Lovemore Chazingwa
Harare-Zimbabwe is set to host this year’s round of preparatory Southern Africa Regional Caucus meetings which are convened by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA).
The high level sessions run in Harare this February from Thursday 26 to Saturday 28.
The meetings are an apex preparatory platform ahead of the UCLGA General Assembly.
UCLG Africa, through its Southern Africa Regional Office (SARO), convenes regional caucus meetings every three years as preparatory platforms for the triennial assembly. These caucuses bring together mayors, senior municipal executives, local government associations and technical experts from across each region in Africa to deliberate on issues affecting local governance, service delivery, urban transformation, and decentralisation.
“The SARO meeting for the period leading into the next UCLGA General Assembly is scheduled for Zimbabwe, through the City of Harare, a member of Zimbabwe Local Governance Association (ZILGA) and the SARO regional network.
“Hosting this Caucus presents Zimbabwe with a unique opportunity to showcase leadership in urban governance, strengthen regional cooperation and advance the implementation of development agendas such as Agenda 2063, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and National Devolution Reforms.” UCLGA notified in a message presenting the host.
According to organizers, “The caucus serves as a strategic platform for southern Africa local governments to align regional positions ahead of the UCLGA general assembly, share innovations, best practices, and lessons in municipal governance.”
It is observed that the caucus also strengthens inter-governmental, regional, and continental cooperation while building capacity for local governance institutions.
Further, discussions around local governance at the preparatory meeting provide policy direction on emerging urban and municipal challenges.
The Indaba aims to strengthen regional cooperation, local governance leadership, and municipal capacity.
A communique from UCLGA says it convenes these regional meetings to adopt regional policy positions for presentation at the UCLGA general assembly as well as discuss shared regional challenges relating to urbanisation, service delivery, climate resilience, and financing local development.
Networking comes high on the agenda as the gathering pushes for enhanced network among municipalities and local government associations across southern Africa.
The other overaching aim is to provide a platform for development partners to engage municipal leaders and strengthen ongoing cooperation.
This, the communique notes, leads to strengthen Zimbabwe’s visibility and leadership within the continental local governance architecture.
Expected outcomes from the meetings include but, are not restricted to mapping a consolidated southern Africa position for presentation at the UCLGA general assembly, strengthened political and technical collaboration among member states in the region and enhanced capacity of municipalities through technical sessions and knowledge exchange.
There is much room for increased development partner engagement in local governance initiatives with strengthened relationships between UCLGA SARO, ZILGA and the City of Harare.
At the end of it all, a clear roadmap for regional cooperation priorities are spelt out for the period from 2026–2029.
Zimbabwe once held the rotational chair of the continental body.
