€12.5M of Dutch funding set to contribute to regional water management in Burkina Faso
25 January 2021Last December 2020, SNV and World Waternet kicked off a €12.5M project that seeks to strengthen the capacity of Burkina Faso’s water authorities to enhance Burkinabes’ access to safe and sustainable water for drinking, sanitation and improved hygiene practices, and agriculture production.
Titled, Eau, Cle du Développement Durable, ECDD (Water, Key to Sustainable Development), this four-year project is financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burkina Faso. The ECDD will be implemented under the authority of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation (MEA: Ministère de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement). It will facilitate SNV and World Waternet’s partnership with local governments and five water agencies operating along Burkina Faso’s river basins.
The project will be implemented through five Water Agencies (Agences D'Eau) in Burkina Faso, and will reinforce the service delivery systems of 17 local water committees (CLE's) and increase targeted communes' access to WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and agricultural activities. Together, SNV and World Waternet will strengthen the capacity of various institutions to carry out their water management and service delivery responsibilities in line with the national framework. Enhanced capacity for WASH governance will be complemented by the application of different sustainable investment technologies and approaches in soil and water conservation, drinking water supply, sanitation and hygiene services, and small holder agriculture practices for potential upscaling.
| Through the ECDD we aim to increase the resilience and preparedness of decision-makers and service providers to cope with climate variability. By strengthening the capacity to govern and deliver safe and reliable water services in ECDD project areas, with the Government of Burkina Faso, we hope to achieve a sustainable level of water resource management to benefit people’s domestic needs and productive use of water resources, Jeanette de Regt, Country Director, SNV in Burkina Faso. |
Burkina Faso is one of the many countries in Africa that has a progressive institutional framework and has introduced many valuable innovations in the decentralised management of water resources. Burkina Faso is the one of the first countries of the 52 countries in Africa to introduce IWRM at a structural way based on a Waterlaw fitted for IWRM. In the 3rd phase of the implementation of IWRM is marked by the creation of the 5 regional water authorities, the creation of 30% of the local water committees and the introduction of water taxes (covers about 40% of the budget of the regional water authorities). In 2021 the 4th phase of 6 year is started and the focus is to contribute of the strengthening of the local water committees.
However, there is scope to strengthen the application of decentralised WASH systems and to guide investments in the direction of providing a quality and sustainable service amid growing climate uncertainties. With 40% of Burkina Faso’s population still living under the national poverty line, WASH coverage remains relatively low, especially in rural areas. Lack of access to WASH is correlated to poor personal and environmental health conditions, and has a debilitating impact on people’s subsistence and livelihoods; especially for a country with ‘an economy that is largely based on agriculture, which employs close to 80% of the working population.’[The World Bank in Burkina Faso, 2021 ()].
The successful implementation of the ECDD project is expected to directly improve the WASH delivery and management systems of 17 CLEs, and indirectly, the day-to-day lives and livelihood opportunities of people living in the areas where CLEs operate.
About SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation that makes a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty by helping them raise incomes and access basic services. Driven by the Sustainable Development Goals, SNV is dedicated to an equitable society in which all people are free to pursue their own sustainable development. SNV works in the agriculture, energy, and WASH sectors to help realise locally owned solutions that strengthen institutions, kick-start markets, and enable people to work their way out of poverty well beyond the scope of its projects. SNV has a long-term, local presence in over 25 countries and is supported by over 1300 staff around the world.
About World Waternet
World Waternet, founded in 2007, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving sustainable access to clean, sufficient and safe water for all. World Waternet was founded on the initiative of Waternet, the public water organisation of Amsterdam and surroundings, the only water company in the Netherlands that covers the entire water cycle. World Waternet supports public water organisations through peer-to-peer knowledge exchange in water cycle management. World Waternet has long-term Water Operator’ Partnerships with water organisations in more than 15 countries to strengthen capacity, improve performance and enable them to provide a better service to more people.
