On the occasion of the 39th Annual Conference of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) in Botswana, Gaborone, in the presence of the Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Botswana and in front of 541 Participants representing 28 countries, the President of AAPAM, Dr. Roland Msiska, Head of Cabinet and Public Service to the Presidency of Zambia, granted on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, Dr. Najat Zarrouk, Director of the African Local Governments Academy of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG-Africa) the Gold Medal of AAPAM for 2018.

The Gold Medal of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) is awarded to a person who has exercised distinctive leadership and outstanding in the promotion of public administration and management in Africa or who, through his writings or other efforts, has made a significant contribution in the field of public administration and management. It is the highest Award of recognition and honour bestowed on the individual by AAPAM.

The AAPAM Awards Programme was launched at the 27th AAPAM Roundtable Conference that was held in Livingstone, Zambia from 5th to 9th December 2005. It is meant to recognize individual and managerial achievements, publicize success stories and generally act as a tool for promoting best practice, excellence and professionalism in Public Administration and Management in Africa.