The African Vision 2063 and all the Global Agendas (The SDGs, the New Urban Agenda, the Climate Change Agenda, the Sendaï Framework, the Financial Agenda) have a territorial dimension. Their implementation has a local dimension by nature and a great deal of their realization falls under the responsibility of local and regional governments. The International Community itself recognizes that over 60% of the SDGs and the NDCs (Nationally Determined Commitments in application of the Paris Agreement on climate change) cannot be implemented without the involvement of Local and Regional Governments. Tackling the Challenges of rapid urbanization in Africa will also require that Cities and Local Governments be on the frontline of making Cities and Human settlements safe, resilient and sustainable in accordance with the SDG 11. Moreover, for the UN, the battle for sustainable development “will be won or lost” in cities.

However, most of the time, the leaders of the Territorial Communities insist on improving their financial and fiscal resources and capacities to assume their responsibilities and to face these challenges, whereas they seldom mention the problems, the challenges and the capabilities of their Human Resources. Moreover, in most African countries, Human Resource Management (HRM) is presented as one of the weakest link in the reform for the modernization of public administration. In its Resolution 72/235 of 20 December 2017 on the development of Human Resources,the UN General Assembly has noted that the future of work, influenced by scientific and technological progress, requires adaptability and the faster acquisition of new skills which, in turn, go through pre-school education, lifelong learning and a comprehensive approach to continuous education and training, including through investing in teacher training and improving access to digital learning resources, especially in developing countries.