Negotiations and Strategy course for the organizers and leaders of street vendors and informal markets workers
24 August, 2016
By Sibailly Douhoure, StreetNet Organizer
Forty three delegates seventeen of whom were women came mainly from Monrovia and Paynesville to attend the seminar funded by Cities Alliance in collaboration with WIEGO /StreetNet. This activity was organized from 8 to 12 August, 2016 in Monrovia by NAPETUL (National Petty Traders Union of Liberia).
The seminar was facilitated by Dale Forbes, South Africa and Sibailly M. Douhouré, StreetNet Organizer.
This course endowed the delegates with the following negotiation skills:
- How to negotiate successfully?
- How to keep members involved in the negotiations process?
- How to follow up negotiations?
- How to draft a simple agreement?
- How to enforce negotiated agreements?
For each topic, working groups were formed and allowed to deepen the discussions that were presented during the plenary sessions. Simulations were carried out to negotiate between local municipalities and NAPETUL.
As a practical exercise, a negotiating team consisting of five leaders of NAPETUL with Dale Forbes met with Madam Mvogo, Mayor of Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) in order to initiate discussions on the current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), existing between MCC and NAPETUL. Unfortunately this formal discussion was interrupted due to the MCC. The practical exercise on negotiations with the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) did not occur. The PCC was not available at the time of the seminar.
The minutes of these negotiations sparked heated discussions and helped to draw lessons for future real negotiations.
The seminar enjoyed the participation of the local representation of Slum Dwells International (YMCA Alliance) which took the opportunity to make known the concerns of their community.
In a written statement the participants expressed their concerns about the status of MoU with the Monrovia City Corporation and the Paynesville City Corporation.