Current programmes in West Africa

These programmes (current and recent) are helping CLGF to strengthen its regional presence, work more closely with members and build on the success of past activities. More detailed information about activities and projects can be found on the country pages. 

Reducing Poverty through Local Economic Development in the Commonwealth (2017-2020)

Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), this programme focuses on supporting  CLGF to work with, and build the capacity of local government organisations in relation to Local Economic Development (LED); to design, develop and implement strategies that deliver local investment, job creation and business development and which will inform and influence national LED strategies. 

In West Africa, the programme covers Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone. In Ghana, the projects include contributing to the review of the National LED policy of Ghana and implementing LED projects in four metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the country. These are: Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Asunafo North Municipal Assembly, Ayensuano District Assembly and Nadowli-Kaleo District Assembly.

CLGF has selected four councils in Sierra Leone to pilot LED projects, which are expected to commence shortly. Some of the short-term results of the programme include: 

• countries embedding the CLGF approach to LED, where appropriate, in national policy, legal, regulatory and capacity development frameworks for LED
• capacity of technical staff and political leaders to deliver LED services increased (councils and ministries)
• improved economic opportunities for citizens in areas implementing LED 
• national actors (ie ministries of local government, local government associations  business fora, etc) using lessons from demonstration projects and national/regional exchange to inform enabling policy and LED practice to empower local governments to deliver LED
• Improved economic opportunities for citizens in areas implementing LED

Strengthening local government's role as a partner in development (2014-2017)

Funded by the European Union as part of the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the EU and CLGF, this project focused on empowering local authorities for enhanced governance and more effective development.
Within the framework of the strategic partnership between CLGF and the EU (European Commission - EC) this project sought to align efforts to implement EC policy on empowering local authorities in partner countries for enhanced governance and more effective development. In West Africa it supported local government organisations and institutions in the region to come together to share experience and develop a joint position on localising the SDGs, as well as build their capacity to interact with their national officials.

This project also continued to support the establishment of more formal links and mechanisms of dialogue with ECOWAS. The project supported four pilot projects on localising the SDGs through policy and practical actions at local level.

Supporting local governance and local economic development in the Commonwealth (2012-2016)

Funded by the UK Department for International Development, this programme was part of a wider initiative that also focused on Southern Africa and South Asia. It aimed to build capacity at individual, institutional and organisational levels, to achieve better local council service delivery with a specific focus on LED.

The four main objectives were to: 

• improve the capacity of local authorities to deliver local economic development services

• enhance national policy making and support frameworks to facilitate effective service delivery

• build better regional engagement on local government policy

• strengthen CLGF’s advocacy capacities within the region and internationally.

Within the framework of this project, CLGF worked at the country level in Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria to strengthen local government policy making in line with its members’ strategic priorities. CLGF also supported a number of local government pilot projects on LED in Cameroon andGhana. These projects complemented the work at the national level in each country. The pilot projects aimed to strengthen skills, knowledge and organisational capacity for local government to effectively deliver LED related services.

Another key priority of the programme was to strengthen links between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the local government sector of West Africa, which CLGF was taking forward in partnership with UCLG Africa. 

Collaboration for LED and multi-level governance (March 2015 - March 2016)

This was a partnership project between CLGF and UN-Habitat. The activites included the organisation of training activities, technical advice, systematisation of best practices, and leverage for synergies and linkages with other on-going initiatives by CLGF and UN-Habitat.

The project had four principal work streams: 

• Local economic development programming.

• Multi-level governance strategies and decentralisation.

• Identification of best practices about innovative municipal management.

• Transparency and increased accountability in the provision of basic services