Building Bridges for Local Excellence
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In Mali, Niger, and Senegal, local governments are on the front line of some of the most pressing challenges of our time : fragile public services, limited institutional capacity, and communities that have lost trust in the institutions closest to them. These are not distant problems. Their consequences ; displacement, instability, and unmet basic needs, are felt well beyond West Africa’s borders.
CEGLA was built on a straightforward conviction: durable change at the local level starts with people who are well-trained, well-supported, and genuinely committed to public service.
Since its creation, the Centre has brought together universities and research institutions from Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Germany to develop graduate programmes, support doctoral research, and train the local government professionals that West African communities need most.
CEGLA’s work is grounded in a few core principles: that decentralisation only works when local institutions have the capacity to deliver; that governance reform must be built with local actors, not imposed on them; and that academic rigour and practical relevance are not in tension, they reinforce each other.
It is a productive network where researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from West Africa and Europe meet around a shared commitment to better local governance.
CEGLA operates at the intersection of academic training, applied research, and professional development. Our work is structured around three core activities:
In partnership with the University of Legal and Political Sciences of Bamako (USJPB), the Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey (UAM), and the African Centre for Higher Studies in Management (CESAG) in Dakar, CEGLA delivers a Master’s degree in Decentralisation and Local Governance.
The programme is designed for both emerging and current civil servants working in local authorities and deconcentrated administrations, equipping them to become real drivers of decentralisation and local development. Since 2016 many graduates from different regions have completed the programme across the three partner countries.
A joint blended learning format combining online coursework with in-person sessions makes the programme accessible to working professionals across the region without requiring full relocation.
Decentralisation, local governance, and community reconstruction in French-speaking West Africa remain underexplored areas of academic inquiry, and precisely for that reason, fertile ground for original research.
CEGLA’s doctoral programme supports researchers working on topics including public finance and financial management of local governments, local governance and sustainable development, migration, peace and security, and monitoring and evaluation of local government partnerships.
Beyond its academic programmes, CEGLA organises training courses for local public employees seeking to strengthen specific competencies; from public financial management to participatory planning and democratic accountability.
DAAD scholarships are available for eligible candidates wishing to enrol in CEGLA’s Master’s and PhD programmes. Calls for applications are published on the DIGI-FACE platform.
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L’Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey accueille cette année la VIIᵉ édition du colloque scientifique international du CEGLA – DAAD, consacré au thème : « Changement…
Le centre CEGLA (Centre d'Excellence de Gouvernance Locale en Afrique) a organisé la 6e édition de son Colloque Scientifique au CESAG à Dakar.
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CEGLA delegation at the DAAD network meeting in Accra, September 2023
CEGLA network meeting at Arnold Bergstraesser Institut in Freiburg, February 2023
How does administration work in Niger? Visit of the municipality of Simiri, November 2019
International scientific conference organised by CEGLA in Niamey ,November 2019
CEGLA meeting at the CEGLA partner Arnold Bergstraesser Institut in Freiburg, June 2019
CEGLA Project Meeting in at the University of Applied Sciences in Kehl, June 2019
Inauguration of the CEGLA centre in Dakar with Prof. Bayala, General Director of CESAG, and Stephan Röken, Ambassador of Federal Republic of Germany in Senegal
Inauguration of the Centre CEGLA in Dakar with Dr. Harouna Diallo, Project Leader CEGLA at USJPB, and Stefan Bienefeld, Head of Division, Development Cooperation and Transregional Programmes, DAAD
Inauguration of the Centre CEGLA in Dakar with Dr. Mamane Djibo, Project Leader CEGLA at UAMN, and Stefan Bienefeld, Head of Division, Development Cooperation and Transregional Programmes, DAAD
Prof. Dr. Ewald Eisenberg, Project Leader CEGLA
Prof. Dr. Ewald Eisenberg, Project Leader CEGLA, Dr. Mamane Djibo Project Leader at UAMN, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pattar, Deputy Project Leader
CEGLA members at the Kick-Off Meeting of the DIGI-FACE project
CEGLA members at the Kick-Off Meeting of the DIGI-FACE project
Members of the CEGLA Alumni network
CEGLA Master students in Bamako, Mali
CEGLA Master students in Niamey, Niger
Coopération USJPB-CEGLA : don de livre du Centre d’Excellence pour la Gouvernance Locale en Africain (CEGLA) en aout 2024. (Prof. Paul TRAORE, Recteur par interim de l´USJPB et Prof. Harouna DIALLO, Point focal CEGLA Mali)
Le Centre d’Excellence pour la Gouvernance Locale en Afrique (CEGLA) a fait un don de livre à l’Université des Sciences Juridiques et Politiques de Bamako.
Cette deuxième du genre a été reçu de la main de son coordinateur Pr Harouna DIALLO. Selon Pr DIALLO, le centre évolue dans les domaines social, économique, environnemental et sécuritaire regroupant 3 universités de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (le Mali, le Niger et le Sénégal). Le centre d’intérêt de la recherche attribue régulièrement des bourses DAAD pour participer aux programmes de master et de doctorat.
Le Recteur par intérim Pr Paul TRAORE a salué les efforts du projet du CEGLA qui intervient dans le programme de master en gouvernance locale et gestion publique logé au sein de la Faculté de Droit Public. Le centre intervient également aux programmes de doctorat et de recherche axés sur la décentralisation.
Ce don de publication en science juridique, sur la gouvernance constitutionnelle, politique et de gestion publique est une action de soutien à l’USJPB. Elle va renforcer la connaissance de apprenants et le corps professoral de l’Université.
CEGLA NIGER meeting with German Ambassador in Niamey, October 2024.
From left to right: Dr. Zakaria Yahaya Namassa, Dr. Mamane Djibo, his Excellency Dr Oliver Schnakenberg, Professor Oumarou Narey
CEGLA Dakar Training session
DIGI-FACE – Digital Initative for African Centres of Excellence represented by:
University of Applied Sciences Kehl
Kehl Institute of Applied Research (KIAF)
Projects International Cooperation and Development
Kinzigallee 1, D- 77694 Kehl
+49 7851 894143
https://www.hs-kehl.de/
Contact: digiface[at]hs-kehl.de
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