2.0 Background Of Africa Global Sister Cities Foundation: Africa Global Sister Cities Foundation (AGSCF) in line with Sister Cities International protocol is recognised as a non-profit, non-governmental citizen diplomacy network creating, strengthening and promoting Sister Cities partnerships among African communities and similar jurisdictions abroad. The Foundation was born out of the Ghana Sister Cities Foundation (GSCF) to be a non-profit non-governmental voluntary organisation established in 2003, with the same objectives as the Sister Cities International (SCI) and its affiliates.
One very important outcome of the 2003 12th Annual Conference of the U.S. Africa Sister Cities Foundation, a conference successfully coordinated by the Ghana Sister Cities Foundation and hosted by the City of Accra-Ghana under the auspices of Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development which was attended by five board members of SCI and judged one of the most successful conferences held in Ghana since independence, the most successful conference of the U.S. Africa Sister Cities Foundation held in Africa and above all, a resolution passed by the Sister Cities International placed the Conference among one of the best ever organised within the Sister City family, was the call on Africa Cities to widely extend the net of their Sister Cities relations beyond the borders of the United States of America.
2.1 Mission Statement Of AGSCF: The AGSCF seeks to fulfil the following strategic mission:
“As the highest organisation representing Sister Cities International and its affiliates in Africa. Africa Global Sister Cities Foundation shall partner with Country Foundations, Cities/ Municipalities/district Assemblies to carry out Sister Cities International's vision of achieving international peace and security through people and communities of Africa promoting closer ties of friendship, understanding and cooperation with people, communities and cultures throughout the world, provide effective leadership support in the coordination of all programmes and activities of all sister cities in Africa working towards the achievement of SCI's goals.”
3.0 About The Sister-Cities Movement: The Sister Cities idea originated in the United States of America soon after the Second World War. The horror and devastation unleashed on mankind by the two world wars in the last century became a source of great worry to many nations and statesmen.
The world woke up to the need to put in place measures that would lessen the chances of such future world conflicts and to promote international peace and security. The establishment of the United Nations Organization was one immediate measure.
In the United States, the idea of citizen diplomacy came up as a measure to reach out to the world with programs that could promote friendship and understanding.
The idea developed into a national initiative when in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people to - people program at a White House Conference.
President Eisenhower's initiative sought to involve people and organised groups at all levels of United States society in citizen diplomacy, with the belief that, people- to- people relationships, fostered through sister city affiliations, would lessen the chances of future conflicts. The ultimate objective of Eisenhower's vision was the achievement of international peace and security through people and communities of the United States promoting closer ties of friendship, understanding and co-operation with people, communities and cultures throughout the world.
