Under The High Patronage of His Majesty The King Mohammed VI, the first edition of the Forum of Regions of Africa (FORAF), has been launched, this 8th September 2022, in Saïdia, the Oriental Region of Morocco. This gathering is organised by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) (www.UCLGA.org), in collaboration with the Association of Moroccan Regions (ARM), the Council of the Oriental Region (CRO) and the Directorate General of Territorial Collectivities (DGCT) of the Ministry of the Interior of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Representing the Minister of Interior of Morocco, the Wali, Secretary General of Ministry of Interior, Mr. Mohamed Faouzi, the President of UCLG Africa, Madam Fatimetou Abdel Malick, the President of ARM, Madam Mbarka Bouaida and Mr. Abdennabi Bioui, President of the Regional Council of the Oriental Region took part to the official ceremony in presence of more than 400 delegates, thrilled to attend this historical moment held for the first time.

The proceedings are centered around "The contribution of Regional Governments to the sustainable development and to the dynamics of integration of Africa".

At the opening ceremony on 8 September 2022, Madam Fatimetou Abdel Malick said in her statement “Decentralisation is now an irreversible movement in Africa. An increasing number of African countries have established a second level of governance between the national and local levels”.

More than 60 Presidents or Governors of regions from 21 African countries are attending this Forum, including Nigeria, Congo, Madagascar, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Mauritania, Kenya, South Africa etc. “The presence at this first edition of our Forum of representatives of so many African countries, is the recent expression of our common belonging to the great African family. It reflects our commitment to our natural, geographical and political roots”, said Madam Mbarka Bouaida to the attendees and to the press.

Mr. Mohamed Faouzi completed this statement, saying that: “The objective of this Forum is to achieve a vision that can define a framework for African citizens; a framework that meets the needs of the people, without compromising the needs of the future generations; a framework to enable regional officials to build Africa by, and for Africans”.

Mr. Abdennabi Bioui, President of Oriental Region, recalled that “the idea of creation the Forum of African Regions was born here, in our region, our land. This land connects the present to the past and anticipates the future with a spirit that understands that the goals of liberation from colonialism are the same as the goals of sustainable development, considering that at the end, in both cases, the objective is to achieve African development”.

Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, UCLG Africa Secretary General,  underlined that he hoped that “through the discussions and deliberations that will be held during these two days we will be able to realise how much we can and should do to change the face of our continent, by commencing to plant the seeds leading to the emergence of the Africa of the Peoples beyond the Africa of the National States that is the Africa We Want”.

The Program of the day included the following sessions:

Panel 1 : Regional Governments and institutional Environment

Panel 2 : Regional Governments, climate change and resilience

Panel 3 : Regional Governments, and Territorial Competitiveness

Panel 4 : Regional Governments and the challenge of human and financial resources challenges

Panel 5 : Regional Governments and Open Government

Panel 6 : Regional Governments and African Integration

During the second day on 9 September 2022 the Forum will focus on the discussion of the roadmap of the FORAF and the election of FORAF office bearers.