The fifth edition was held from 16 to 20 December 2009 in Marrakech, Morocco, on the theme “The response of African local and regional governments to the global crisis: promoting sustainable local development and employment”.

The fourth edition took place in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2006 on the theme, “Building local coalitions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in African local governments”.

The third edition was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon in December 2003 on “Accelerating access to basic services in African local governments”.

The second edition took place in May 2000 in Windhoek, Namibia, on the theme, “Funding African local governments to ensure a sustainable development of the continent”.

The first edition was held in January 1998 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on the theme “Acknowledging the irreplaceable role of local governments in the development of Africa”.