Dubai, February 13, 2025 – On the sidelines of the 2025 World Government Summit (WGS), which took place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from February 11 to 13, 2025, a bilateral meeting was held between CAFRAD and the Latin American Centre for Public Administration and Development (CLAD) on February 13, 2025, to initiate strategic discussions about the future of their partnership.

The Director General of CAFRAD, Dr. Coffi Dieudonné ASSOUVI, expressed his satisfaction with the holding of this meeting, emphasizing its importance in revitalizing the historic partnership between CLAD and CAFRAD. He stressed the imperative of strengthening the excellence of relations that have always been at the heart of CAFRAD’s development. Dr. ASSOUVI also sought continued financial support from CLAD to ensure the success of CAFRAD’s high-value-added activities, whose mandate is centered on comprehensive reform aimed at optimizing the support to African public administrations within a dynamic governance context and structural reforms.

For his part, Alexandre LOPEZ, Director of International Affairs at the Latin American Centre for Public Administration and Development (CLAD), expressed his full availability to bring new dynamism to this strategic partnership. He highlighted the shared willingness of both institutions to formalize their collaboration through the signing of a strong institutional partnership, accompanied by projects of mutual interest, fostering progress and innovation.

Founded in 1972, CLAD brings together 44 member states, covering not only Latin America but also European countries such as Spain and Portugal, as well as African nations like Angola. Although its headquarters are located in Venezuela, due to the current political situation, the Centre continues to operate more actively in Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.

This meeting served as a strategic opportunity for both institutions to reaffirm their commitment to renewing this historic partnership. The goal is to pool scarce resources in the development of senior officials’ skills, encourage a mutual exchange of experiences, ideas, and knowledge, thereby strengthening cooperation between Africa and Latin America in an increasingly interconnected world.

In this global context, where Africa represents a strategic crossroads for international convergence, CAFRAD is actively committed to exploring partnerships beyond the African continent, with a focus on “Africanizing” skills and making them more contextual, operational, and adaptable. This African approach, yet open to the world, allows African senior officials and leaders to benefit from high-quality international training at CAFRAD, tailored to the African context at a lower cost and without the risks of long journeys or cultural disorientation. This international dialogue aims to address the new challenges facing emerging economies while underscoring the central role of public administrations in the effective management of economic and social transitions.

At the end of this meeting, both institutions agreed to finalize the drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that they are committed to signing in 2025, thus opening a new chapter in their bilateral relations.