Joburg ready to host the Africities Summit – Mayor Tau
24 November 2015
Johannesburg “is both ready and honoured” to host the seventh edition of the Africities Summit, Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau said at a media briefing on Monday November 23.
The summit - to be held over five days at the Sandton Convention Centre, from Sunday November 29 to Thursday December 3 – is expected to be attended by more than 5 000 delegates from the African continent and the diaspora.
“We have pulled out all stops to ensure a warm Jozi welcome awaits the thousands of representatives of Africa’s 15 000 local government authorities expected to descend on our city,” the Executive Mayor said.
The summit – to be held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Africa with the People: The Contribution of African Local Authorities to Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AU)” – is expected to attract a wide range of influential and high-profile delegates.
Among them will be Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, AU Chairwoman Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and former presidents Thabo Mbeki (South Africa), Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Jerry Rawlings (Ghana) and Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria). The summit will discuss a wide range of issues – from rapid urbanisation and unemployment to climate change.
Flanked by South African Local Government Association Deputy Chairman Councillor Mpho Nawa and UCLGA Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Mayor Tau said the summit was also about advocacy and activism, networking and formation of partnerships for development programmes, and capacity building. He said the summit had two major objectives – defining shared strategies to improve the living conditions of people at local government level and contributing to the integration, peace and unity of Africa at grassroots level in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063.
“Agenda 2063 outlines a clear vision for Africa, which is rooted in a sober understanding of the lessons of the past. This includes the changing position and role of Africa in a rapidly changing international system and how far we still need to go to meet the needs of all African people,” the Mayor said.
The summit will, among other things, push for the ratification of the African Charter on Values and Principles of Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development adopted by heads of state and government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in June 2014.
So far only two AU members – Bissau Guinea and Mauritania – have signed the charter.
“To become effective as an AU binding instrument, the charter needs to be ratified by at least 15 AU members, hence the need to use the summit to launch a strong mobilisation campaign in favour of the ratification of the charter.”
The summit will also discuss the positions of Africa’s local governments on various agendas. These include the AU’s Agenda 2063, African Urban Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals Agenda and COP21 Agenda. The summit also takes place on the eve of COP21 in Paris and also shortly after the adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in September.
“But it also comes at a time when Africa is faced with the effects of rapid urbanisation that is calling for an urgent new urban agenda for the continent,” Cllr Tau said.
He said the summit was “an opportunity to learn from our successes and failures” to stimulate social cohesion in African cities.
Mbassi said the summit was a new beginning for Africa’s local governments. He said by speaking with one voice, municipalities would be able to share ideas and deliver better services to their citizens.
“In Paris next month, we hope to have African government’s contributions to climate change reflected,” Mbassi said. “We want to see local governments recognised as the driving force of change at all levels. A new era begins in Johannesburg.”
Councillor Nawa said the Africities agenda should be aligned with the AU’s 2063 development agenda if local governments were to be effective.
He said he hoped the summit would produce binding decisions and action plans.