German and African cities strengthen ties at 6th Partnership Conference in Gießen
**Municipal Partnerships – A Success Story**
Municipal Partnerships – A Success Story
From September 8 to 11, 2025, the city of Gießen hosted the 6th Partnership Conference between German municipalities and their counterparts in sub-Saharan Africa. Held every three years, the conference is a highlight for those engaged in German-African municipal cooperation. Representing the city of Aschaffenburg were Helmut Maier, head of the Office for Sports, Health, and Town Twinning, and Markus Bischof, the official responsible for town partnerships, who attended alongside their partners from Bo, Sierra Leone.
Once again, the event made one thing clear: municipal partnerships are a success story, making a real difference in communities across Africa and Germany.
This year's host municipalities were the city of Gießen, paired with its partner Swakopmund in Namibia, and the district of Gießen, partnered with Mubende in Uganda.
Around 180 participants from 18 African countries and Germany—united through 47 municipal partnerships—took part in discussions and workshops at the University of Gießen. After the conference, representatives from Aschaffenburg's city administration continued their talks with their counterparts from Bo in Aschaffenburg. The Partnership Conference and the follow-up discussions in Aschaffenburg were funded and organized by the *Service Agency "Communes in the One World"* (*Servicestelle Kommunen in der Einen Welt*), part of *Engagement Global*.
*Image: Delegates from Bo, Sierra Leone, also visited Aschaffenburg. From left: Beate Ebert, Lord Mayor Jürgen Herzing, Dr. Nicole Holzheu, Haja Lukay, Helmut Maier, Henry Powell, and Saskia Schmidt (Photo: City of Aschaffenburg)*
