Knowledge Transfer, Exchange, and Dialogue with the members of the Network of African Financial Institutions for Local Governments (RIAFCO)

At a time when recent major international agreements (New Urban Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda) recognize the leading role played by local authorities in development challenges, the question of the location and diversification of funding is at the heart of the concerns.

Especially through the joint advocacy by RIAFCO and FMDV during the preparatory process for Habitat III, local government financing institutions (IFCL) have been officially recognized as catalysts for national, international, public, institutional and private financing towards territories and for sustainable, resilient and inclusive local development.

For the first time, a UN text, the New Urban Agenda, agreed on in Quito on October 2016 during the Habitat III Conference, calls on development actors to strengthen or create IFCLs.

As such, allowing them to deploy their institutional base, have the human, technical and engineering resources necessary and sufficient to fulfill their mandate, diversify their sources of funding, and expand their range of financial and technical services provided to local and regional governments, are now a priority.

It is in this spirit that in 2014, the Network of African Institutions for Local Government Financing (RIAFCO) was created, an innovative initiative now composed of seven active members. The RIAFCO aims to promote peer-to-peer institutional and technical exchange, promote inspiring practices, raise awareness of innovative intervention modalities and bring the voice of its members to international processes and to technical and financial partners.

One of the first major activities of RIAFCO was to develop, in partnership with FMDV and UNCDF, and with the support of the World Bank's PPIAF, the program for the "Promotion of Municipal Financial Markets through Capacity Building and knowledge of African Municipal Development Funds".

To close this program, RIAFCO is organizing a workshop on March 29 and 30, 2018 in Dakar (Senegal) bringing together its members on the theme of sustainability and diversification of financial resources.

The meeting will conclude with the activities of the aforementioned program, including:

• The realization of 4 specific studies, conducted for the benefit of 4 network members and related to the conditions of sustainability and diversification of their financial resources;
• The proposal of action plans and training for these IFCLs based on the recommendations from the 4 studies;
• The creation of a RIAFCO web platform, designed as a resource center and a forum for exchange among members;
• Cross-functional support to RIAFCO in its operation, visibility and strategy.

Bringing together members of the network, experts, technical and financial partners and program organizers, the workshop will focus on:

• Continuing the dynamics of network animation by allowing members to meet, exchange and create links;
• Strengthening the capacity and strategies of members through experience-sharing sessions on common themes;
• Presenting and disseminate the results of Program activities, including the 4 thematic studies
• Introducing the web platform dedicated entirely to the animation of the network;
• Deepening strategic thinking on the future of the network by identifying, in particular, upcoming activities to be implemented;
• Organizing the meeting of network members with technical and financial partners.