Local authorities: The challenge of training municipal councillors for better local governance

Training for better governance. This is the goal of the Association of Municipal Councilors of Senegal (ACMS), which launched its National Training Program for elected municipal officials this Friday in Dakar. This first two-day session marks the launch of a program intended to be rolled out across the country's five regions to equip municipal councilors with the skills necessary to carry out their mandates.

For ACMS President Serigne Saliou Ndiaye, strengthening the capacities of elected officials is now an essential condition for effective decentralization and quality local governance. "We are gathered here because we share a conviction: the quality of local governance depends first and foremost on the quality of the women and men who carry it out," he declared.

According to the president of ACMS, local authorities now occupy a central place in local development, intervening in sectors as varied as education, health, infrastructure, the environment, culture, youth, and economic development. He believes this evolution necessitates a continuous strengthening of the skills of local elected officials.

According to him, the training of municipal councilors should no longer be seen as a mere perk, but as a democratic imperative. He emphasized the essential role of these elected officials, who are the primary point of contact for the population, responsible for listening, guiding, voting on budgets, overseeing the actions of the municipal executive, and participating in the development of local policies.

"Investing in the city councillor is not creating a privilege. It is strengthening local democracy, improving the quality of public decisions and consolidating trust between citizens and their institutions," he argued.

Following this first stage organised in Dakar, similar sessions will be organised in the North, Central, South and East regions to ensure equitable access to training for all municipal councillors in Senegal.

"Ambitious decentralization cannot succeed without strong local authorities. Strong local authorities cannot exist without competent elected officials. And competent elected officials cannot be built without continuous training," concluded the president of ACMS.