THE BULLETIN
SALGA IN ACTION
BIG M CLOSE OUT
CONFERENCE BUZZ
SALGA’s Tebogo Matlou lets us in on the buzz around the Big M Close Out Conference and the behind the scenes machinations that led to a successful event. By Levi Letsoko
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aunched in 2016, the Building Inclusive Green Municipalities (BIG M) Project was born out of a collaboration between Global Affairs Canada, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). According to Tebogo Matlou, project manager International Programmes and Partnerships at SALGA,, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of local municipalities, specifically in the Eastern Cape. The programme assists municipalities in their efforts to reduce poverty by providing support to initiatives that bolster economic growth while enhancing the response to climate change through upholding lowcarbon initiatives.
PROMOTING DIALOGUE
“The project has also implemented Gender-Based Analysis Plus – an analytical process used to assess how different women, men and gender-diverse people may experience policies, programmes and initiatives and how this has impacted local communities.” – Tebogo Matlou
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VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
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Tebogo Matlou
DEALING WITH CHALLENGES One of the core areas of focus for the conference is devising an asset management and climate change model that addresses the challenges currently facing municipalities. The model helps municipalities to identify areas that need improvement including spotting opportunities for implementing new global practices. The installation of this year’s edition of the conference faced numerous obstacles. The number of participants had to be drastically reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions. The digital experience was also limited due to network connectivity issues during the events linked to the conference. One of the mini events linked to the conference was the BIG M Climate Change and Asset Management Talk Show involving the City of Fredericton, Port St Johns, and Buffalo City. The event provided a platform for Mbalenhle Soguntuza from Nkodusweni Primary School to address the delegates about climate change. This learner illustrated the change in global surface temperature and how it can be evidently linked back to human activities. The conference advocated for the strengthening of the small towns regeneration programme through collaborations with the COEGA Special Economc Zone, which resulted in a R1.4-billion investment drive for the Sarah Baartman District. “The BIG M project has kick-started key initiatives including working with the CSIR to implement Greenbook. It is strengthening the District Development Model. The project is also collaborating with the Centre for Municipal Asset Management and the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency,” says Matlou. “More importantly, the project is striving to formalise asset management activities, which may already be implemented, into documented business practices. It will also measure and track the progress of a municipality’s asset management practices and activities,” he concludes. ▪
IMAGE: SUPPLIED
“The goal of the BIG M project is to serve as a platform where the community of practice, policymakers and private sector operators can meet and have consensus on integration as an instrument to accelerate infrastructure and sustainable development,” says Matlou. “It explores various options for mainstreaming best policy, builds strategies to respond to the impact of climate change, and promotes dialogue between the three main constituencies.” The project also encourages dialogue between both countries and facilitates the sharing of ideas and identifying best policy practices in a way that accommodates vulnerable people, women, youth and people with disabilities. It has also encouraged and observed the participation of traditional leadership structures in regional economic and social development. The 2021 BIG M conference has been successful in unlocking the municipal ecosystem by introducing measures that boost the implementation of business retention and expansion efforts. The conference has succeeded in eliminating the barriers that contributed to Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City municipalities functioning as silo entities. “The Canadian partners have provided support for the implementation of incubation, red hub and tailored municipal local economic development services,” says Matlou. “The project has also implemented Gender-Based Analysis Plus – an analytical process used to assess how different women, men and gender-diverse people may experience policies, programmes and initiatives and how this has impacted local communities.”
ISSUE 36
2021/09/30 11:54 AM
