PRESS RELEASE

The Bureau meeting of the AU-STC 8 on Public Service, Local Government, Urban Development and Decentralization opens today 26 September 2016 in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.  It held its First Session in November 2014 in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo where its two years work plan (2015- 2016) was adopted and its Bureau established.

The meeting’s overall objective is to discuss and deliberate on a number of major issues related to the implementationof activities by the AU-STC 8 according to its two years’ work plan; the status of implementation of recommendations adopted by the first ordinary session of AU-STC 8; the operationalization of the Secretariat and the preparations for the organization of the second ordinary session of the STC 8.

Speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Dr. Khabele Matlosa, Director for Political Affairs thanked the Government of Congo for hosting this important meeting and for the warm welcome given to them. He also commended the efforts and progress attained by the AU-STC 8 on Public Service, Local Government, Urban Development and Decentralization from the period of its operationalization in 2014 till date. He reiterated the importance of this bureau meeting as it will not only review the work of the STC 8 over the last two years but it will propose concrete solutions or way forward to advance the work of this STC 8 in a better way. He then called on all the participants to put in all their best in proposing concrete recommendations and solutions which will help advance the work of the STC 8 from its current state as this will be presented to the bureau for their consideration and adoption.

H.E. Mr Ange Aimé Wilfrid Bininga, Minister of Public Administration and State Reforms of the Republic of Congo and Chairperson of the AU-STC8,in his remarks, welcomed the respective delegations from the bureau at the meeting and thanked for sparing time in their busy schedules in order to be present here today. He informed the meeting on the importance of this session as it will help to review its two-year work plan adopted in November 2014 and to also prepare for the Second Ordinary Session of the AU-STC 8 scheduled for November/December 2016. He encouraged the experts to do a good work during their session as the recommendations from it will be critical in deciding the way forward for a proper functioning of the AU-STC 8 in future.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Clément MOUAMBA, Prime-Minister of the Republic of Congo thanked everyone for making it to the meeting and expressed his sincere gratitude to them. He recalled the different steps that led to idea for the creation of STCs among which is the Abuja Treaty of 1991 and the AU decision of 2009 by the Conference of Heads of States putting in place the STCs into fourteen (14) in numbers and requesting for the operationalization of all the STCs by January 2014. He also stressed on the importance of the experts meeting as it will bring out the necessary recommendations to improve the work of the STC 8 in future as it will be presented at the bureau session for adoption.

The meeting took place from 26 – 27 September 2016 in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo with the Experts meeting held on 26 September 2016 and the Bureau meeting on 27 September 2016 at Ledger Hotel, Brazzaville in Republic of Congo.

For further information, please contact Mr. Issaka Garba Abdou on GarbaAbdoui@africa-union.org and Kevin T. Tchatcho on kevint@africa-union.org