17th COSPECO General Assembly

The 17th COSPECO meeting took place in Kinshasa on May 27, 2015. During the General Assembly meeting it was announced that starting next August the Mayor of Brazzaville, Hugues Ngouelondélé, would head COSPECO for two years. Ngouelondélé would take over from the Governor of the City of Kinshasa, Andre Kimbuta Yango.

The COSPECO meeting was also attended by the Mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall Ababacar, who was there to sign a triangular twin citities agreement between Kinshasa, Brazzaville, and Dakar. Mr. Salll was not only there to promote the twin cities agreement but to support integrated development and cooperation among all three cities. This view was shared by Presidents Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo, Joseph Kabila Kabangué of the DRC and Maki Sall of Senegal.

The three mayors agreed to promote economic, social, cultural, sports and tourist exchanges between the cities. In addition, the three cities will share experience implementing sustainable development and decentralization projects. Finally, the cities will work together to support conflict resolution. Dakar’s new involvement in COSPECO marks a new era for the commission, which aims to expand its activities across the continent.

Aside from Kinshasa and Dakar, the city of Brazzaville signed twin city agreements with Nouakchott in 2011, Havana in 2004, Changsha in 2004, Dresden in 1975, Milan in 2010 and Reims in 1961. Several agreements of cooperation, friendship and collaboration also bind the Congolese capital to other cities in the world. This is all thanks to the policies of cooperation promoted by Hugues Ngouélondélé since his arrival at City Hall.