| Africities 4 Summit, the fourth Pan-African edition of Local Government Days, will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 18 to 22 September 2006. The Theme of the Summit is: “Building joint actions for the effective realization of the Millennium Development Goals in African Local Governments.” Africities 1, in Abidjan in 1998, witnessed the emergence of the African municipal movement on the regional and international scene. The ambition of this first edition of the Africities Summit was to break the official linguistic barriers inherited from the colonial rule and to promote an African voice on the challenges of decentralization, local development, regional integration and cooperation with Africa.
Africities 2, in Windhoek in May 2000, marked the beginning of the structuring of the African municipal movement and of the Pan-African dialogue on decentralization and local development. At their meeting on the strategic challenge of funding local governments, the one thousand and two hundreds participants – including six hundreds mayors and forty ministers from fifty one countries, including thirty-six African countries – agreed on the need to set up the All Africa Ministerial Conference on Decentralization and Local Development (AMCOD), the intergovernmental institution of ministers in charge of the administrative, financial and technical supervision of local governments, with a view to including decentralization amongst the priorities on the African political agenda; and the Council of Cities and Regions (CCRA) with a view to building and representing the unified voice of African local governments. The participants also decided to institutionalize the Africities Summit as the dialogue platform between the local elected representatives and the central governments, between the representatives of public authorities and the other stakeholders, and between the African officials and the technical and financial partners, for the definition as well as for the implementation of decentralization policies in Africa. It was also agreed to seek the recognition of the African Union for the different institutions set up during the Summit.
Africities 3, in Yaounde, in December 2003, was the unification framework of the African municipal movement and of its participation in the world municipal movement. This third Summit placed decentralization and strengthening of local governments within the perspective of improvement of the living conditions of the people and of participation of the citizenry. It defined CCRA governance, with the setting up of an Interim Management Council, as well as of the presidency and the secretariat. The Summit assigned to these institutions the mission of preparing the participation of Africa in the Founding Congress of the world organization of United Cities and Local Governments in Paris in May 2004, and of preparing the CCRA Founding Congress in May 2005. They were also assigned the duty of following up the CCRA recognition application submitted to the African Union. In accordance with the decisions passed at the Africities 3 Summit in Yaounde, the CCRA Founding Congress was held in Tshwane, South Africa, from 15 to 18 May 2005; the Congress adopted the Constitution of the new organization of local governments which is now called the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA).
Africities 4 in Nairobi will be mainly a meeting of stakeholders. The intention is to bring together all major local government stakeholders so that they can discuss the best way to work together at the local level with a view to attaining the MDGs in the African local governments. Like in all Africities Summits, an exhibition of African local governments, the Citexpo, will be organized within the framework of the Nairobi Africities Summit. The Summit will provide the opportunity for the public and private businesses, groups, local government suppliers to present their products and/ or services as well as the latest technological advances that might interest the delegates. It will also provide the opportunity for each country to present its know-how in the area of decentralization. This exhibition also hosts cities and local governments, associations, bilateral or multilateral institutional partners, NGOs, universities and training/research institutions.
Contacts:
africites@pdm-net.org
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Message by H.E. President Mwai Kibaki
I wish to welcome all the mayors, local authorities elected leaders, hon. ministers and distinguished delegates participating in the 4th Summit of Africities. My government and the people of Kenya are delighted to be the host of this great summit for the promotion and development of African cities.
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Message by the Minister for Local Government, Hon. Musikari Kombo
 It is my pleasure and privilege to welcome all the participants to the 4th Africities Summit which will be held in the City of Nairobi from 18th to 24th September 2006. This event provides a platform of political dialogue on decentralization, exchange of experiences and best practices in Africa.
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Message by His Worship The Mayor of Nairobi, Cllr. Dick Wathika
 Time has come for local authorities to be recognized as key role players in development agendas. Welcome to the city of Nairobi to participate at the 4th Africities Summit whose theme is "Building Local Coalitions for the Implementation of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) in African Local Governments".
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Message by the co-ordinator of Africities 4 Summit Prof. Jossy S. Materu
This is the Fourth Africities Summit to be held since the first one was held in Abidjan in 1998.
The theme of this summit focuses on one of the development challenges of our time: achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and the role that local stakeholders and their partners have to play in this endeavour.
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