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The pan-African organisation United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) held its Regional Caucus for North Africa from February 9 to 10, 2026, in Tangier, Morocco. The caucus was hosted by the Municipality of Tangier, which welcomed participants and provided logistical support for the proceedings.
Regional caucuses form part of the preparation process for the elective General Assemblies of UCLG Africa and UCLG World. They bring together members from each region to discuss the challenges and prospects facing UCLG Africa, as well as Africa’s contribution to UCLG World. They also define the region’s political position regarding the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ global agendas.
Regional caucuses further enable each region to nominate candidates for various governance bodies within UCLG Africa and UCLG World.
The North Africa Regional Caucus brought together representatives from the Moroccan Association of Municipal Council Presidents (AMPCC), the Association of Moroccan Regions (ARM), the Moroccan Association of Prefectural and Provincial Council Presidents (AMPCPP), the Association of Mayors of Mauritania (AMM), the Nouakchott Region, the Mauritanian Association of Regions (AMR), and the National Association of Municipalities of Libya (ANML). The Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) and the Network of Young Elected Local Officials of Africa (YELO) from the region also participated in the meeting.
The opening of the proceedings was marked by speeches from Mr. Mounir Lymouri, President of the Moroccan Association of Municipal Council Presidents (AMPCC) and Mayor of Tangier, and Ms. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of UCLG Africa and President of the Nouakchott Region (Mauritania).
“Holding these caucuses in Tangier is part of a special and meaningful dynamic. It is fully in line with the perspective of the World Congress of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), which Tangier will have the honour of hosting from June 22 to 25, 2026. The regional caucuses are a highlight in the life of UCLG Africa.
“They provide an opportunity to take stock of the challenges and prospects facing our organisation, to strengthen regional cohesion, to prepare for upcoming elections, and to better position our local and regional authorities in African and global forums. Above all, they are a space for political dialogue between elected officials, serving a concrete and action-oriented pan-Africanism of territories,” said Mr. Lymouriin his welcome address.
The President of UCLG Africa praised the commitment of the members from the North Africa region.
“Your presence in Tangier demonstrates your commitment to UCLG Africa. Thanks to you, UCLG Africa has become the political organisation representing the voice of local and regional governments across the African continent. The journey over the past 20 years to establish UCLG Africa as the legitimate political representative of local and regional governments in Africa has not been without challenges. The financial crisis that emerged in 2023 provided our organisation with an opportunity to restructure. This moment coincides with the appointment of a new Secretary General and the renewal of our governing bodies.
“The caucuses organised in preparation for the General Assembly therefore provide an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the organisation and to redefine and strengthen our working relationships. I invite you to engage in frank and constructive discussions on the issues and challenges to be addressed, as well as on the strategic directions for the revitalisation of our organisation,” said Ms. Fatimetou Abdel Malick.
Discussions during the caucus enabled participants to present proposals to address the challenges facing local and regional authorities in North Africa. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening UCLG Africa as the political voice of local and regional authorities on the continent.
In this regard, participants welcomed the signing, in September 2024, of the Memorandum of Understanding between the African Union Commission and UCLG Africa. They also reaffirmed the importance of organising UCLG Africa’s flagship event, the Africities Summit, every three years as the leading platform for dialogue on decentralisation and territorial governance in Africa. Participants further expressed their determination to promote and strengthen decentralised cooperation among members and their associations in North Africa and beyond.
They welcomed the establishment by the Kingdom of Morocco of the African Fund for Support to International Decentralised Cooperation between Local Authorities (FACDI) and commended the financial support it provides to South-South inter-African decentralized cooperation projects, particularly between Moroccan local authorities and their counterparts across the continent.
They called on other countries in North Africa and beyond to establish similar mechanisms to promote inter-African cross-border decentralised cooperation and city and regional diplomacy as drivers of African integration rooted in territories, contributing to the realisation of the “Africa of the Peoples” envisioned in Agenda 2063 of the African Union. Participants also proposed sharing Morocco’s experience in disaster prevention and management as a good practice.
The caucus participants resolved to ensure a strong and sustained presence of representatives from their region at meetings of UCLG Africa and UCLG World bodies, so that the perspectives of local governments in North Africa are adequately reflected in the policies and strategies of these organisations.
On the second day of the meeting, the caucus selected the candidates that the North Africa region will present to the various bodies of UCLG Africa, whose members will be elected at the organisation’s General Assembly scheduled for March 23–25, 2026, in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
North Africa is required to nominate nine candidates to the Pan-African Council of UCLG Africa, three candidates to the Executive Committee, one candidate to represent the region on the Financial Management Committee, and one candidate for the position of Vice-President of UCLG Africa for the North Africa Region.
The caucus also nominated candidates from the region for elected positions within UCLG World, including President, Co-President, Treasurer, and Chair of the Gender Equality Committee.
The next UCLG Africa caucus will be the Southern Africa Regional Caucus, to be held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from February 27 to 28, 2026.
