UCLG Africa elects new REFELA presidency, adopts Dakar Declaration for gender equality – EnviroNews

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Dakar, the Senegalese capital, hosted the meetings of the pan-African organisation, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), from June 10 to 12, 2026. Organised by the Association of Mayors of Senegal (AMS) and placed under the high patronage of Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal, the three events brought together the continent’s local and regional authorities, who delivered on their promises.

These included the 35th session of the organisation’s Executive Committee, the international colloquium of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA), and the REFELA Elective General Assembly.

Election of the New REFELA Presidency

The REFELA General Assembly, held on June 12, 2026, saw strong participation from locally elected women across the continent’s five regions. It resulted in the election of the commune of Afanloum (a member of the United Communes and Cities of Cameroon), represented by Mrs. Marie Angèle Meyanga, to lead REFELA. She succeeds the city of Banjul, which was represented in this position by Mrs. Rohey Malick Lowe.

The REFELA Presidency is completed by the following regional appointments:

• East Africa: The National Union of Women Local Government in Tanzania (WASEMI, a member of the Association of Local Authorities of Tanzania – ALAT), represented by its chairperson Mrs. Rehema Ayub Mandingo, has been designated as the REFELA Vice-President for the East Africa region.
• Southern Africa: The Women’s Commission of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), represented by its chairperson, Mrs. Nomvuyo Mposelwa, has been designated as the REFELA Vice-President for the Southern Africa region.
• North Africa: The commune of Arbaoua (a member of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Communal Councils), represented by Mrs. Fatna El Khiel, has been designated as the REFELA Vice-President for the North Africa region.
• West Africa: The REFELA Vice-President for the West Africa region will be designated at a later date by the region’s REFELA caucus.

The new team has been elected for a three-year term.

International Colloquium: Female Leadership and Governance

The REFELA international colloquium, held on June 11, 2026, under the theme: “Leadership of Locally Elected Women and Resource Governance,” was officially opened by Mr. Moussa Bala Fofana, Minister of Urban Planning, Local Authorities, and Regional Planning, representing the President of the Republic of Senegal.

The ceremony featured speeches from the following dignitaries:

• Mrs. Marie Angélique Mame Selbé Diouf, Minister of Family and Solidarity;
• Mr. Oumar Ba, President of UCLG Africa and the AMS;
• Mrs. Rohey Malick Lowe, Outgoing President of REFELA Africa, Mayor of Banjul (Gambia);
• Mrs. Katja Roeckel, Director of GIZ Senegal;
• Mrs. Thérèse Diouf Faye, President of REFELA Senegal;
• Mr. Magueye Ndiaye, Mayor of Ngor.

“The development of our territories cannot be thought out, designed, and achieved without women. Efficient governance does not exist when half of a nation’s talent remains underrepresented in decision-making spaces,” emphasised Mr. Moussa Bala Fofana.

“The full and effective participation of women in decision-making processes is both a democratic imperative and a strategic lever for balanced territorial development and social inclusion,” recalled Mrs. Mame Selbé Diouf, Minister of Family and Solidarity.

“One of Africa’s greatest assets is its women. Yet, their essential contributions remain insufficiently recognized and valued. The campaigns led by REFELA to promote women’s empowerment, combat gender-based violence, and protect children demonstrate that local authorities can be true engines of social transformation,” stated Mr. Oumar Ba, President of UCLG Africa.

Participants attended a high-level panel on: “Locally Elected Women and Resource Governance: What reforms for equitable access to land, financing, and development opportunities?” with eminent speakers who inspired the audience, namely:

• Me Aïssata Tall Sall, Deputy and former minister (Senegal);
• Prof. Amsatou Sow Sidibé, Professor of Legal and Political Sciences, President of the Senegalese Human Rights Committee (CSDH – Senegal);
• Fatoumatta Njai, Member of the National Assembly for Banjul, Vice-Chair of the Women’s Caucus at the Pan-African Parliament (Gambia);
• Rose Marie Bangoura, Deputy and Vice-Chair of the West Africa Caucus at the Pan-African Parliament (Sierra Leone).

Following four workshop sessions covering female leadership, natural resource governance, access to sustainable financing, and social inclusion, the Dakar Declaration was adopted.

The Dakar Declaration

Adopted on June 11, 2026, in Dakar, this declaration marks a turning point for local governance in Africa, affirming that no sustainable development will happen without the full, complete, and equitable involvement of women. This is reflected, among other things, in the following four major points:

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1. An Ambitious Roadmap for Parity (2026-2030): The Dakar Declaration sets a clear framework of action for the end of the decade by demanding the strict enforcement of parity across all public institutions, both national and local. To tackle the underrepresentation of women, REFELA commits concretely to creating an African Academy for Local Female Leadership and a continental mentorship programme.
2. Economic Lever and Gender-Responsive Budgeting: Financial empowerment is affirmed as the sine qua non condition for sustainable development. Locally elected women call for increased funding for female entrepreneurship. Regarding governance, they demand the widespread adoption of local gender-responsive budgets and commit to launching an African platform for access to sustainable financing.
3. Climate Justice and Territorial Resilience: Because women are the first to be impacted by environmental crises, the declaration places ecology at the heart of its priorities. It calls for the systematic integration of gender into climate policies, better access to green financing for local governments, and announces the creation of an African Network of Elected Women for Climate.
4. A Rigorous and Transparent Monitoring Mechanism: To ensure these commitments are honored, a strict evaluation framework has been established: 1. The rollout of an African Dashboard on Local Female Leadership. 2.The publication of a biennial continental report. 3. The creation of an African Prize to reward the most exemplary local authorities in terms of gender equality.

Executive Committee of UCLG Africa

The proceedings of the 35th session of the Executive Committee, held on June 10, were led by Mr. Oumar Ba, President of UCLG Africa, in the presence of Prof. Peter Anyang Nyong’o, Governor of Kisumu and UCLG Africa Vice-President for the East Africa region.

The Executive Committee adopted the organisation’s financial and audit report for the year 2025 and granted discharge to the Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Mr. François Menguelé, for the management of the 2026 budget.

The committee welcomed and validated the strategic framework for the revitalisation and transformation of the organisation (2026-2031), submitted by the Secretary General. This plan features a strategic repositioning aimed at generating more impact, particularly in supporting the operationalisation of African Union (AU) normative instruments.

The ratification of the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralisation, Local Governance, and Local Development is a priority submitted to UCLG Africa members, with the goal of securing the eight missing ratifications required for it to enter into force with the AU.

The strategic framework places special emphasis on overhauling the organisation’s accounting and financial governance system. Regular participatory audits are planned to promote more transparent management capable of restoring partner trust. Furthermore, a more structured and intensified resource mobilisation effort will accelerate the clearance of liabilities inherited from the crisis. The roadmap of innovations also includes asset mobilisation, a new phase that should allow the organisation to increase its contribution to wealth creation within territories, thereby reinforcing added value for members.

The High Council of Local Authorities of the AU was also a priority area that centred the audience granted to UCLG Africa elected officials by Minister Moussa Bala Fofana.

Assistance to members in structuring their project portfolios according to international standards will primarily focus on:

• Climate resilience and adaptation (including coastal protection);
• Water and sanitation infrastructure;
• Decentralised energy systems (particularly solar);
• Sustainable mobility and resilient urban infrastructure;
• Integrated and circular waste management;
• Territorial markets, local economic zones, and development corridors.

Members were briefed on the statutory procedures ahead of the UCLG World Congress, which will take place in Tangier (Morocco) from June 22 to 25, 2026. Africa’s candidacies for various positions and commissions were presented. For this event where Africa welcomes the world, the objective is to secure strong continental mobilisation and contribute through experience-sharing in debates centered around the chosen theme: “A new generation of universal local public services.”

The Executive Committee mandated the Secretary General to collect candidacies from countries wishing to host the next Africities Summit in 2027, following Egypt’s withdrawal.

The Executive Committee of UCLG Africa is the body responsible for the political leadership of the organisation. It is composed of 18 members: 15 members elected by the General Assembly (three for each of the five regions of Africa) and three ex-officio members, namely: the President of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA), which serves as the Standing Committee for Gender Equality of UCLG Africa; the President of the Forum of Regions of Africa (FORAF); and the President of the Young Local Elected Officials of Africa network (YELO).