L@ Chronique May 2016

Three factsheets on the three demonstration pilot projects of the Integrated Drought Management Project (IDMP) West Africa have been produced. These factsheets give basic information on the various pilots projects being carried our in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in the framework of the IDMP. The French version of the factsheets are available and can be downloaded here.

The Mékrou Project Officer was invited to take place to the meeting of Niger Basin Authority experts Committee prior to the Council of Minister in Abuja. The NBA meetings took place from May 25 to June 2, 2016 in the Capital city of Nigeria. GWP WA was fully represented by the Mékrou Project Officer.

The Project Officer and GWP WA finance and administrative manager visited Niamey from 8 to 12 May 2016 to ensure that the CWP and its Host Institution have implented the recommendations issued in the audit report and are following the agreed management principles.

A new budget proposal submitted for EU approval includes a budget line of 50,000 to support the implementation of demonstration projects in countries. The projects proposed by each country were initially budgeted to be implemented with much more funds, so it was asked from each country to resize the projects to fit the proposed budget or raise funds at national level to complement.

The Project Officer took part on May 6 and 11 respectively in Burkina and Niger to follow up meetings to discuss the standard template for the drafting of the consultants reports on the identification of national development priorities in the Mékrou basin.

A GWP delegation including the Coordinator, the Project manager and by the chair met with the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) Executive Secretary and some her colleagues on May 10, 2016. The discussions focused on how to start the implementation of the framework agreement for the promotion of political dialogue in the Mékrou tranboundary river basin signed in December 2015 by the three countries. To start with it was sugggested that the issue be included in the agenda of the next NBA council of ministers.

Nine (9) countries across Africa among which four (4) are from West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria) met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 18-19 May to take a step further on the national consultations carried out in 2015 that led-up to the UN Committee on Food Security’s (UN CFS) 42^nd session. 

A training workshop was held on effective regulation targeted at Catchment officers due to their future roles in the catchment regulations, facilitation of the development of Catchment Management Plans (CMPs) and production of Water Charters to be signed by riparian State Governments within the hydrological area. The training was held on 2^nd and 3^rd February 2016.

The Regional Project Officer was part of the GWPWA team that participated in the GWP Regional Days. She took part on May 11, 2016 at the IDMP session that brought togetjer the Global progarmme Manager and the regional programmes managers of Eastern Africa and Central and Eastern Europe to discuss the challenges, difficulties and especially the added value of IDMP in each region.

 In Burkina Faso, the work is in progress on the second site in the village of Komki after the first one was abandoned because of some land dispute in the village of Baragho. These works include establishing the topographical boundaries of the site, training of beneficiaries by the CWP Project officer for the materialization of the fence, installation of the fence and mobilization of beneficiaries for digging holes.