Unanimously, the members of the YELO Presidency appointed Mr. Hormatallah ERRAGHEB, Mayor of Dakhla in Morocco, as the first President of YELO for a 3-year term.

On October 31, 2022, was held in Tangier, the Constitutive Assembly of the Network of Young Elected Local Officials of Africa of its acronym "YELO".

32 Young Elected Local Officials of Africa representing 24 countries of the five regions of the continent took part in the work of this assembly, which had for main objective the election of the leaders of the governing bodies of YELO.

The meeting was officially opened by the speeches of: Mr. Mounir Laymouri, President of the Communal Council of Tangier and President of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Communal Councils (AMPCC) and Mr. Abdelilah Idrissi Bouzidi, Vice-President of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Communal Councils (AMPCC). 

"Tangier has always been a place marking founding and major initiatives taken by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), with the aim of strengthening the participation of local elected officials in the development process of Africa, and the development of mechanisms to improve communication, cooperation and solidarity of local elected officials in order to achieve the desired goals. Indeed, it is here in Tangier, that we witnessed the birth of the Network of Local Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) in 2011. Today, we meet again in Tangier for this constitutive General Assembly of the Network of Young Elected Local Officials of Africa (YELO)," said the President of the AMPCC, Mr. Mounir Laymouri.

This opening ceremony was followed by an exchange of one hour between the members of YELO and the Secretary General of UCLG Africa. In a frank debate with the young local elected representatives present, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa, invited the new generation to do better than their elders. Both on the themes of climate, economic integration and the elimination of frontiers to promote the emergence of a united Africa.

The meeting then focused on the election of the leaders of YELO's governance bodies, namely the 45 members of YELO's Pan-African Council (9 members for each of the 5 African regions); the 15 members of YELO's Bureau (3 for each of the 5 African regions); and the 5 members of YELO's Presidency (1 Vice President for each of the 5 African regions)

The following members were elected to the YELO Presidency:

  1. City of Dakhla, Morocco, represented by its Mayor Mr. Hormatallah ERRAGHEB, YELO Vice-President for North Africa.
  2. Lere Local Government, Nigeria, represented by its President, Mr. Buba Abubakar, YELO Vice President for West Africa.
  3. City of Owendo, Gabon, represented by its Mayor, Mrs. Antoinette De London ATAYI MEPAS, YELO Vice President for Central Africa.
  4. Hima Council, Uganda, represented by its Mayor, Mrs. Hilda Maate BUSINGE, YELO Vice President for East Africa.
  5. Chipata City, Zambia, represented by its Mayor, Mr. George MWANZA, YELO Vice President for East Africa.

Unanimously, the members of the YELO Presidency appointed Mr. Hormatallah ERRAGHEB, Mayor of Dakhla in Morocco, as the first President of YELO for a 3-year term.

The first elected president of the Network promised to demonstrate and implement a collaborative governance in order to carry high the voice of new generation. "Thank you for your confidence, I see myself as a coordinator of the new presidency of YELO. From today, we will talk about the future of Africa by integrating the vision of young people at the grassroots, "said Hormatallah ERRAGHEB.