UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS OF AFRICA (UCLGA)

Capacity Building (CB) and Development 

Purpose and Description

A major criticism of local governments has been their lack of capacity to undertake devolved functions. This has been largely as a consequence of unplanned decentralisation of responsibilities to local governments without ensuring adequate preparation of these institutions to effectively assume the devolved functions.

The Capacity Building and Development component is premised on the principle that ‘Greater access to relevant knowledge, acquisition of skills, participation in networking and peer learning activities increasingly enhances the quality of responsiveness to the needs of communities and the problem solving abilities and innovation capacities of local government’.   Activities under this component will encompass a wide spectrum of interventions designed to enable local governments to perform their functions. Local governments are required to ensure basic and equitable service delivery in their localities, infrastructural development, optimize resource mobilization and allocation, facilitate local economic development, employment and income generation and ensure security and protection of the citizenry.

 Effective capacity is the proven ability of key actors, individuals and groups in local authorities to carry out devolved functions and achieve development goals of their own.  It includes investments in human capital, institutions, systems and practices. Capacity building seeks to address the capacity challenges that local authorities have: political; administrative; institutional; and social and economic.

The UCLGA will undertake the following activities:

Ref: CB1 - General Capacity Building

1. Collaborate with relevant training establishments focusing on local government training throughout Africa with a view to improving and availing training opportunities to local governments.
2. Establish a database of local governance practitioners and institutions to be used as peer educators and mentors.
3. Promote the improvement national training capacity for both officials and elected representatives in order to enhance their efficiencies and effectiveness in carrying out their mandates.