ABUJA, Nigeria – A powerful consensus is emerging at Africa's first continental Local Government and Mayors Conference, where experts and leaders have declared that the continent's crisis is not one of poverty, but of poor management.
The roundtable discussions, officially underway at The Palms Hotel, Abuja, have brought together mayors, policymakers, academics, civil society representatives, and global leaders to strengthen local governance and build more resilient African communities.
Panelists from across academia, civil society, politics, and policy-making have outlined four critical challenges cutting across African local governments:
Population growth without planning: Rapid population increases are occurring without sufficient—or in some cases any—proper planning, leading to strained infrastructure and service delivery failures.
Youth exclusion from leadership: Participants stressed that youth participation in leadership at all levels "shouldn't be optional" but must be mandatory for sustainable development.
Climate change and environmental degradation: Panelists warned that if unchecked, environmental degradation will result in floods, hunger, and diseases—a full-scale human disaster already looming over many communities.
Shrinking civil society space: Speakers called for civil society space to be enlarged and respected, enabling organizations to advance their critical roles in capacity building, sensitization, and advocacy engagement with all stakeholders, including state governments.
In a significant departure from global conferences typically held in Asia, America, or Europe, organizers noted that this is the first Local Government and Mayors conference organized in Africa specifically to handle African affairs and challenges, drawing experiences from within the continent rather than the Western world.
Several landmark resolutions have emerged from the ongoing dialogues:
Accountability first: Fiscal and political accountability and transparency are key to ensuring proper management of local governments.
Africa is not poor: "Africa is not poor but poorly managed," panelists declared. Leaders were urged to first struggle toward uniting the continent and offering good governance.
Benchmark against Namibia: Namibia was identified as a strong case study for benchmarking in the fight against corruption.
Open borders for Africans: Participants called for restrictive immigration policies, practices, systems, and processes that African countries apply against fellow Africans to be addressed urgently, in order to simplify movements and collaborations among African states and local governments.
Reports from the venue describe the atmosphere as "electric with innovation and collaborative spirit" as mayors, policymakers, and global leaders remain locked in deep dialogue.