à souligner que cela dépend de la volonté des uns et Roissy : deux des autres. Mais déjà, le PDM qui est basé à Cotonou va travailler, dans un premier au : badges restitués temps, à faire en sorte qu’il y ait une unité en Afrique centrale conformément aux décisions prises à l’assemblée générale. Actuellement, le bureau de Cotonou est en - Sénégal : la charge de ces deux régions. contrefaçon et la Adulte(s): piraterie passées au Afrik.com : Vous êtes aussi le maire de Ouagadougou. Quelles sont crible concrètement les retombées d’Africités pour votre ville ? - Angola : naissance Simon Compaoré : Lors des différents ateliers, Ouagadougou était sur la sellette à de l’Association des travers un certain nombre d’exposés où nous avons montré ce que nous faisons en pays africains matière de finance locale. Notamment, comment une ville peut arriver à augmenter producteurs de Voyage Afrique ses capacités d’autofinancement et attirer la faveur des bailleurs de fonds pour la diamants réhabilitation d’infrastructures marchandes, en l’occurrence le marché central de PUBLICITÉ Ouagadougou. Nous avons également eu des idées sur la façon dont nous pouvions mobiliser plus de moyens financiers. Nous prévoyons, à ce titre, d’effectuer des Burkina Faso déplacements dans des villes qui ont des expériences très intéressantes dans ce - Le Belge David domaine. Nous avons aussi fait part de notre expérience en matière de coopération Verdonck remporte décentralisée. Ainsi, dans le cadre du programme d’amélioration des conditions de vie dans les quartiers périphériques, nous sommes arrivés à faire en sorte que nos le vingtième Tour du partenaires - le Grand Lyon et le département de la Vienne - viennent s’associer à Faso notre principal bailleur de fonds, l’Agence française de développement. Africités est - Faso 2006 : véritablement une plate-forme d’échanges et nous avons beaucoup appris. cinquième victoire d’étape pour la Bretagne - Tour du Faso : Imprimez cet | Envoyez cet | Commentez cet article résumé de la article article septième étape - Tour du Faso 2006 : la 6è étape chamboule le classement

http://www.afrik.com/article10454.html (2 sur 2)13/11/2006 11:29:19 Une autre Afrique se révèle à Nairobi : les pouvoirs locaux prennent la parole

Durant une semaine, à l’occasion du quatrième sommet « Africités » une autre Afrique s’est exprimée à Nairobi, celle des pouvoirs locaux : plus de 3000 maires et bourgmestres avaient fait le voyage depuis toutes les villes du continent pour se rencontrer, échanger leurs expériences sur des sujets aussi divers que la gestion de l’eau, la sécurité foncière, les relations entre les pouvoirs publics et les associations d’habitants, l’accès aux soins de santé, les effets du changement climatique. Comme bien d’autres, M. Kanfidini Coulidiaty, maire de la commune de Diapaga, au Burkina Faso, a traversé le continent, à ses frais, dans l’espoir de ramener de meilleures idées pour le développement des 19 villages dont il a la charge : «chez nous, la décentralisation étant déjà bien avancée, dès mon élection, j’ai demandé à mes administrés quelles étaient leurs priorités. Pour eux, le plus important, à terme, était l’ouverture d’une école secondaire et, le plus urgent, l’accès à l’eau potable. J’ai pu réaliser un forage et mis en place un comité de gestion, composé essentiellement de femmes. Maintenant nous discutons du prix auquel il faut faire payer l’eau, de l’entretien des installations. Chez nous on ne parle que de cela, et ici, j’en ai débattu avec des collègues d’autres pays, confrontés aux mêmes problèmes. Nous avons aussi discuté de la manière de gérer les conflits de terre entre agriculteurs et éleveurs et j’ai expliqué comment, sans attendre l’aide étrangère, j’avais proposé à « mes » villages de se jumeler entre eux afin de mieux s’entr’aider… » Des expériences concrètes, des questions précises, une multiplicité d’acteurs s’exprimant dans un cadre non directif : la rencontre Africités est bien différente des sommets internationaux où se croisent diplomates du Nord et du Sud ainsi que ces grands acteurs du développement que sont les agences onusiennes et les plus importantes des ONG internationales. Ici, la langue de bois n’existe pas, les lobbys sont absents, les medias occidentaux ne sont pas courtisés, les ambassadeurs n’ont pas été invités : des milliers d’élus locaux africains se sont retrouvés entre eux dans des débats qu’ils devront ensuite « restituer » à leurs administrés. C’est en 1998 à Abidjan que le mouvement municipal africain avait émergé pour la première fois sur la scène internationale, avec pour ambition de briser les barrières linguistiques et culturelles hérités de la colonisation et de permettre un débat commun sur la décentralisation. Deux ans plus tard, à Windhoek, le débat s’était structuré et il avait été question d’un point fondamental : comment assurer l’indépendance financière des pouvoirs locaux. Le sommet Africités avait été la première occasion d’un large dialogue avec une quarantaine de ministres représentants les pouvoirs centraux. A Yaoundé deux ans plus tard, le mouvement municipal africain s’était structuré plus encore, avec la création du Conseil des Communes et régions d’ Afrique, destiné à être non pas comme un contre pouvoir à côté des Etats et des organisations internationales mais l’émanation de la base, celle des administrés. Les objectifs débattus à Nairobi n’étaient pas moins ambitieux : rassembler les principaux acteurs des pouvoirs locaux afin d’examiner la manière de réaliser les objectifs de développement du millénaire, dont l’accès aux soins de santé primaire et à l’éducation de base… Un seul point rassemblait tous ces participants aussi divers que le continent lui-même: leur légitimité, due à leur implantation à la base et découlant bien souvent d’une élection au suffrage universel. Cette légitimité inspira de nombreuses critiques à l’égard de la « société civile » : les élus locaux, souvent tenus à l’écart des projets, reprochent aux ONG nationales de n’avoir aucun compte à rendre, sinon d’être les instruments de bailleurs étrangers, et plus amèrement encore, ils accusent les ONG internationales de capter les budgets de l’aide au développement et de se comporter comme en terrain conquis! Ce souci d’enjeux locaux et particuliers, cette recherche de solutions efficaces à des problèmes très divers, assura aussi le succès d’un « salon » original « Citiexpo » où des exposants tentaient de convaincre des solutions trouvées ici pour recycler les verres usagés, là pour assurer de meilleurs forages, ailleurs pour capter l’énergie solaire. Solutions souvent ingénieuses et peu coûteuses car les grandes entreprises occidentales avaient négligé de faire le voyage… L’un des éternels points de discussion fut évidemment le manque de moyens dont souffrent les pouvoirs locaux : dans la plupart des pays africains, l’Etat central demeure jaloux de ses prérogatives et peu soucieux de lâcher des crédits, donc du pouvoir, à des instances régionales ou municipales. La situation évolue cependant et dans des pays comme le Mali la décentralisation gagne du terrain tandis que l’Afrique du Sud fait preuve, ici aussi, d’un volontarisme remarquable. « Avancez, travaillez, écoutez vos administrés, et vous serez incontournable, les financements suivront » répétait à toute occasion le maire de Durban tandis qu’au nom des « comités de résidents de bidonvilles» Mme Tswala répétait « notre richesse, c’est la croix sur nos bulletins de vote » Peu à peu, au Nord aussi, des solidarités apparaissent : depuis la France par exemple, de nombreuses collectivités locales avaient envoyé des représentants et des liens se sont révélés suivant des critères inédits, par exemple entre riverains de la Loire et du fleuve Niger, du Rhône et du fleuve Sénégal… Le gouvernement kényan, avec une efficacité remarquable, avait pris en charge une bonne partie des frais d’organisation de cette rencontre, soutenue aussi par la Commission européenne (un message vidéo de Louis Michel fut amplement diffusé par Echo Communications, une ONG belge attachée à changer l’image de l’Afrique ) et par, entre autres, la coopération française. Mais à l’inverse de tant d’autres rencontres, les « bailleurs » du Nord ont su se montrer discrets, car l’essentiel n’était pas entre leurs mains : les participants se sont acquittés d’un droit d’inscription et beaucoup avaient financé eux-mêmes leur voyage. L’Afrique qui s’est exprimée à Nairobi n’était pas celle des habituelles grand messes internationales, où le continent noir ne figure jamais qu’au rang des assistés, des grands malades de la planète. Ici, durant une semaine de débats et d’échanges, une autre réalité s’est révélée : le potentiel de dynamisme et d’innovation qui existe au niveau des communes et des municipalités. Comme si le continent retrouvait peu à peu sa, et ses bases…

AngolaPress - Info

17:03 - L`intégration des ex-militaires du FLEC à Cabinda est assurée

LÀfrique invitée à prendre au sérieux les défis de 16:57 - LÒrganisation de la Femme Angolaise lùrbanisation en quête dàppui

Nairobi, Kenya, 19/09 - Les gouvernements locaux et leurs partenaires clés doivent prendre plus au sérieux les 16:43 - Les accords défis de lùrbanisation sìls veulent atteindre les Objectifs du millénaire pour le développement (OMD), a entre la SADC et Union déclaré lundi, la directrice exécutive dÒNU- Habitat basée à Nairobi, Anna Tibaijuka. européenne au menu Sèxprimant à lòuverture du quatrième sommet des maires des villes africaines, elle a noté que la migration de dùn la campagne vers la ville ne doit pas être arrêtée mais plutôt gérée et orientée en vue dàméliorer le bien-être des populations. 15:17 - Ouverture dùn cours sur lìnspection Selon les experts, lùrbanisation rapide pose de sérieux problèmes aux défis africains et accentue la pauvreté destiné aux généraux qui est aggravée par le surpeuplement. des FAA "Nous faisons face à un scénario de développement africain où l`équation a changé passant de ruralité à urbanité. Lùrbanisation des pays de lÀfrique subsaharienne a été très rapide", a déclaré à la PANA le 14:45 - Météo directeur du sommet Africités, Jossy Materu. 14:21 - Une conférence Selon lui, le principal problème de lùrbanisation en Afrique est le manque dèau, la mauvaise qualité des infrastructures de santé et de l`éducation auxquels sàjoute le déséquilibre noté dans la distribution des revenus. sur les élections dans la promotion de la Le ministre kenyan du Gouvernement local, Musikari Kombo a déclaré que l`échec lié à la résolution du Démocratie problème de la migration rural- urbaine peut avoir un impact négatif sur les efforts du continent visant à atteindre les objectifs du millénaire liés à la réduction de la pauvreté, lançant un appel en faveur du 14:16 - Le ministre de développement des zones rurales au lieu dèncourager la croissance des méga villes en Afrique. lÀdministration du "La migration est une réalité et il n`y a pas dàlternative. Jìnvite par conséquent cette conférence à partager Territoire évalue le franchement les bonnes pratiques pour mettre en place les institutions pouvant alléger les problèmes de registre électoral à Huíla lùrbanisation et aider à réaliser les OMD", a t-il noté. 11:56 - Cours du change Le président kenyan, Mwai Kibaki a pour sa part estimé que 50% des 33 millions Kenyans se déplaceront vers du lundi les zones urbaines durant les dix prochaines années.

11:25 - Sport/Golf: Hermenegildo remporte la 12è édition de "Open Independência"

http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-f.asp?ID=47345027/11/2006 18:14:53 Kenya Times Newspaper

News Challenges to Africities

Editorials KENYA is privileged to be hosting the fourth Africities conference. The 6,000 delegates from the continent will be spending the whole week discussing Sports problems of urbanisation in Africa and trying to come up with solutions.

Hopefully, the conference will not turn out to be just be another talkshop but a Business serious meeting of minds that will come up with workable ideas that can go a long way in improving the rapidly expanding population of cities and towns. We School Times hope that besides the honour of hosting the conference, Kenya will particularly benefit from the deliberations at the meetings.

Magazine For a long time this country has been a study in how not to manage of towns and cities. The chaotic state of most urban centres is the direct result of poor Insight management structures and scant attention to planning. The quality of leaders vested with the responsibility of running towns has also been wanting. Previous efforts to overhaul the way our urban centres are managed have largely been Letters futile.

Cartoons While opening the Africities conference yesterday at the KICC, President Mwai Kibaki emphasized the need for these changes. There is no shortage of ideas and blueprints on how to better urban dwellings. The direct election of mayors Animation and local authority chairmen by the public and the division of cities and towns into smaller, more manageable units are repeatedly cited as some of the Archives desirable changes.

The trouble is that most grand ideas on how to improve cities and towns do not move beyond the talking level. The direct election of mayors and the splitting of big cities into boroughs has been a perennial song that no one seems to be in a particular hurry to implement.

As Africa's urban populations grow ever faster thanks to a migratory pattern that sees tens of thousands of folks flee rural poverty, there is urgent need to turn around the way cities are run. For one, the leadership must change focus and act change agents as opposed to the self-centredness that most city fathers are infamous for. Together with the change in management style should be the structures and laws that more effectively govern urban centres.

The Africities conference is an opportunity for Kenya to pick the minds of some of the success stories in the continent. It should also be a challenge to our policy makers to rise to the occasion and implement some of the big ideas that have been gathering dust on shelves. We have in mind the Omamo commission report which must be lying somewhere gathering dust, move from the rhetoric and get to work.

Other Editorials

http://www.timesnews.co.ke/19sep06/editorials/edtorial2.html27/11/2006 18:18:58 Kenya Times Newspaper

News

Editorials Our team to Africities meet letting us down Sports

Business By BENSON AMOLLO

School Times What can be of more high profile than an international meeting of more than 4,000 delegates converging at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) to Magazine deliberate on the state of cities on the continent of Africa?

Insight And what else does a host country need before it can realise that such a conference does not just require its organisational ability and presence of its civic Letters leaders turning up only to wine and dine despite the need for a serious engagement with their counterparts from without. Cartoons Because there will be more shameful things to crowd pages of our history as Kenya, should not be enough reason that the Fourth Summit of the Africities that is currently going on in Nairobi is given little attention.

Kenya has been privileged to host more than five international conferences of high magnitude like this one, in less than two years, yet the missing link between conference organisers and the delegates remains glaring.

Our envoys in Harare, Johannesburg, Abuja or Cairo will be judged harshly by delegates at the end of the meeting when they return to their home countries and raise complaints about their experiences here and especially if the envoys attempt to discount them.

There is no doubt that delegates attending the Africities meeting at KICC have been left on their own and the quality of deliberations compared to the Inter-Parliamentary Union meet held at the same venue early in the year, is at best mediocre, not to mention the glaring absence of the hosts led by Local Government Minister Musikari Kombo and Nairobi Mayor Dick Wathika.

Good Kenyans will want to be told why such a meeting could not arrive at practicable solutions to the harsh living conditions from Kisumu Ndogo slums in Mombasa to Kisumu’s Nyalenda Estate through Kibera slums--Africa’s second largest shanty!

The meeting presents an opportunity for exchange of ideas by elected leaders; a time for Kibera’s Sarang’ombe ward Councillor Opete Opete can borrow a leaf from the handbook of a success story in Soweto. But alas! they are nowhere to be found!

The irony of a tail refusing to follow the head is the picture that one gets at KICC. That Kombo and his team would rather give this meeting such a cosmetic attention even after President Mwai Kibaki gave it a momentous gracing and presented a powerful and visionary speech for the revamping of cities across the country is inexcusable indeed.

It is not for Kibaki to monitor Kombo, Wathika or the Africities Secretariat for the conference’s success, neither would one expect Dr. Anna Tibaijuka, the UN-HABITAT Executive Director who has remained steadfast in the quest for better living conditions in Africa. UN-HABITAT is a major sponsor of the event and which is headquatered in this country.

Although elected leaders whose participation in the development of cities for improved living conditions is crucial, some have demonstrated that they can only http://www.timesnews.co.ke/21sep06/nwsstory/opinion.html (1 sur 2)27/11/2006 18:22:34 Kenya Times Newspaper

engage colleagues from the rest of the world when they attend cocktails and freebies. This conference is not about cocktails. It is not a moment for leaders to claim sitting allowances. Governments have sent representatives to our country for peer review aimed at finding solutions to the looming threat of fast-spreading slums in our cities and we must rise up to the challenge.

Councillors must suspend wheeler-dealing and find time for the meeting. A number of them must have tendered for service provision at the conference in one way or another, but for days of delegation to a trusted overseer is all the good news awaiting a slum dweller in Mukuru kwa Njenga whose hope for clean water supply fizzled out a decade ago! [email protected]

http://www.timesnews.co.ke/21sep06/nwsstory/opinion.html (2 sur 2)27/11/2006 18:22:34

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | How well is your town run? bbc.co.uk

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News Front Page Last Updated: Wednesday, 20 September 2006, 12:00 GMT 13:00 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version World How well is your town run? Mayors from across the continent are meeting in Africa Nairobi this week at Americas Africities 2006. How CURRENT DEBATES Can Africa stop Asia-Pacific successful is your local government? climate change? Europe What can Africans do Middle East Local governments are to save the South Asia increasingly looking to the environment? Is Somalia heading for war? UK business sector for ideas on Are African men using condoms? England how best to provide services such as electricity and sanitation. PREVIOUS DEBATES Northern Ireland Street lamps in Kenya's capital are being funded by Is China colonising Africa? Scotland advertising and in Egypt, a local business woman runs a Wales rubbish recycling facility that's so far benefited over 30,000 YOUR PERSPECTIVE Business people. In pictures: China-Africa summit Politics Health What do you expect from your local government? Is your mayor making a difference? How can we make Education local governments more efficient? Does central Tuesday (Real) Science/Nature government stand in the way of local development? Wednesday (Real) Technology How can people get involved in local government? Thursday (Real) Entertainment Need help listening? ------This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments. Have Your Say RELATED INTERNET LINKS Africities 2006 Magazine The BBC is not responsible for the In Pictures content of external internet sites Country Profiles Your comments: TOP AFRICA STORIES

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5349562.stm (1 sur 14)27/11/2006 18:26:12 BBC NEWS | World | Africa | How well is your town run?

Special Reports My city is the biggest garbage UN battles DR Congo dissidents Programmes bin in the world. In the Rwanda takes French radio off air seventies and eighties, Douala UN warning on e-waste 'mountain' RELATED BBC SITES used to be a good example for | News feeds ● SPORT other African cities, but today this city is almost not ● WEATHER MOST POPULAR STORIES NOW habitable. There is garbage ● CBBC everywhere. There is constant NEWSROUND power failure and the water is MOST E-MAILED MOST ● ON THIS DAY not safe for drinking. This READ ● EDITORS' BLOG city's mayor is simply not Kenyans' views on the Africities meeting underway in Nairobi working. ● Trio in clinic after spy's death LANGUAGES Joachim Arrey, Douala, ● C4 cancels live Big Brother final ● Arabic Cameroon In pictures ● Star Wars Kid is top viral video ● Somali ● Let us test Darwin, teacher says ● French I am proud to be Kenyan, Nairobi is my city and am happy ● ● Is this what you call junk food? More that it is hosting this event. I had been away for about two years and I recently visited Nairobi. The city has changed a Most popular now, in detail great deal, water is flowing, traffic lights are working, flower beds and trees have sprung up every where and street lighting has been restored. I think the city mayor deserves praise for his efforts to clean up the city. And to the Kenyans who whine all day, nobody will come and fix our problems, we better appreciate this fact and forge ahead. Lets stop being sceptics, we can restore Nairobi's glory. After all, is it not the city in the sun? Jonathan Nzuma, Guelph, Canada

Nairobi's city authority seem to adhere to the notion of "cleaning the house before the guests arrive" while all they are doing is "sweeping the dirt under the carpet". The clean-up efforts done in Nairobi prior to the Africities conference should be regular. City officials should be responsible; after all they are elected. Perhaps they should take some lessons from city leaders of kampala or Johannesburg. Mbogo Gichuru, Kenyan in Atlanta, USA

Frankly speaking, my city is in crisis. It is unfortunately that city councils leaders and staff have no eyes to see, and ears to hear. Dar es Salaam is exploding in terms of population, infrastructures are not adequate to cater ever increasing population. Dar is experiencing acute water supply, no electricity during the day, terrible traffic jams, limited sanitation lay out and Machingas (hawkers) along along all major main roads and pavements of shops in the city centre. It is pathetic. My last word to the city leaders and officials is a call for public dialogue to debate and come up with an amicable solutions to these problems in a transparent manner by involving all the stakeholders. Mboje, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

I live a town which has its drainage network blocked, the road network is not something to talk about in certain areas. Chola Chalwe, Ndola, Zambia

I never thought my "one year old" home town of Juba would grow wings and learn to fly like any other Africans old birds sooner than it has. The two or three decades of war have completely levelled the city. For Juba to compete with those old African birds, it probably needs half of those lost yeas of war to recover to its original level. Still, I am glad the city is able to have a voice as one of the top African poorest cities. George O Ateib, USA

I live in Lubumbashi, DR Congo's second city. It's the cleanest

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city in this huge country. The most surprising thing is that while Congo is in very bad economic shape, the people of the eastern Congo are clean. Alain Ntezi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

In Lusaka, the local government is virtually unheard of and unseen. That tells you how much the local government has done for its people. Judy, USA

In my opinion; let us all talk about how to solve problems in Africa rather than complain. I dare the editor to ask for solutions to Africa's problems. I guarantee you that George Onwnya Daniel, Stella Pepple will have no suggestion as to how their country's ills will be solved. I agree with Tope and Elias because they have better Ideas. Let talk on how to solve problems than the problems themselves. Ty, Washington DC, USA

Nairobi Kenya is my city; Security is Nairobi's biggest problem! And especially so to motorists in the night, the lighting is poor and no drivers stop at the traffic lights by night for fear of being carjacked. The problem needs to be addressed by the local council and the Kenya Police, the so called civilian dressed flying squad police operate in very old unmarked Peugeot 504 station wagons with faulty lights, and how are we, innocent drivers meant to differentiate between thugs and the police when being stopped in the dead of the night? This is a huge problem and must be addressed for Nairobi to reclaim its once authoritative and admirable position as one of Africa's leading cities! Franklin, London, UK

I think Mogadishu could be the New York of Africa. However its people are not ready to make that move to their city I will keep my dream to see one day that happens. Thank you let me have my say. Mr. Ibrahim, Mogadishu, Somalia

As you know, floods has washed half of my city away. But the government is doing a lot and other Ethiopians are helping us in every way. We are in good spirits even though half our country is in ruins. Selamawit, Dira dawa, Ethiopia

My job is to do comparative research on local government I can confirm that local in the Commonwealth. I can government is hugely under- resourced confirm that local government is hugely under-resourced. Randal, London, UK Where Accra has 4 members of staff to manage the waste collection and disposal contracts, Birmingham in the UK with a similar population has 396! Another outstanding statistic is that local government in the UK spends (in purchasing power parity) $2700 per resident, in Canada this is about $1800, in South Africa $800, India $700 New Zealand $650 but then it drops to Uganda $110, Ghana $18 and Zambia $3. There are costs to street cleaning and efficient administration. But perhaps for the moment, some of the luxury costs need to be foregone while focus is on basic equitable services. some local governments are making real headway in local economic development, others are focusing on collecting the revenue due to them (the first step in delivering the services). It is tough to turn things around, and everyone needs to get behind the ones ! trying to do so, and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5349562.stm (3 sur 14)27/11/2006 18:26:12 BBC NEWS | World | Africa | How well is your town run?

equally use the ballot box to get rid of those who are failing. Randal, London, UK

If conferences are what get the local officials to do their jobs then by all means lets have more of them. A conference for every African city every 3 months please! Kemi (Kenyan), Germany

The cancer afflicting Africa is that of political opportunism. Whereas in the West development and cleanliness are not privileges bestowed on their citizens but rights. On the contrary in Africa the opposite perception is rife. No more apparent is this than in my home town of kwaBulawayo in Zimbabwe, which due to its being historically aligned with the opposition it has bore witness to massacres of its people, been starved of development despite injecting millions of US Dollars in tourist revenue into the national economy. Last but not least, its local council is deprived of funds and can only watch as the town slides into the abyss of rubbish. Thanks Zanu PF! Thando Siziba, Birmingham, UK

Harare was once one of the best maintained cities in Africa. Up until about 2001, it maintained itself to the same standards that Salisbury, Rhodesia had. However, the demise of public services has been devastating, and services we once took for granred are non-existent. Rubbish disposal. road quality, etc. Many parks that were once clean and beautiful are now uncared for, and filthy. It would not take a monumental effort to put Harare, or Zimbabwe, entirely back on track. But it needs to be soon, before Zimbabwe plummets to a point of no return. Ben Stevens, Harare, Zimbabwe

Badly, is my answer. I live in Igando, at Alimosho, one of the local government areas of Lagos, a large suburb of more than 100,000 inhabitants. Electricity was connected in August last year and, as in the whole of the country, we're lighted up less than four hours a day - where there is at all. There is no public water supply in sight; the only access road to it - Agric Road - is so bad that it's dangerous even to walk on, never mind driving a car or motorcycle. This is symptomatic of most local communities in Nigeria: residents are on their own. Whatever amenity they need must be provided by residents themselves. Abdulai MUSA, LAGOS, Nigeria

Many of our African cities look good today thanks to the unrelenting efforts of our mayors. But I must confess that much still has to be done. In Buea, the local government has some modern waste disposal trucks that are not regular in disposing the waste.That makes the town to look shabby. Kwiyuh Michael, Buea, Cameroon

I live in Onitsha South in Anambra State. It is an urban area. It was the past state government that did some of the roads. The local government does nothing to the remaining roads. The drainages are all filled. Street lights is no longer remembered. During the rainy season, rain water flows on the roads and most times people got drown. Madueke Chika, Onitsha, Nigeria

Windhoek is a very clean city with proper infrastructure. The only that thing we need to do is to improve the living standard of those living in informal settlements because they lack basic necessities such as water and electricity. Nabot, Windhoek, Namibia http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5349562.stm (4 sur 14)27/11/2006 18:26:12 BBC NEWS | World | Africa | How well is your town run?

My town is called Agadir, the most important city in the The cost of living is not south of Morocco. Conditions high so everybody is living very well of life are quite good and the cost of life is not high so Bendahou Anouar, Agadir everybody is living very well. Agadir is know by its port and also know as the most attractive touristic destination in Morocco since we receive thousands of tourists from all over europe and the US each week, and thanks to that, people get more opportunities to work in hotel and other touristic places. Talking about the crime rate, i can say that Agadir is one of the safer cities in Morocco thanks to the big number of policemen that patrol that patrol the city 24/7. Bendahou Anouar, Agadir, Morocco

In Kampala, the mayor is doing more than I expected. Being one who is ill-learned, it was easier before to think that doom loomed over the city upon his election. Trenches are being cleaned in the suburbs and the prospects of better things is closer to mind than I had thought. Sembatya Rosey, Kampala, Uganda

I agree with the sentiments of many who say that our towns are run by incompetent officials. Its foolhardy though to compare the level of service provision of our host nations to those of our towns with struggling economies. Lets us criticise but also compliment when its warranted. Nairobi has made some strides in the past few years. The gains are not many but the let's face it, the streetlights are now working. the government needs to do more but congratulations on the progress even though its slow. Stanley Ngaira, Copenhagen Denmark

It's time Africa form a city developing and maintenance body, cause the high level of negligence on our cities is nothing to write home about. Gozzy Peterson, Onitsha, Nigeria.

In Africa in general, people need to be educated about the local government taxation schemes. I've come to realise that we Africans like free services without contributing anything for either improvement or repair. Most of the town's conditions has been getting worse over the years. Nobody cares about tomorrow. Whatever we are enjoying today will be history for our kids. Nginyo, London, UK

What a nice question! Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan and the state's capital, may not be run well. Something has to be done. I think decentralisation would be an amiable solution otherwise there will be no development. Arou Job Adier, Juba, Southern Sudan

Almost a decade ago, my home town, Bamenda was turned overnight into one of the cleanest towns in Cameroon by the radical but very successful campaign of a controversial Government delegate. Any business place that looked out of place was bulldozed without second thoughts. We were even amazed by modern compaction waste disposal trucks. Unfortunately we africans are very poor at maintaining clean sheets.Our Town now seems to have returned to normal african conditions.

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Anchang Julius, Bamenda Cameroon

I have lived in Warri, Port Harcourt & Lagos, Nigeria. The former two are oil rich areas, and Lagos is the booming industrial centre of Nigeria. Whereas my Ghanaian friends talk about constant electricity and clean water in their cities (in fact many Nigerian businesses are moving to Ghana), I cannot find anything commendable to say about the state of affairs in any of these three regions. Anon, Nigerian in USA

I come from Kenya, my home town is Eldoret. This is the fifth largest city in the country whose economy is largely agricultural. Of late the town has registered an upward growth in terms of business and buildings-thanks to our hardworking athletes. As a result of this, the town is experiencing congestion due to poor planning by the Municipality. For example, traffic jams are a common occurrence. There are no traffic lights, drainage systems overflow when it rains, litter is an eyesore mainly in estates. Planning is required urgently. Jackson Cherutoi, Baton Rouge, USA

Kampala city is not run as it should. We've got inadequate water supply, sewage and garbage problems. The roads have potholes that are making the city dirty and dangerous to the inhabitants. The traffic in Kampala is another hell. In the mornings and evenings, its very difficult top move because the roads are small to accommodate the number of vehicles coupled with bad driving habits. Kampala's new mayor Alhaji Sebagala is trying to do something about the garbage and cleaning the city, but corruption is still a big challenge in Kampala City Council. . Jackson Byaruhanga, Kampala Uganda

My local government is run by people who forcefully got the electorates mandate through "selection election" instead of proper election. In my opinion the mayor mismanages funds without questions from anyone. Stella Pepple, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The question is "how well is YOUR town run". Whether your town is well-run or not, you should not generalise what you think ALL African towns are like without personal knowledge- stick to the point (your town). For Ono Orogun and others, cities like Kigali and Windhoek seem to contradict your theory of general African managerial ineptitude. Wairimu, Kenyan

Our town is very well run, thanks to the mayor who are making a very big different in our communities rather than the national government leaders. Meyan Fien, Denver, USA

There is no 24 hour electricity, no better roads no better water sanitations,in some areas,people have not seeing running water from their pumps for about six-seven years now, we get electricity one day after another,the city of conakry is becoming the city of loose and sick Dogs,which may also give the population other bad diseases,the dogs populations is really getting increase in the city of Conakry,nobody is doing anything to help improve the situation,beggers are everywhere most especially children that are begging to get their daily bread,the poverty rate is high,the inflation has become one of our mean preoccupations. Mariama Sacko, guinea Conakry http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5349562.stm (6 sur 14)27/11/2006 18:26:12 BBC NEWS | World | Africa | How well is your town run?

Accra has big problems. Too many hawkers roaming the streets. Too many uncovered gutters. Too many signboards at road junctions. Poor street naming and house numbering system. Cleanliness improving but can be better. More law enforcement to the letter required! Harry Abutiate, Accra, Ghana

No city in Africa beats Kampala as the city in Africa with the highest number of potholes. Virtually every road within the city and its suburbs are filled with potholes. Its even more disheartening to know that the city council has recently lost of 1.8 Billion shs to their fraudulent staff. The city drainages are covered with filth, so when it rains all we have are man-made lakes on the streets. Akol Malinga, Kampala, Uganda

We has no sanitation, no jobs and there are thousands of beggars on streets. Most poor people are trying to leave country to Arab nations maybe find a better life or go to Ethiopia or try to find way to go to Europe. We are living in an outdoor prison. Bereket, Asmara, Eritrea

I am residing few kilometres ilometers from the avenue of the meeting in Nairobi and its business as usual in the estates in suburbs of the cities. delegates will meet and brainstorm on paper work but go home empty with few allowances siphoned from cash-trapped council. Africa need radical surgery to improve service delivery. Yussuf Dayib Ali, Nairobi, Kenya

Freetown is the most filthiest city in the world. Since the local government came in to power the city is just going from bad to worst. when you talk light good road network that history the my city. With bid gun at the city council ready to eat the money they suppose to use to improve the city they prefer using it for their personal affairs. I don't see any need for local government Maddieu A.A.T.Kabbah, Freetown, Sierra Leone

It is all a charade; the facelifts and displacing hawkers. Not Lets just hope that the many of the African leaders effort is not a passing cloud are genuine in what they do. Njenga Gathecha, Nairobi What is going on in Nairobi is seasonal and after the summit, the city goes back to the old days where not much counts.Corruption is rife and even though there has been good effort to rid the city of the garbage,other ills thrive and insecurity is prime.With the amount collected by the city council, alot can be done and individuals like Ms. Muthoni Passaris have done their part in lighting the city.If one person can do that,then the city council which rakes in billions can do wonders with good management. Lets just hope that the effort is not a passing cloud. Njenga Gathecha, Nairobi, Kenya

The Northeastern Moroccan town of Nador is badly run by its government. This town with 200.000 inhabitants has virtually no museums, no theaters, no cinemas, no parks and there is nothing to do for the youth. Besides that the roads and streets of the city are in a deplorable state and the police do molest people just to get some money.

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Moussa Aynan, Nador, Morocco

Kampala city use to be a beautiful city, with some part of the city looking very green and attractive, that was the yesteryear Kampala. The Kampala of today is one of the disorganised cities in the world; no city planing, overcrowding of "boda boda" motorcycles used for transportation, no traffic laws. So even if there are some part of town worth admiring, your life is constantly threaten by these non-traci law abiding border borders, this people are all over town. Uganda government please keep border borders out of the city, let's regain control of Kampala city and make it as beautiful as it was meant to be. Ayuka Oyet, Ugandan in USA.

Ghana's local governance system is a model worthy of copying by others but the problem is lack of full financial independent or autonomy to enable the system detached itself from the appendages of the centre. that needed to be done is to for the local system to enhance revenue generation and human resource drive in order to be assertive. Freeman Tettey, Nsawam, Ghana

Local authorities in Africa should incorporate African cultural practices in planning for their cities. Their cities don't necessarily have to look like western cities. It is ridiculous asking poor Kenyans to pay to use public toilets when they can hardly afford a day's meal. Richard Okech, Nairobi, Kenya

In my part of the world the local government is accountable to one man; the part leader. It is a shame! Kemo Cham, University of The Gambia

Our local government is a nightmare. We have no street lights, garbage collectors and the housing system is in total chaos. The city council has failed to deliver services to the people because it does not involve the people. The roads are resemble trenches in battle zones while uncollected garbage around city stinks. We dig pits to alleviate our garbage problem, but our yards are now looking like mass graves. I have seen national game parks that are far much better organised than Kitwe city council. Shuttie F.N. Libuta, Kitwe, Zambia

Our country has had problems for so long, but now people are trying to do some voluntary work to clean the city to change the shape of the city. Mogadishu used to one of the cleanest cities in Africa during Siad Barre's era but now it one of the most dirtiest African cities. If government officials are not willing to get involved in the local people, we, the people, can make local governments a lot more efficient. We should cooperate with them and also they should be willing to do the same. Abdifatah BAshir, Mogadishu, Somalia

Our towns and cities in Nigeria are not really cared for by the Conferences will come government. Sanitary and go, nothing changes conditions are so poor and George Onmonya Daniel, Abuja pathetic, hospitals are dirty, street lights are broken and the new ones are not working because dishonest contractors conspire with government officials to loot funds. Conferences will come and go, nothing changes. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5349562.stm (8 sur 14)27/11/2006 18:26:12 BBC NEWS | World | Africa | How well is your town run?

George Onmonya Daniel, Abuja, Nigeria

Hawkers need to be allocated space within the city of Nairobi to sell their goods. They provide affordable consumer products for most of the urban poor. They have a stake in developing the city just like the multi-million multi-national corporations. Richard Okech, Nairobi, Kenya

It very encouraging and surprising that the emerging and impoverished countries are good examples in order and good running, while wealthy ones are characterised by bad governance and corruption. Also some countries are influenced by cultural and colonial masters ideology. Country like Rwanda is run exemplary with little means, very clean, organised, etc. Arnaud Emmanuel Ntirenganya, Rwandan in Cameroon

My town is doing very well. People from all over the world are coming to Windhoek as result of peace around the town. The town is very clean, green and crime has been reduced as result of city policing being introduced. Frans S Hafeni, Windhoek, Namibia

Virtually every city in Africa lacks the capacity to provide the infrastructure and services necessary to foster local development. Most cities cannot generate enough revenues to function properly and often have their authority undermined by the policies of the central government. The movement towards decentralisation in many countries has begun to improve this problem. However, central governments must provide the necessary authority, training, and financial resources to allow towns to determine their own futures. Think local! Gerrit McGowan, Vancouver, Canada

I am not sure if this question is appropriate. When you look at the state of affairs in Africa, management skills are totally absent. You have under-qualified people in charge or affairs, and if you have such, then what will be the consequence? I look forward to the day we can start measuring how well things are been run in Africa. For now we need to get rid of the self serving leaders we have right now, and elect people- minded leaders. Ono Orogun, London

In Asmara the local government is one of the best run in Africa. It is less corrupt and Asmara has one of the lowest crime rate in africa Ermias, Seattle, USA

It is indeed a nice thing that all local governments are meeting to discuss on how to improve their economic standards by developing their business sectors, current, sanitation and in many more fields. To do all this you need a lot of money. This should be used in a proper way with transparency in every project to get rid of corruption. It is very good to hear if the central government also stand next to local government to fulfil their duties. As the government is democratic the local government should take the opinions of the people to develop in the fields they are required. Anon

I live in the biggest shanty town of Africa. No electricity or water to all parts of the city. Crime is too high. Rev. Rabson Tembo, Lusaka, Zambia

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We expect the very best from our local government. Good roads, clean pipeborne waters, health care etc but this is contrary to what we actually have. People with good track records should only be voted for and we the community people should contribute our own quotas by forming NGOs to augment the local government resources as at times we ask more from them and contribute less Tunde Onibode, Lagos, Nigeria

The Windhoek City Council is one of the most efficient in Africa, which is why Windhoek is regarded as one of the cleanest cities in Africa. The city does all the necessary things on time be it garbage collection, maintaining roads, maintaining street and traffic lights all done promptly Helao Nafidi, Windhoek, Namibia

I live in Ojo local government in the suburbs of Lagos state in Nigeria. In terms of service provision my local government has been non-existent, the only time we see them is when they shamelessly come to collect tenement rates from residence or levies from stall owners. Like most streets in Lagos, my street is a bad road with clogged drainage systems, no street lights and rubbish laden. In the rainy season we have to resort to pulling off our shoes rolling up our trousers or skirt as the case maybe to knee level and wade through the water all in a bid to get to the bus stop; it's a really pathetic sight. Due to the deteriorating nature of the road the most popular form of transportation here is the motorbike popularly called "okada". It may sound unbelievable but each trip these greedy okada riders carry as many as three person per trip! Two people seat at the back and one person seats on the tank of the bike. It's a sight that I guarantee would bring tears to the manufacturers of these bikes. Thomas Ayeni, Lagos, Nigeria

The mayor of my home town Pietermaritzburg has somehow managed to get the local council to award him a salary higher than that of South Africa's president. Not surprisingly rates have gone up well ahead of the country's inflation. And for our rates we receive ever shoddier and more infrequent services from the local city council. Robert, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Local governments should be able to take care of certain basic issues like small roads running across streets in the urban areas and also provide same for rural areas,at least. I would like to see regular meetings between local government officials and residents in several areas to review contributions and areas of impact instead of they just seeing their offices as merely political opportunities. Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Our capital city, Lilongwe, is now well organised. The new president is setting good standards in the cities. All vendors are in one place. You cannot find street vendors selling their commodities. The previous government allowed too much freedom to vendors and the towns were very dirty. Allanie Njateni, Mtengowanthenga, Dowa, Malawi

My home town is booming; it's clean, the street lights are My home town is working, garbage is collected booming on time and the KCC (Kigali John Aguma, Kigali, Rwanda City Council) is in charge. The

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main thing I love about Kigali? It's the city growing day and night, and for us Kigalians, the sky is not the limit either. John Aguma, Kigali, Rwanda

I have been living in Beira for many years now. The first local governing authority in charge of running the city of Beira was the party in power, Frelimo. They failed tremendously on their mission to better the locals lives. Their failure included providing city cleaning, ordering of the urban spaces, control of the markets, no transparency in public funds management. Eventually the opposition took over. With their energised president Davis Simango they are caring for all the basics and even doing more. Although I'm a Frelimo supporter, I am forced to recognise their achievements. Paulino Adolfo Posse, Beira, Mozambique

I am not a Kenyan, but I study in Nairobi. Since the conference is going to be held in Nairobi, the City Council has been working hard to give good impressions to the participants. I think for the conference to be effective, the real scene must be seen. What the City Council is doing now, such as forcefully removing hawkers, is not fair and it is fake. The City Council should leave the city as it is so as the conference's participants to know where to start. Chasing hawkers is not a sustainable solution, since they will come back and allowed to operate as usual, after the conference is over. To keep towns clean, development measures must be key considerations. Cities and towns are dirty due to widespread poverty. Aikande Kwayu, Nairobi, Kenya

Like everything else in this country, Nairobi relies on the private sector or donors for everything. All our taxes seem to get "diverted" to who knows where. Though there is a boom in the luxury car industry! Mark, Nairobi, Kenya

My mayor is in prison and a puppet mayor has been put by the government. But how can I blame the government? Power hungry diaspora Ethiopians continue to stir young emotional students to violence and cripple our nation. When will diaspora use their knowledge for peace instead? Who knows. Until then my mayor is in jail and a new mayor is just starting from scratch. Tesema, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

What I think could work is, there should be a local government that was properly and carefully elected by the people whom they represent, not some central government selected body. It should be able to sit at the same table with the central government and put across a case and get results. It should also be able to question the actions of the central government effectively about issues or laws that stands in the way of local development. A local government with such muscle should be able to turn proposals of development in there local communities into actions. Tamimu Thomas, Norfolk, Virginia, USA

Local governments are supposed to be at the grassroots and help the local people. Instead what we see is another arm of government which tends to propagate the ideals of the government in power and make sure they are adhered to. This situation has contributed to the lukewarm attitude of many people in the communities, myself included. Local government should be free of government interference and pave way for http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5349562.stm (11 sur 14)27/11/2006 18:26:12 BBC NEWS | World | Africa | How well is your town run?

active participation by the local people. M, Ghanaian in Bergen, Norway

My local government boasts of projects initiated and implemented by the central government without having anything viable to show for itself. Development is a bottom- top approach; and unless the people are involved in programmes designed and implemented by them they cannot benefit fully. Local government revenue should be shared among wards, village development committees (VDCs), Districts and the like for development to be felt at the peoples level otherwise many would be paying taxes and rates without reaping any benefit. Besenty Gomez, Kitty Village, The Gambia

Kitale is among the earliest towns that sprung out of colonial activities. It was founded in 1908. Even though it is known for its agricultural productivity, Kitale is still wallowing in the many evils that afflict many other Kenyan towns, for example, improper disposal of waste, influx of street children, disorganised bus stations for commercial vehicles etc. I would expect the local government to do more. There are no street lights in Kitale town. There is always a shortage of water supply etc. For all this to happen, politics should not be mixed with the local government. Terah Kipchiris, Kitale, Kenya

Irrespective of how many conventions, conferences or seminars African local government leaders attend; Nothing will change as long as the culture of corruption exists. And it won't certainly change as long as incompetent council men lead the cities. In my hometown of Mombasa, Kenya for instance, councillors don't even have direct control of the county or city. A government clerk, who is not elected by the people, runs the day to day activity of Kenyan councils. For African cities to succeed; they must get central government out of local government. Still, I love Mombasa. "Mombasa Raha" goes the slogan, literally translated as: Blissful Mombasa. Ahmad, Mombasa, Kenya

I am Nigeria and in Nigeria most of the mayors do not know their responsibilities. That said, the mayors aren't entirely to blame for the inefficiencies of the local government. The system in Nigeria where there is so much reliance on the federal government for allocation of funds also hinders the functionality of the local governments. A way to make these governments more effective is to encourage public participation by educating the public on what to expect from the government, what contributions they are to make as citizens, and also educate the local government officials too. And try encouraging people to stop complaining about not being paid enough for what they do, but getting satisfaction from what they do. Tope, California, USA

My local government Esan North East, Local Government, Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria lacks virtually everything. There is no clean water supply. There is no electric power supply. The roads are not tarred nor graded. There are no sporting nor recreational facilities. The women, children senior and disabled citizens are not given special attention. There are no sanitation nor drainage facilities. There are no programs in place to attract investors and there are no industries to absorb the unemployed populace. There are no modern libraries. No fire service, no cemeteries. There are no tourist attractions.

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The school buildings are dilapidated. There are no laboratories, chairs and workshops for the students in schools. There is no post secondary institution for higher learning. The hospitals are an eye sore. It is really sad. Anthony Okosun, USA

I went back home to Cameroon this March and I just cried when I saw my hometown of Bamenda. The infrastructure has been virtually abandoned - thanks to a corrupt system which thwarts development. Despite all this, the people's resilience shows in the internet cafes, schools and other small businesses that manage to clamber their way up. Ngum Ngafor, Manchester, UK

My town, like most towns in my country, is not properly run. The reason is because of the endemic corruption in the land. It is very difficult to find a virtuous public officer in Nigeria. You certainly should not look for such an officer in the presidency! When the head is bad, it affects the whole body. Elias, Lagos, Nigeria

Yes, African governments have been stumbling blocks to local government development and incomes. But all this is changing now with more information, internet and transparency. Central governments should quickly devolve power to councils to collect levies and fees for them to develop new infrastructure and services. However these funds should be controlled by not less than four bank signatories to avoid misappropriation and fraud Gabriel, Lusaka, Zambia

I wonder if the mayors of our cities in Malawi and other towns are able to see the piles of rubbish that are turning into mountains in front of their very eyes, and thereby becoming health hazards to the city dwellers. I am sure there's a lot the mayors would learn from the Egyptian woman who runs the rubbish recycling facility. Who said a woman's place was in the kitchen? Maybe this lady should be made mayoress! Peter Mtika, Nottingham, Malawian in UK

I expect my local government to do more than is been done right now. In Oredo local of Edo state, Nigeria, there is absolutely no good road, water and electricity. Despite the huge revenue and Federal Allocation, everything remains stagnant. When it rains, the roads are not motorable and the streets are littered with dirt. The local government Chairman has to wake up from slumber. My local government is the gateway to the east and north, yet there is no improvement. It is sad and pathetic. Local government will be more efficient when there is proper accountability. As it is right now, everyone does his own thing. Omorodion Osula, Boston, USA

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5349562.stm (14 sur 14)27/11/2006 18:26:12 Città. La sfida del municipalismo per l'Africa del futuro Giovanni Allegretti (ricercatore presso il Centro di Studi Sociali – Universita’ di Coimbra) Publicado em “ Carta etc.” nº 9, giovedì 11 ottobre 2006.

“Garantire che i servizi legati all’acqua e all’elettricità rimangano nelle mani dei governi e non siano privatizzati” ed “abolire le richieste di visto per gli Africani che viaggiano da un paese all’altro del continente” per evitare che la “restrizione dei movimenti” agisca “contro l’unità africana e il progresso dei suoi abitanti”. Sono le richieste più dirompenti contenute nella Dichiarazione dei Sindaci emersa dal 4º Summit Africities/Africité, che – per certi versi – puó considerarsi il primo follow-up della discussione del World Urban Forum tenutosi in giugno a Vancouver. Tra il 18 e il 22 settembre, quasi 6000 delegati da tutto il continente africano si sono trovati a Nairobi, che a gennaio 2007 ospiterà il Forum Sociale Mondiale. Due gli scopi principali: 1) mettere in contatto diretto i rappresentanti di amministrazioni locali e di area vasta di tutta l’Africa ( e le loro reti di dialogo orizzontale) con potenziali “partner dello sviluppo locale” (ONG, movimenti popolari, imprese private, istituzioni internazionali); 2) Fare lobby (secondo le parole usate dal sindaco di Nairobi Dick Wathika nella cerimonia d’apertura) per ottenere dai Governi Centrali dei 54 paesi africani rappresentati un maggiore impegno al decentramento. Enormi sono, infatti, le differenze tra i diversi paesi del continente e non univoco il significato dei processi di delega di potere alle istituzioni piú vicine ai cittadini. Lo mostra bene la collana di studi comparativi “Decentralization, local actors and...” curata – su temi diversi della gestione locale - dal PDM (Partenariato per lo Sviluppo Municipale), l’associazione tecnico-politica di consulenza agli Enti Locali dell’intera Africa che ha organizzato le prime 4 edizioni del Summit pan-continentale. Comune, invece, la penosa situazione di “sussidirietà asimmetrica” in cui tutte le amministrazioni locali versano, oberate di responsabilità crescenti, ma non parallelamente dotate di risorse congruenti né di progetti formativi capaci di creare capacità amministrative/gestionali per affrontare le sfide che il futuro del continente pone. Il motto “Local Authorities: the driving force for Africa” che ha contrassegnato questa edizione era di per sé una rivendicazione di centralità da parte delle amministrazioni locali di fronte alle delegazioni nazionali della CADDEL, la Conferenza che raggruppa i Ministri degli Enti Locali dei diversi paesi del continente. Quest’ultima, riunitasi a Nairobi in plenaria, ha dato frorma ad una dichiarazione finale ben piú ‘soft’ di quella dei Sindaci, in cui il riconoscimento della necessità di riequilibrare i diversi poteri sul territorio convive con una solidissima ma non esplicitata ostilità degli Stati (che si somma a quella delle onnipotenti burocrazie tecniche) nei confronti della ‘rinuncia di potere’ che un decentramento reale comporta. Proprio questa ‘frizione’ ha rappresentato il motore e l’anima della discussione, perfettamente incarnata dalla polemica interna all’Algak (la Federazione delle Autorità Locali del Kenya) tra l’attuale ministro degli Enti Locali Musikari Kombo e l’ex- Ministro Nyong’o. Quest’ultimo e’ stato tra i fautori della vittoria del NO al Referendum del novembre 2005 che ha bocciato la frettolosa nuova costituzione (la cosiddetta Bozza di Wako) proposta dalla Raimbow Coalition (NARC), la coalizione di centrodestra tra il National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK) e i Liberal-Democratici (LDP) che governa dal 2002 e lotta per essere riconfermata al potere nelle elezioni generali dell’inverno 2007. “Fin dalla Lancaster House Conference del 1963 – sostiene Nyong’o – i kenyani hanno concepito il decentramento (majimbo) come una forma irrevocabile di ‘devoluzione’ dei poteri da cui non si poteva tornare indietro, capace di riequilibrare le disuguaglianze regionali interne al paese, e di creare una reale coesistenza tra livelli diversi di potere che si riconoscono pari dignità. Una vera co-gestione di potere esecutivo tra livelli federali e di area vasta”. La costituzione recentemente rigettata dai kenyani – tra le altre cose – spacciava per devoluzione una mera ‘deconcentrazione di funzioni’ prevedendo la possibilità per il governo di ‘sospendere’ un governo distrettuale, e di renderlo impotente ricentralizzando a suo piacere alcune decisioni. Ovvero, secondo Nyong’o, “rendeva impossibile parlare di economie locali, perche’ i destini economici di ogni regione, provincia o comune sarebbero stati determinati appena dall’accumulazione primitiva di risorse e dall’uso di queste deciso dal Centro”. Così il governo ospitante del Presidente Mwai Kibaki – che sperava di inaugurare Africities esibendo una costituzione nuova di zecca come esempio per le delegazioni straniere – ha dovuto accontentarsi di cogliere la lezione datagli dal suo popolo con il referendum. E ha dovuto aprire i lavori con una lista di promesse pre-elettorali: prima tra tutte quella di una legge (di cui nessuno sa niente, ma che pare sarà portata in Parlamento uscendo a breve dal cappello a cilindro del governo) che prevederà l’elezione diretta dei sindaci kenyani e la durata in carica per 5 anni (oggi sono solo due) come strumento per ridurre la ‘corruzione negoziale’ all’interno delle forze politiche dei Consigli Comunali e per permettere una migliore programmazione pluriennale del mandato.

Mettendo radici nel locale Quanto sopra ricordato, offre la misura di un’utilità locale del Forum Africities soprattutto per i paesi ospitanti: fornire strumenti e idee per approfondire il dibattito locale su sussidiarità e devoluzione. Del resto, anche la riforma camerunese del decentramento è stata varata pochi mesi dopo l’edizione del Summit ospitata a Yaoundé nel 2003, e a cui avevano preso parte oltre 4500 delegati per discutere sul tema “L’accesso degli abitanti ai servizi locali di base”. Resta, peró, il fatto che Africities é nato soprattutto come sforzo comune di un continente per dare una voce unitaria davanti al mondo ai suoi territori locali. Tale sforzo – che ancora richiede energie, se é vero che il Maghreb era quasi assente a Nairobi, perché tutto proiettato sull’affaccio euromediterraneo - si é reso evidente soprattutto nella prima edizione del Forum tenutasi ad Abidjan, Costa d’Avorio, nel 1998 (600 partecipanti). E in quella del 2000 di Windhoek (Namibia): 1300 partecipanti e 36 paesi presenti a discutere di finanziamento degli enti locali e territoriali). É in quegli incontri che ha preso forma la fusione delle 3 grandi associazioni di municipi africani, confluite nella CGLUA, che dal 2008 sarà l’organizzatrice unica di Africities. Essa non é appena l’emanazione africana dell’organizzazione internazionale United Cities and Local Governments (http://www.cities-localgovernments.org) che avrà a Marrakesh a fine ottobre il suo terzo incontro mondiale. Piuttosto, va considerata un pilastro che – a partire dal ritrovato dialogo inter-africano - ha contribuito alla nascita dell’articolazione internazionale che lavora sotto l’egida ONU. Nascita avvenuta nel maggio 2004, pochi mesi dopo la 3ª edizione di Africities tenutasi in Cameroun, dove ha preso forma anche il CCRA, il Consiglio dei Comuni e delle Regioni dell’Africa che dal maggio 2005 va rafforzando il suo dialogo con l’omologo CCRE europeo. La sistematicità dell’approccio, al contempo centrato sull’Africa e aperto al mondo, é riassunto nel sottotitolo dato al Summit (Costruire coalizioni locali per la realizzazione effettiva degli Obiettivi del Millennio) e in quello della campagna mediatica affidata all’ONG belga Echos Communications che ha accompaganto la 4ª edizione di Africities: “Creare una coalizione globale per rinnovare l’immagine dell’Africa”. Al centro degli sforzi organizzativi vi era l’idea di superare la logica dei ‘donors’ e di costruire partenariati ‘simmetrici’ (a livello locale e con organizzazioni internazionali) in grado di stabilire reciprocità di scambi a partire dalle ‘sapienze locali’ e dalle risorse umane e naturali che l’Africa possiede, ma che spesso vengono soffocate da una sovraesposizione dei suoi problemi. In quest’ottica, era obiettivo centrale non fare del Summit un “lamentatoio”, pur aderendo alla necessità di puntualizzare alcuni grandi problemi del continente e la schizofrenia di sistemi di decentramento spesso monadici e non dialoganti.

Uno sguardo pro-attivo L’Africa, con il suo debito estero di 379 $ a persona, ha oggi il tasso piú alto di urbanizzazione al mondo (4,58% annuo) e, pur essendo un continente ancora rurale, nel 2030 é destinato a un percorso di prevalenza della popolazione urbana (750 milioni), se le attuali tendenze alla fuga dalle campagne non saranno invertite da nuove politiche di sviluppo del territorio aperto. Se giá oggi, il 72% dei cittadini africani vive in baraccopoli, il 24% della popolazione urbana non ha accesso all’acqua e il 20% alle fognature, e solo il 10% dei territori urbani é servito da reti di tubature, che accadrá domani? Per questo é importante pensare fin da oggi in maniera diversa all’urbanizzazione e alle filiere produttive, come ha sottolineato il Ministro degli Enti Locali kenyano, esponendo il progetto di nuove cittá medie di fondazione da realizzare in aree agroproduttive, a somiglianza di quanto inixziato in Marocco e sulla scia dei successi delle “Export Processing Zones” kenyane. L’urgenza di un simile ripensamento é sottolineata anche dal Programma Ambientale dell’ONU (UNEP), secondo cui l’Africa, pur essendo il minor consumatore di energia e territorio al mondo, risulta il continente piú esposto alle conseguenze dei cambiamenti climatici, anche perché 1 cittadino su 7 dipende da colture legate alle piogge. Le riduzioni di portata dei laghi Ciad e Vittoria minacciano l’irrigazione e la produzione di energia, e nei prossimi 25 anni porteranno da 14 a 25 le nazioni in emergenza idrica e localizzeranno in Africa l’80% dei nuovi 120 milioni di abitanti a rischio denutrizione. Senza contare i drammi prodotti dall’interazione tra le epidemie: in particolare l’AIDS, che ha fatto impennare la crescita della tubercolosi (oggi la TBC coesiste nell’85% dei casi in persone HIV positive). Eppure, durante Africities, tali dati drammatici sono serviti appena da punto di partenza, per rimarcare la coscienza “dei drastici cambiamenti” richiesti alle strategie di lotta all’emarginazione per evitare che in Africa gli Obiettivi del Millennio (ODM o MDGs) vengano raggiunti in 110 anni, invece che nel 2015 come fissato dall’ONU nel 2000. Specialmente i seminari tematici sono stati, infatti, concepiti soprattutto per permettere ai delegati di costruire reti di scambio di buone pratiche e di rafforzare la cooperazione transnazionale in diversi ambiti tematici. Cosí, le sessioni speciali dedicate alle difficoltá delle donne ad emergere nel panorama politico patriarcale dell’Africa sono state l’occasione di farsi conoscere per la Rete “Women and Local Governance”, fondata in Costa d’Avorio nel 2004 dalla Sindaca di Oumé, Brigitte Kakou Lou, e da altre 8 colleghe (le uniche su 197 sindaci ivoriani, 4,56%), che hanno messo a fuoco il ruolo centrale dei municipi nel dare “stabilitá” al paese, dal basso, in un momento di crisi politica nazionale. Mentre la sessione dedicata all’Acqua ha dato visibilitá a molte battaglie di base contro la privatizzazione, e a qualche raro esempio di esito positivo della stessa, come il caso del Lake Victoria South Water Services Board di Kisumu, dove il privato ha garantito maggiore trasparenza di scelte, cali di costi e il passaggio da 450.000 a 600.000 utenti, il 60% dei quali beneficiari di tariffe agevolate in favelas prima non raggiunte dalla distribuzione. Durante la sessione dedicata al mea culpa delle universitá africane per la propria incapacitá di impegnarsi in progetti militanti di eco-sviluppo, preferendo restare nella torre d’avorio della pura astrazione accademica, ha potuto emergere per contrasto un partenariato con le comunitá locali della Kenyatta University of Agricuolture and Technology, che ha brevettato 31 prodotti di cosmetica e pulizie domestiche lavorando sulla formazione di capacitá degli abitanti di quartieri poveri. La sessione dedicata alla ‘sicurezza del possesso’ e all’accesso ai suoli urbani ha messo al centro la battaglia che lo Zimbabwe sta combattendo a forza di espropriazioni contro i 4000 landlords inglesi (proprietari dell’80% dei terreni fertili) che non hanno mantenuto fede alle promesse del Lancaster Agrrement del 1979. La sessione dedicata al razzismo, sotto l’egida UNESCO, ha visto – invece – protagonista la Coalizione di Cittá Africane contro il Razzismo e la Discriminazione, di cui é figura chaive l’ex-Presidente del Benin Nicephore Soglo, oggi divenuto sindaco di Cotonou in virtú della sua profonda convinzione sul ruolo dello sviluppo locale dal basso. Sua la proposta di creare degli uffici di Ombudsman (Difensore Civico) contro le discriminazioni, e clausole vincolanti di non-discrimazione nei contratti con le imprese che gestiscono servizi pubblici. Il Forum é stato anche un importante spazio di acquisizione di informazioni. Ad esempio, sul fatto che l’Africa non sfrutta i molti fondi GEF (Global Environment Facilities) messi a disposizione dall’UNEP. Di recente, appena Daar el Salaam (per nuovi trasporti urbani) e le cittá sudafricane che ospiteranno i mondiali di calcio del 2010 li hanno sfruttati. Eppure, quanti progetti nuovi si potrebbero fare, specialmente in campi poco esplorati come quelli della fitodepurazione o della raccolta di rifiuti solidi? In un continente dove la raccolta dei rifiuti urbani non raggiunge più del 30% delle famiglie e dove cittá come Lagos producono 9000 tonnellate di rifiuti al giorno mentre i cittadini si rifiutano di pagare imposte e le banche non fanno prestiti per migliorare il servizio, é stato senza dubbio interessante scoprire come il Burkina Faso abbia attivato dagli anni ’90 forme di Gestione Comunitaria dei Servizi di Smaltimento Rifiuti che usano poche tecnologie, molto capitale umano e cura del riciclaggio. Certamente molto da imparare per una cittá come Nairobi che ha un’unica discarica, dove delle 2000 tonnellate al giorno gran parte sarebbe riutilizzabile, visto che il 50% ha composizione organica, il 18% é plastica e l’11% carta. É quindi su soluzioni e risposte giá in atto nel locale che si é incentrato Africities. Indubbiamente, la parola Mwananchi (cittadino in swahili) é quella che é risuonata piú spesso, dato che é dal basso che giungevano molti dei maggiori progetti di successo. Progetti che – come quelli per il pagamento collettivo delle tasse scolastiche del Muungano wa Wanavijiji (Unione dei Residenti in Baraccopoli del quartiere di Soweto a Nairobi) - si basano sulla reciprocitá, sulla solidarietá e sul dono. Progetti che nascono nelle comunitá svantaggiate e trovano talora partner sensibili nelle amministrazioni locali: ma non sempre, dato che la corruzione, l’iperburocratizzazione e l’opacitá della tecnica sono cifre stilistiche ancora dominanti negli enti locali, come ha dimosatrato di recente un rapporto di UN-Habitat. ‘Il cittadino al centro’ non é solo un facile slogan circolato al Summit. É la ricetta del successo di quasi tutte le pratiche eccellenti esposte, e di tutte le soluzioni ‘seriali’ raccontate (dai 160 Municipal Contracts for Effective Planning alle 40 City Development Strategies africane), spesso anche con il supporto e il conforto di convergenti sperimentazioni latinoamericane. Come emerso nella sessione dedicata ai Bilanci Partecipativi in Africa subsahariana, o nei riferimenti agli Osservatori sulle Promesse Elettorali del Camerun e alla strategia sperimenta dal Ministero delle Cittá in Brasile per sensibilizzare le comunitá locali al controllo dell’azione pubblica, e alla richiesta di coinvolgimento nella painificazione e valutazione delle scelte. L’apertura dell’azione pubblica alla “partecipazione cittadina” - come spazio di costruzione del dialogo tra gli individui e dentro le comunità- é stata rivendicata da molti partecipanti come “diritto umano fondamentale” e come antidoto alle guerre fratricide. Sottolineando peró (attraverso sessioni speciali dedicate al tema) come essa non possa essere messa in atto con la semplice riproduzione di modelli alloctoni, ma debba tener conto di una serie di specificitá sociali e culturali. Oltre che di figure ed autoritá morali tradizionali che oggi (come in Niger e Sudafrica, nelle cui costituzioni sono riconosciuti) vanno determinando il successo di progetti locali di sviluppo in cui l’economia non é unico motore dell’azione.

BOX 1:

Verso il Social Forum: un incontro parallelo degli abitanti degli ‘slums’

“Padre Nostro, insieme e in solidarietá con tutti gli altri abitanti di baraccopoli dell’Africa veniamo a te fiduciosi in preghiera, perché sei tu che ci unisci nel tuo amore [...] Abbiamo spesso fallito nell’intraprendere azioni decisive contro la povertá, il tribalismo e la violenza. Padre Onnipotente, ti imploriamo di aiutarci a mettere da parte le nostre divisioni e differenze [...] per partecipare alla costruzione dei nostri progetti comuni, migliorando la capacitá di buon governo e la democrazia locale, attraverso la promozione del decentramento [...] e sostenendo lo sviluppo locale [...]. Rendici capaci di offrire noi stessi, così da poter essere tuoi partner nella trasformazione degli insediamenti formali e indformali delle nostre comunitá urbane in Africa. Amen”.

Sembra scritta in nome dei Sindaci e dei Capi di Stato presenti ad Africities la preghiera recitata da circa 200 abitanti ed operatori sociali di baraccopoli di Nairobi, nell’apertura di ognuna delle giornate di discussione organizzate dal Kutoka Network “in risposta all’esclusione da Africité” e per contribuire a “trovare strategie per realizzare gli Obiettivi del Millennio nelle cittá africane”. Del resto, non si é trattato di un vero controforum, ma semmai di un Forum parallelo e complementare, un ‘presidio di visibilitá’ per soggetti desiderosi di entrare in contatto con quelli del Forum ufficiale, ma tenuti a distanza dalle tasse d’iscrizione che oscillavano tra i 200 e i 700 euro, senza alcuna formula flessibile per ampliare l’accesso all’evento. Ospitato nella Basilica della Scara Famiglia, ubicata davanti al Kenyatta International Conference Centre dove si svolgeva Africities, il Forum degli Slum Dwellers ha propiziato alcuni momenti di contatto tra i due incontri. Ad esempio in occasione dell’inaugurazione ufficiale, quando i baraccati-sandwich che esprimevano le loro ragioni davanti a una tenda affittata per vendere prodotti d’artigianato hanno potuto brevemente incontrare il Presidente Kibaki e il Ministro degli Enti Locali. “In 20 anni ci siamo disabituati anche solo alla speranza di vedere un ministro o un sindaco in visita alle nostre bidonville – dice Ignatius Namenje che vive a Kibera, il più grande slum africano – e in un anno di campagna elettorale assatanata c’é poco da sperare nelle promesse che sono state fatate al Summit: la creazione di un’Autoritá Metropolitana per la pianificazione dei rapporti tra Nairobi e l’intorno, la costruzione di un’Ente specifico per la Viabilitá. E lo spostamento della discarica di Dandora, che provoca tumori a molti abitanti di Korogocho, senza dimenticare che essa offre sostentamento a molte attivitá informali che dovranno essere reindirizzate una volta che il sito sará trasformato nel parco che ormai da un decennio aspettiamo”. Una sottolineatura non secondaria, dato che ad oggi anche iniziative positive come il Kenya Slum Upgrading Project (KENSUP) avviato nel 2004a Kibera, sono state condotte senza il minimo dialogo con gli abitanti, e rischiando di rendere inefficaci molti degli investimenti fatti. Come dice Gustave Massiah, direttore del CRID – Centro di Ricerca ed Informazione per lo Sviluppo (www.crid.asso.fr) e membro del Comitato organizzatore del WSF – “é fondamentale veder convivere le due cose: una battaglia frontale dal di fuori dei Summit Ufficiali, e la prosecuzione del dialogo con gli attori politici dello sviluppo locale, gli unici da cui ci puó aspettare che rimettano al centro della gestione urbana il rispetto per i valori umani”. Il Forum parallelo si é svolto esplicitamente anche “in solidarietá con gli abitanti della baraccopoli di Komora”, 600 famiglie sgomberate dalle ruspe a pochi giorni da Africité, in pochi minuti e con pochissimo preavviso, per far spazio alle ambizioni di uno speculatore locale. Anche per questo il tema degli sgomberi forzosi (forced evictions) e delle strategie di resistenza degli abitanti alla loro attuazione é stato uno degli assi portanti delle 6 giornate di scambio di conoscenze. A parlarne c’era anche la rete HIC - Habitat International Coalition (rappresenatata da cesare Ottolini e dal coordinatore africano Sidiki Daff), la quale sta studiando con il Comune dsi Nairobi una moratoria degli sgomberi in vista del FSM. Inoltre, HIC ha incontrato una delegazione del Ministero degli Esteri italiano, a Nairobi per negoziare la cancellazione del debito del Kenya con il nostro paese. L’idea maturata é quella di contrattare una soluzione di cancellazione che possa beneficiare direttamente gli enti locali kenyani attraverso la presentazione di specifici progetti locali.

L’organizzatrice delle attivitá di messa a rete degli Slum Dwellers, la rete Exodus Kutoka, raggruppa 15 parrocchie cattoliche che lavorano in alcuni dei 199 insediamenti informali di Nairobi, che – insieme - ospitano circa il 65% dei 2,5 milioni di abitanti della capitale, stipati in un misero e densissimo 5% del territorio cittadino La rete é nata nel 2002, e tra i suoi fondatori ci sono anche gli animatori della parrocchia di St. John a Korogocho, il luogo d’elezione dove ha operato per 12 anni Alex Zanotelli e la cui principale figura di riferimento é oggi Padre Daniele Moschetti. Proprio nel nuovo anfiteatro di questa parrocchia (che ha vinto, tra l’altro, il premio UN-HABITAT per il progetto People United for a New Korogocho) si é svolta l’attivitá di apertura del Forum parallelo. Tremila persone hanno ascoltato performance artistico-musicali della rete di giovani che lega le varie baraccopoli. “É una prioritá fondamentale dare visibilitá ed occasioni ai talenti che emergono negli slum”, dice Magdaline Kasuku, giornalista che ha fatto della comunicazione da dentro gli slum dei loro valori positivi il suo obiettivo di vita. “Anche per questo dalle onde di Radio Waimini diamo spazio alle storie di creativitá artistica, alla musica e al teatro che provengono dalle baraccopoli”. La radio – nell’orario di punta del sabato sera – ha da poco inaugurato anche un programma dedicato al Forum Sociale Mondiale, espressione dell’attento lavoro di una Piattaforma Ecumenica creatasi all’interno della All African Conference of Churches in vista dell’evento di gennaio. “C’erano 2 anni di tempo, per preparare il Forum. Ma ad oggi – dice Andrea Rigon, che da Nairobi sta seguendo per l’IPSIA il progetto di media-publicity legato al prossimo Social Forum – ben poco é stato fatto. Gli organizzatori locali sono spesso litigiosi, il luogo dell’evento é stato spostato molto fuori cittá e penalizzerá le attivitá culturali serali, su cui avevamo puntato molto. Anche nel caso di un successo – e nulla é scontato! – c’é il rischio che resti un evento calato da fuori sulla cittá. Per questo la paittaforma ecumenica sta lavorando con impegno a sensibilizzare la popolazione locale sull’evento. Per produrre i primi volantini esplicativi ed organizzare attivitá preparatorie abbiamo dovuto fare un grande lavoro di ‘traduzione’ di concetti forse chiari in Latinoamerica ma qui incomprensibili. Si tratta comunque di un fatto unico in Africa: dopo la piattaforma ecumenica per il Darfur, questa é la seconda attivata nel continente per far lavorare insieme le Chiese su un evento importante”. Lo scopo principale é quello di valorizzare non tanto l’evento-FSM, quanto il suo essere “processo”, la capacitá di radicarsi e lasciare sul territorio delle reti attive che possano durare molto oltre la sua fine. Questo appare tanto più importante davanti al totale silenzio della stampa kenyana sul FSM. Ad oggi, si conta un solo articolo, uscito il 1 settembre sul quotidiano “Nation” e intitolato “Arriva il World Economic Congress”. L’errore freudiano, nel confondere il Forum di Porto Alegre con quello di Davos, riflette l’interesse degli autori, tutti concentrati a calcolare i guadagni che l’arrivo di un centinaio di migliaia di persone garantirá al paese e al sistema alberghiero. “Dando per scontato che le persone accorrano comunque, mentre é maturo pensare che vi sia una risposta proporzionale alla capacitá organizzativa e agli investimenti che il paese saprá mettere in atto. E il tempo stringe...” concludono Wannjiku Njamira e Mwikali Kioko, prestate dalla Caritas al progetto Catholic Coordination for the World Social Forum.

BOX 2: Due domande a Rebecca Lolosoli

“Sono convinta che uomini e donne siano complementari e debbano lavorare assieme in armonia, ma ci sono momenti in cui bisogna prioritariamente difendersi”. Non vacilla neppure nel suo broken english Rebecca Lolosoli, fondatrice e leader carismatico della comunità “Umoja”, ubicato accanto al Parco Nazionale di Samburu, in Kenya. Il villaggio – abitato da sole donne – é nato nel 1990 per dare rifugio alle vittime degli stupri perpetrati da un battaglione britannico oggi sotto inchiesta da parte di una commissione dell’Esercito Reale. Cacciate dalle famiglie perché ritenute “colpevoli” di aver gettato un’onta su di loro, sono state presto raggiunte da altre donne sottoposte a violenze familiari, o da adolescenti che si rifiutavano di accettare matrimoni combinati o mutilazioni genitali. Oggi, il villaggio (che nel dialetto locale significa ‘Unitá’) ha sviluppato una produzione artigianale ed organizza attivitá per i turisti della zona, sempre insidiato dalla gelosia degli uomini che vivono a qualche centinaia di metri e non riescono a digerire i successi di quell’oasi autarchica...

D: Che cosa le ha lasciato la partecipazione ad Africities? Come si é sentita accolta? R: Mi ha lasciato tantissimi nuovi amici. Donne e uomini. E moltissime notizie, strategie, saperi che appena tornata al mio villaggio cercheró di comunicare alle altre e trasformare in nuova azione. Ad esempio per lavorare su temi come le energie pulite, per svilupparci restando in armonia con la natura e trovando finanziamenti esterni. Questi spazi di riflessione ed incontro sono importantissiumi, perché creano legami indissolubili tra ruoli sociali complementari, tra ONG, movimenti e donne che nel loro coraggio di fare politica affrontano ogni giorno le umiliazioni e il disinteresse che abbiamo patito noi in ambito familiare. Ma che continuano a credere, a sperare e a lottare unendosi... L’accoglienza é stata duplice. Calorosissima quella delle Nazioni Unite, per la cui Commissione Huairou ho girato il mondo in questi anni, portando il messaggio del mio villaggio e riportando indietro idee e supporto. Ottima quella di tanti amministratori locali e ONG di altri paesi. Fredda, come sempre, quella della politica del mio paese, che non ci ha mai supportato. Neppure durante i tre anni di questa inchiesta sugli stupri da parte dei militari inglesi, che sembra ormai affondata nel nulla senza dare risultati. Ma io so di essere una ‘troublemaking lady’, una seccatrice, e non mi fermo. Continuo ad andare in giro, soprattuttro per i villaggi, per far conoscere alle donne i loro diritti e per appoggiarle nel chiederne il rispetto.

D: Lei é chiamata comunemente “la sindaca di Umoja”. Le pacerebbe diventarlo davvero, magari quando sentrerá in vigore la nuova legge sull’elezione diretta dei sindaci? R: Non so quante chances potrei avere in un’elezione all’interno del mio comune, tenuto conto del potere che ancora gli uomini hanno nella nostra societá. Se invece lei si riferisce alla sola frazione di “Umoja”, beh...Non credo sia il caso che diventi autonoma! Credo che l’autorità locale necessiti di una dimensione economica fattibile, in termini di popolazione e risorse naturali, per gestire un’economia politica dove la devoluzione abbia senso. Noi siamo piccolissimi: che senso avrebbe amministrarci da sole? Forse solo un senso dimostrativo. Io sono gandhiana nel mio modo di fare: non voglio spingere all’eccesso la mia battaglia. E voglio che resti pacifica. E sono ancora convinta che con gli uomini ci possa e ci debba essere un dialogo. Non c’e’ bisogno che sia io a governare: mi basta costruire partenariati strategici e legami con altre donne per sapere che la nostra battaglia per i diritti puó avere delle speranze di successo... Si puó “femminilizzare” una societá anche senza renderla tutta di donne. Basta lottare per introdurre i nostri valori: la pace, la coperazione, un’economia ‘embedded’, ossia privata della centralitá assoluta che ha oggi, ma riassorbita nell’alveo delle relazioni sociali e culturali. Il mio primo obiettivo ora é smantellare le tradizioni Samburu che impediscono alle donne l’accesso alla proprietá, ed evitare che esse stesse siano appena “proprietá” dei mariti e dei padri. Poi c’é una battaglia piú vasta che dobbiamo fare: quella per l’educazione, e soprattutto per l’educazione popolare. Gli obiettivi del Millennio, in fondo, ruotano tutti intorno a valori che sono al centro del quotidiano di noi donne. Se lotteremo insieme per femminilizzare la politica credo che saremo giá un pezzo avanti nel loro raggiungimento...Come dice Jane Peterson, coordinatrice della Commissione Huairou, che – dal Vertice ONU di Pechino del 1995 - riunisce nel mondo tantissime donne della ‘base’ in una battaglia comune (www.huairou.org), la nostra puó apprire una battaglia tematica, tra tante altre. Ma non lo é. Quello per cui lottiamo é un ribaltamento di valori, e quindi un capovolgimento del mondo attuale...

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http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:AWjWv3XkPmsJ:www.ibtimes.com/articles/2006092...here%27s+little+to+celebrate+over+african+city+summits%22&hl=fr&gl=be&ct=clnk&cd=1 (1 sur 5)28/11/2006 13:19:12 There's Little to Celebrate Over African City Summits - International Business Times -

IBTimes RSS Print E-Mail digg Del.icio.us 1 Nintendo Wii Sells Out in Launch: Report

Nairobbi (International Business Times) - Nairobi's Africities summit is the fourth for local governments in the continent. 2 Wii, Nemesis to PlayStation, Hits Market The first, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivore in 1998, saw the emergence of the African municipal movement on the regional and 3 Wii, PlayStation 3 Use Motion Controls international scene. 4 Nintendo Hopes for Console Comeback Article Tags The ambition of the first summit was to break the linguistic barriers 5 London Exchange Rejects Nasdaq Offer inherited from the colonial rule and to promote an African voice on the 039 african city challenges of decentralisation, local development, regional integration 6 Leading Economic Indicators Up 0.2 Pct. in October little over s to and cooperation. 7 Yahoo, Newspapers Enter into Ad, Content Dist. Deal Finland's Unemployment Rate Africities Two, in Windhoek, Namibia, in 2000, marked the beginning of Unchanged the structuring of the African municipal movement and Pan-African dialogue on decentralisation and local development. At the meeting on Georgia Threatens Russia's WTO advertisement strategic challenges of funding local governments, the 1,200 participants, Entry including 600 mayors and 40 Cabinet ministers from 51 countries, G20 Condemns North Korea's including 36 African ones, it was agreed that the All Africa Ministerial Nuclear Test Conference on Decentralisation and Local Development be set up. More News Related to 039 >> The inter-governmental institution of ministers in charge of local governments mandate was to include decentralisation among the priorities on the African political agenda. The Council of Cities and Regions (CCRA) was set up to build and represent a unified voice of African local governments.

The participants also institutionalised the Africities Summit as a platform between the local elected representatives and central governments, representatives of public authorities and other players and African officials and the technical and financial partners over decentralisation policies. It was also agreed to seek the recognition of the African Union for the institutions set up at the Summit.

Africities Three was held in Yaounde, Cameroon, in 2003, and marked the unification of the African municipal movement and its participation in the world movement. The third summit placed decentralisation and strengthening of local governments in perspective - to improve the living conditions of the people and participation of the citizenry.

It defined CCRA governance, with the setting up of an Interim Management Council, the presidency and the secretariat. The summit assigned to the institutions the role of preparing the participation of Africa in the Founding Congress of the world organisation of United Cities and Local Governments in Paris in May, 2004, and the CCRA Founding Congress in May, last year.

They were also assigned the duty of following up the CCRA recognition application submitted to the African Union. In Top Stories on Global News accordance with decisions passed during the Africities Three Summit in Yaounde, the CCRA congress was held in Tshwane, South Africa, between May 15 and 18 last year. News RSS

The Congress adopted the constitution of the new organisation of local governments, now called the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa.

Africities Four in Nairobi is a meeting of stakeholders. The intention is to bring together major local government players so that they can discuss the best way to work together at the local level with a view to attaining the Millennium Development Goals in African local governments.

Like in the previous Africities summits, an exhibition of African local governments, the Citexpo, will be organised. The summit will provide an opportunity for public and private businesses, groups and local government suppliers to present their products, services and the latest technological advances that might interest delegates. http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:AWjWv3XkPmsJ:www.ibtimes.com/articles/2006092...here%27s+little+to+celebrate+over+african+city+summits%22&hl=fr&gl=be&ct=clnk&cd=1 (2 sur 5)28/11/2006 13:19:12 There's Little to Celebrate Over African City Summits - International Business Times -

It will also provide an opportunity for countries to present their knowhow in decentralisation. The exhibition also hosts cities 1 French Economy Stagnates in 3Q and local governments, associations, bilateral or multilateral partners, NGOs, universities and training and research 2 U.S. Invests More in Europe Than Asia institutions. 3 EU Telecoms Chief Calls on Public Sector It appears that decentralisation is the magic goal and features in all themes. I am not an expert in policy formulation and urban development. But one glaring feature in all African cities is the growth of unplanned settlements or slums. 4 IMF Urges Czechs to Use Booming Economy

As urban development experts and political bigwigs exchange ideas during the summit, I wish to highlight areas that many 5 EU Offical Seeks Firm Energy Trade Rules city residents would hope were discussed. 6 Mexico Named Business-Friendly Cabinet Access to clean water is critical. Water is a basic need that is elusive in most cities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This 7 Black Friday Stirs Buzz With Online Shoppers should top the agenda because many years after independence, we cannot provide clean water to urban residents. Get the Latest Global News News>> Housing is another concern. Many cheap housing projects that have been planned are an avenue for the rich and politically correct to cut deals and acquire houses at the expense of the poor. I hope the delegates visit local projects, Pumwani for instance, and establish if the poor benefited from them.

One wonders why Kibera, the largest slum in the continent, is a darling of visiting dignitaries. Could it be made a successful slum project in Africa?

Roads in most African cities are mere footpaths and a motorists' nightmare. This is a critical issue the summit should address.

African cities should also establish a conducive environment for informal businesses. Informal trading or hawking, as it is popularly known, in Nairobi is a consequence of poor planning on the part of council.

The problem is not beyond redemption though the council resorts to inhuman methods to curb the street trade. In developed cities, formal and informal trade are so well planned that it is difficult to notice the difference.

Although security is not under local governments, insecurity is a nightmare in most African cities. Poverty and lack of opportunity to engage in meaningful production drive many residents to crime.

Cities are manifestations of a country's development. Countries whose economies are on the right track have beautiful and progressive cities, where residents live a fairly decent life.

But African cities are the opposite in many aspects. The richest thrive in the city even as the poor die by the roadside.

Four summits down the line is a commendable effort for Africa, but the critical question is: Where are the achievements? For Nairobi, all is not lost, what with the recent projects to beautify it?

One hopes that the sprucing up of the city is not meant for the summit. It would be ridiculous to clean homes only in readiness for visitors and once they leave, all goes back to normal - a litter here, a pile later; a pothole here, a crater later; a shack here a slum later.

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BREAKING NEWS: The Biwott led KANU faction has finally been registered as new party officials.

About KBC Listen to saitoti Mon, Nov 20, 2006 TODAY: Tue, Nov 28, 2006 4:19pm EAT KBC TV Channels

KBC Radio Stations Mayor says Nairobi ready for Africities Broadcast & Advertising

Up & Coming Events Written By:John Muoki , Posted: Wed, Sep 13, 2006

Career Opportunities Nairobi mayor, Dick Wathika says the city is ready for the Africities conference which starts next week. KBC Regional Offices Wathika says the city council is putting the final touches on renovations and beautification, part of Contact us preparations for the conference which is expected to bring together more than 10-thousand municipality Tenders & RFPs officials from across the continent and beyond.

African Peer Review Report on More than 1800 delegates, including a representative of the mayor of London have already confirmed they Kenya will attend the meeting scheduled to run from next Monday to Sunday, according to Mr. Wathika.

Among the issues to be addressed during the conference is decentralisation in Africa through central government, strengthening the African municipal movement and involving local governments in development.

http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=3858528/11/2006 15:28:44 Kenya Broadcasting Corporation:

KBC NEWS: HOME LOCAL INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SPORTS SEARCH KBC:

BREAKING NEWS: The Biwott led KANU faction has finally been registered as new party officials.

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KBC Radio Stations Summit roots for decentralization of resources Broadcast & Advertising

Up & Coming Events Written By:Catherine Atundi , Posted: Fri, Sep 22, 2006

Career Opportunities African Local government Ministers and Mayors meeting in Nairobi now want immediate decentralization of KBC Regional Offices resources to enhance their service delivery.

Contact us They said the move will transform their institutions into autonomous entities that can deliver better Tenders & RFPs services.

African Peer Review Report on Nairobi mayor Dick Wathika said decentralization should include enactment of legislation that will prevent Kenya outside interference of council affairs by politicians.

UN Habitat Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka said decentralization was key in enabling local authorities meet the millennium development goals.

She said the Africities summit has given Local authorities in Africa a great opportunity to become more responsive in addressing problems of urbanization in the continent.

The five day Africities summit will be officially closed later this afternoon with the adoption of a resolutions reached after deliberations by over five thousand delegates attending the meeting at KICC.

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Up & Coming Events Written By:Catherine Atundi , Posted: Tue, Sep 19, 2006

Career Opportunities Delegates attending the Africities summit Tuesday called for renewed commitment by African governments KBC Regional Offices to ensure the objectives of the Millennium Development goals are realized.

Contact us Secretary General, the United Cities and Local Authorities of Africa (UCLGA) Pierre Mbassi said the MDG Tenders & RFPs goals including halving poverty and hunger by the year 2015 will not be realized without a drastic change in how African governments do business. African Peer Review Report on Kenya He said if things continue the way they are the goals will be attained only after 110 years.

Mbassi challenged the Western world to support Africa by providing financial support.

UCLGA President Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa said many problems affecting African cities could be addressed using local policies, plans and programmes.

Nairobi Mayor Dick Wathika urged local authorities in the continent to include other stakeholders in their operations.

He said decentralization is key in improving service delivery by local authorities.

Over five thousand delegates are attending the five day meeting at KICC to find common solutions to problems affecting African cities through the MDGs.

http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=3867528/11/2006 15:32:00 Africities Summit of help- Musoni - The New Times - - News in rwanda

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ABOUT RWANDA Home > News > Cooperation Government History Demography Africities Summit of help- Musoni Search the Website Climate Date: 20th-September 2006 Culture and Society Indigenous Knowledge By Gasheegu Muramila Maps The New Times

An article of news Partner: DEVELOPMENT TOPICS The Minister of Local Government Protais Musoni has said that Agriculture the ongoing Africities IV Summit that began on Monday in Aid Effectiveness Nairobi, Kenya is an opportunity to learn from each other about decentralization on the continent. The New Times Cooperatives & Associations Economy & Development “We have been participating in this Summit ever since it started News by topics Education in 1998. So, when we meet as ministers in this IV Summit on Environment Wednesday, we shall be exploiting all the opportunities especially in the fields of learning from each other and knowing Gender & Development different theoretical frameworks that can be used,” Musoni told Latest news Health The New Times. ICT & Telecommunications Info for Rural Areas The Minister, who is also the Vice Chairman of the committee that brings together other local government ministers in Africa Investments said the Nairobi meeting would attract international development NGOs and International partners, to showcase innovations aimed at increasing the Organisations implementation of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). Tourism “We have tried in as far as implementing the targets of MDGs are Trade & Industry concerned and this Summit will also help us much since we shall share a lot in terms of exchange of ideas” he said Meanwhile, ONLINE SERVICES according to media reports, delegates at the Summit will discuss Classified Ads the current state of the implementation of each of the eight Job Search Millennium Development Goals in Africa and in the world. NGOs Database The goals are poverty, Universal Primary Education, gender Publications equality and hunger. Others are: infant mortality and maternal Tender and Procurement health, HIV/Aids and environmental sustainability. Newspapers Press reports further reveal that there will be held under the USEFUL LINKS theme ‘building local coalitions for an effective implementation of Banks the Millennium Development Goals in African Local Governments’, the week-long continental summit is being Insurance Companies attended by about 5000 delegates from Africa and Europe Embassies & Diplomatic Missions representing various stakeholder institutions. Websites Held every two years, the summit gives civic authorities and governments the opportunities to discuss decentralization on the continent.

The first summit was held in 1998 in Abidjan (Cote d’Ivorie) and the second one in 2000 in Windhoek (Namibia). The third one was held in 2002 in Yaoundé (Cameroon).

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English home Forum Photo Gallery Features Newsletter Archive About US Help Site Map China Home >> World UPDATED: 08:20, September 18, 2006 Recommendation World Opinion Africities Summit to harmonize decentralization of urban - Text Version Business services - RSS Feeds Sci-Edu - China Forum Culture/Life Sports Roundup: Africities Summit to harmonize decentralization of urban - Newsletter Photos services - People's Comment Services NAIROBI, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- African city mayors and delegates started - Most Popular arriving in Nairobi at the weekend ahead of a special summit to discuss - Newsletter Related News the decentralization of government services to the lowest administrative - Online Community levels and the definition of the roles of local governors. - China Biz Info Kenya is hosting the African Summit of Local Governments against a Dic - News Archive backdrop of growing administrative and tax-related setbacks bedeviling - Feedback the local government institutions tasked with providing services to the ● - Voices of Readers growing number of urban dwellers. Alibaba Directory - Weather Forecast "We have come up with our sessional paper to discuss the issues, the ● Alibaba China RSS Feeds outcome of this conference would definitely benefit us, especially on the ● China Suppliers devolution of power," said Abel Mutimba, the vice chair of the Association - China of Local Government Authorities of Kenya (ALGAK), which is co-hosting - Business the week-long summit in Nairobi. - World Nairobi is the first Eastern African city to host the top gathering of Africa's - Sci-Edu city mayors to discuss ways and means of countering the escalating - Culture/Life problem of urbanization in Africa, which has seen cities dealing with - Sports unemployment, increased insecurity and petty thefts. - Photos The top gathering of the mayors and city administrators, known popularly - Most Popular as the Africities Summit, was last held in Yaounde, Cameroon in 2003. It - FM Briefings is a continental platform of dialogue, networking and exchange of best practices on the decentralization. Search The summit brings together mayors, local government officials, elected representatives, ministers in charge of decentralization and local development and the civil society.

About China "The forum is of critical importance to Africa as a continent as it will provide an all inclusive platform for dialogue on how best possible to - China at a glance address the many issues which have continued to disadvantage us - China in brief 2004 compared to other parts of the world," said Musikhari Kombo, Kenya's - Chinese history Minister for Local Government ahead of the summit. - Constitution The Africities Summit will kick off on Sept. 18 until 24 with its theme as - Laws & regulations "Building local coalitions for the implementation of the millennium - CPC & state organs development goals in African local governments including their target," according to Kombo. - Ethnic minorities - Selected Works of Nairobi City Council officials have been working hard on bringing back the city's lost glory ahead of the summit, to be opened by President Mwai Deng Xiaoping Kibaki.

"The summit will seek to convince governments to share revenues with the local councils. These councils contribute a lot to the provision of services," said Isaiah Magut, the chairman of ALGAK, which coalesces some 175 local authorities in Kenya. A section of local councilors in Kenya had threatened to boycott the Africities Summit unless the Kenyan government relaxes its latest taxation rule requiring them to present their allowances for taxation.

http://english.people.com.cn/200609/18/eng20060918_303714.html (1 sur 2)28/11/2006 15:41:04 People's Daily Online -- Africities Summit to harmonize decentralization of urban services

Kenyan officials said 5,000 delegates from Africa and Europe were expected for the Africities Summit, which also brings together researchers, training institutions and international and local business institutions. Source: Xinhua

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VOICE OF AMERICA VOA Home VOA English Regions/Topics Subscribe to E-mail Select Language About VOA Africities Summit Focuses on Implementing Top Story Latest Newscast Millennium Development Goals Two Car Bomb Blasts Near Baghdad News Now Live By Cathy Majtenyi Hospital Kill 4 Nairobi 18 September 2006 VOA Africa Live More Stories Majtenyi report - Download 392k Bush on Diplomatic Listen to Majtenyi report Trip to Discuss Afghanistan, Iraq Africa Thousands of mayors and officials from Africa gathered in Kenya Monday for US Welcomes Middle Americas the opening of the week-long Africities summit, which is to look at how local Asia authorities can best implement the United Nations' millennium development East Truce and Europe goals. Cathy Majtenyi attended the opening session in Nairobi and files this Olmert Speech Middle East report for VOA. Thai Cabinet Agrees U.S.A. to Partial Lifting of Speakers opening the event noted that Martial Law an increasing number of Africans are moving into urban areas, with more Congo Supreme American Life than half of the continent's population Court Certifies Kabila Health & Science expected to live in cities by 2020. Entertainment Victory News Analysis President of Sudan Special Reports This movement, in turn, puts more and more pressure on water, sanitation, Denies Reports of housing, roads, and other systems that Ethnic Cleansing in Darfur in many cases are seriously Shows by Name underdeveloped, speakers said. Mourning Mothers Fight Against VOA Mobile U.N.-Habitat's executive director, Anna Kenyans make their way through narrow streets in the Kibera slum Migration Podcasts Tibaijuka, told the gathering some 72 in Nairobi (2005 file photo) Webcasts percent of Africans live in slums, most of Correspondents which lack basic services and infrastructure. She issued a strong challenge to Broadcast Info local governments and their partners to improve the lives of people living in those areas.

Articles in "When the majority of African people still find themselves in slum conditions, Special English it poses a serious challenge and draws our attention to the linkage between Pronunciations human settlements and the goals that the international community committed itself to achieve some six years ago," said Tibaijuka. "For the people of Africa, you are the closest institution that mediates the bulk of their every day lives. Indeed, you are the ultimate custodians of the Read Editorials Millennium Development Goals. Achieving the MDGs in Africa requires, therefore, local governments and the key stakeholders to take the challenge of urbanization more seriously."

The summit, organized by the pan-African body Municipal Development Partnership and other groups, is expected to bring together some 5,000 delegates to discuss problems in African cities such as poverty, crime, and inadequate shelter.

Discussions are expected to focus on devolving power from central governments to local councils and how to better fund municipalities.

Kenyan minister for local government, Musikari Kombo, urged the gathering to look for creative ways to deal with the continent's growing urbanization trend. "One such practice, which most African countries need to appreciate, is the creation of more cities in the rural settings instead of encouraging the

http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-09/2006-09-18-voa27.cfm (1 sur 2)28/11/2006 13:48:55 Africities Summit Focuses on Implementing Millennium Development Goals

growth of megacities," he said.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki described how his government plans to tackle the problem of rapid expansion of the capital Nairobi and other urban centers in Kenya, beginning with the election of mayors and deputy mayors. "We will soon be announcing the establishment of a Nairobi Metropolitan Region Development Board for the proper planning and administration of the city of Nairobi," said Mr. Kibaki. "The board will coordinate planning, environmental management, enforce compliance, and promote the metropolis as a regional hub for investment and services."

The summit is taking place six years after the United Nations unveiled its eight millennium development goals that aim to dramatically reduce poverty, illiteracy, disease and food insecurity by 2015.

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