The Building Inclusive Green Municipalities Project holds annual steering committee meeting

Posted: 30 August 2018

On Tuesday, 28 August 2018 the Building Inclusive Green Municipalities (BIGM) Project joint governance body known as the Project Steering Committee (PSC) held their second annual meeting at the SALGA Eastern Cape office.

With a mandate to oversee the strategic direction and policy context of the BIGM Project, the PSC is a secretariat of the project team. It is a co-chair by representatives from the governments of Canada and South Africa; notably by representatives from the Canadian High Commission to South Africa; a representative from the South African Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO); representatives from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and SALGA; as well as the six participating local municipalities, four districts and two metro’s in Eastern Cape Province.

The objectives of this PSC sitting were to review and approve the project's annual work plan, budget and provide strategic guidance based on achievements, progress and challenges faced during the implementation phase of the project from 2017 to now.

The project is currently carried out in partnership between SALGA and the FCM and aims at improving SALGA’s capacity to effectively engage with South African municipalities.

It further aims to strengthen the capacity of the South African municipal sector to effectively contribute to South Africa’s priorities for advancing democracy and economic growth by reducing poverty and improving climate change mitigation and adaptation in targeted municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province.

The project pilots local economic development initiatives to promote job creation, poverty reduction, and enhanced well-being, while empowering women, youth and vulnerable groups, and ensuring their inclusion as decision makers and beneficiaries.