Decentralised Cooperation as an alternative model for financing water and sanitation:

Eau Vive’s experience in Burkina Faso IRC International Symposium on Sustainable Rural Water Services

Financing SustainabilityKampala, 13-15 April 2010

• Context - France and Burkina Fasoo What is decentralised cooperation?o The Oudin Santini Lawo Burkina Faso

• PASEP – Programme to improve water serviceso Introductiono Implementationo Resultso Scaling up

• Decentralised Cooperationo Sustainability and Scaling-up

Contents

• After WWII, twinning to rebuild relations

• After independence in Africa, twinning for cultural exchange and development

• Decentralisation and law of 1992 – Official framework for decentralised cooperation

• Features of Decentralised Cooperation projects in brief:o Builds lasting ties – strong relationships of trust built over more

than 20 yearso Exchange of experience, sharing of skills, building of capacities –

not just financing

• Oudin Santini Law, 2005 – focus on Water and Sanitation

Context: Decentralised Cooperation

Context: Oudin Santini Law – 1% for Solidarity

Local Authorities : WatSan budget

Water Agencies and Public water syndicats:

Operating budget

1%

International WatSan

development actions

Local Authority in Burkina Faso

Local Authority in France

Water Agency (up to 1%) WatSan Project

Decentralised cooperation partnership

General Budget for cooperation

Up to 1% of WatSan Budget

Public water syndicat (up to 1%)

Local contribution

Context: Burkina Faso

Decentralisation context – laws

governing water management

PN-AEPA: national framework for

reaching MDG for Watsan

Local authorities are responsible for water and

sanitation services

PASEP: Improving Water Services in 9 Communes of Burkina Faso

• Water supply networks: poor technical and financial performances• Local authorities: lack of skills and capacities to manage services

SEDIF and Reims Métropole – more than just financing• Able to bring different perspectives and approaches

o Reims Métropole manages its own public water supply serviceso Local authorities within SEDIF contract with a private operator

• Experience with water management realitieso Flexibility in project planning

• Responsibility for water lies with the local authorities (Fr and BF)o Sharing of experience and expertise for equivalent roles and

responsibilities – both governance and technical aspectsONEA - Technical expertise as national operator and project partnerEau Vive and CIEDEL - Technical expertise, understanding of both contexts

for facilitation and implementation

PASEP: Implementation

Creation of Communal Water Commissions as a

consultative body and to represent all stakeholders

Visits, training and exchanges on water supply service issues

Infrastructure investments to strengthen network

capacities

PASEP: Results• Local authorities – real capacity to manage water supply service• Local stakeholders – better appropriation of issues and

improved dialogue • French partners – better understanding of local water service

issues (at political, financial and social levels)• Water supply networks – financially viable• Future prospects – Opportunities to scale up actions

• Focus on urban areas, local authorities want to scale up to cover rural areas

• Commune of Zorgho chose to seek financing by contacting French twinning partners.

PASEP: Scaling up

• Project of €450 000 currently being set up thanks to decentralised cooperation financing mechanism

• Similar scaling up initiatives are currently running

• Lessons learned from project implementation are being used to design further training sessions to build local authorities’ capacities in water supply service management

• 30 local authorities from Bam region in Burkina Faso trained thanks to their French partners (Seine-Normandy Water Agency - AESN)

• Similar training initiatives are currently running

PASEP: Scaling up

POTENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE SERVICE DELIVERY• Strong and lasting ties - relationship and trust built

by working together:o Helps ensure continued financial support o Potential to shift focus from a project approach to on-

going service support

• Sharing of experiences and capacity building:o Helps to ensure technical sustainability

• Stable source of financing for water – potentially up to 1% of resource consumption in France

Decentralised Cooperation : Sustainability and scaling up

POTENTIAL FOR SCALING UP

• Existing partnerships: relationship of trust already in place that can be built ono Expand actions together

• Mobilise further partners o Bring in other local authorities who wish to get involved

in decentralised cooperationo Potential of the Oudin Santini Law

• Favourable institutional contexto Historical contexto Legislative framework for decentralised cooperationo Equivalence of responsibilities at local authority level

Decentralised Cooperation : Sustainability and scaling up

Thank you for your attention

Juste Hermann NANSI

For more information:www.pseau.org www.eau-vive.org www.ciedel.org