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