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Training workshop for ESA mayors begins today
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
July 20, 2004

http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id=33957&pubdate=2004-07-20

The Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa (MDP-ESA) today begins a training workshop for mayors from 10 Eastern and Southern African countries designed to transform their leadership role from ceremonial to city managers.

The workshop, which closes tomorrow, will run under the theme "From Ceremonial Leaders to City Managers".

The workshop aims to create an awareness of the role of mayors and local government leaders in poverty reduction through the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals using such tools as good governance, urban agriculture, gender mainstreaming and combating HIV and Aids.

MDP regional director Mr George Matovu said the transformation of mayors in the region from a ceremonial role to that of managers necessitated the interactive training workshop.

"We are concerned with how we can help governments to transform the mayors into city managers," he said.

Workshop organiser Mr Kinuthia Wamwangi said local government reforms in Africa had made mayors and councillors key players in establishing strong and effective councils.

"They have a dual role of democratising local government and fostering local development," he said.

He said mayors and councillors provide both political and economic leadership and should have an appreciable level of knowledge to manage public affairs and to create an environment for the maintenance of peace and security.

He said many elected officials enter local authorities without prior management skills or knowledge of local government systems.

"The situation has drastically changed and mayors are now required to be city managers rather than ceremonial figure heads," he said.

Mr Wamwangi said the workshop would identify areas of concern in local government management and design a course that would enhance the capacity of African mayors to effectively manage the affairs of urban local authorities.

The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Ignatius Chombo, is expected to open the workshop at which all the attending mayors are expected to present papers on various topics.

He said the workshop would inform mayors of the importance of incorporating networking as a component of urban management because of the emerging trends in enhanced inter-governmental relations.

Harare acting mayor Councillor Sekesayi Makwavarara, Kadoma mayor Cde Fani Phiri and Bulawayo mayor Mr Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube, are representing Zimbabwe at the workshop.

The other mayors are from Victoria (Seychelles), Nairobi (Kenya), Kampala (Uganda), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Windhoek (Namibia), Maputo (Mozambique), Kigali (Rwanda), Durban (South Africa) and Manzini (Swaziland).

A number of national associations have also been invited to attend and these include the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe, African Union of Local Authorities and Local Government Association of Tanzania.

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