In this podcast (#5) we interview Jeroen Diepenmaat, Vice-Mayor of the city of Enschede in The Netherlands and member of the VNG committee Europe and International, portfolio holder Sustainable Urban Development and therewith also chair of the DEALS programme advisory committee.

For VNG International, the DEALS programme, he visited the cities of Kumasi in Ghana and Sèmè-Podji in Benin, to advise on key urban development issues and our DEALS approach. In this podcast he reflects on how traders play a key role in the success of satellite markets in Kumasi and how the fishery communities are key in a successful waste chain in Sèmè-Podji. 

In a series of podcasts the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities, VNG International, interviews people involved in the programme Governance of Inclusive Green Growth in Cities (DEALS). Our main question is: what or who makes the key difference at the local level?

VNG International is an expert in strengthening local government in developing and transitional countries. DEALS is a programme to support fast-growing cities in the transition to inclusive and sustainable development. For this transition new forms of cooperation are needed between local government, companies, social organizations, knowledge institutions and funding institutions. 

The DEALS programme is financed by the Netherlands ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Inclusive Green Growth department.