Fund raising is a continuous activity at national and regional levels that emphasizes technical and financial support from partners in the implementation of the IDMP activities.
The CWP Niger has coordinated with the consultants to send data in the framework of the Mékrou Project and tackling some burning issues in relation with data collection in the country.
A scanned version of the Framework Agreement signed on December 21, 2015 by Benin, Burkina and Niger was transmitted to all members of the Advisory Committee, to the nine (9) Ministers related to NBA through the National Focal Structures of NBA, as well to the Regional Coordination of users of the natural resources of the Niger basin (CRU-ABN).
The elaboration of the study on the "Identification of development priorities in the Mékrou transboundary basin" in each country (Benin, Burkina and Niger) with workshops for the restitution and validation has been delayed because of some practical issues. The contracts were signed with some delay with each consultants and some national issues linked to the political and social situation couldn’t allow work to go on correctly.
In the 2015accounts audit report, the auditor's conclusion was the following: "We believe that the financial report of the Regional Water Partnership for West Africa (GWP/WA) and the CWPs (Burkina and Ghana) accurately reflect the statement and financial position of the Regional Water Partnership for West Africa and the CWPs (Burkina and Ghana) as of 31st December 2015, consistently with the GWP financial procedures.”
The way forward in 2016 is to strive to implement all partially implemented recommendations including those made in 2014 and those made as of 31st December, 2015. It should be noted that almost all new recommendations dating from 31st December 2015 have already been implemented prior to the finalization of the audit report in 2015 in Burkina Faso and for the region.
The IDMP Waf team is preparing the capacity building workshop to be held in Ouagadougou from 4 to 8 Avril 2016 in Burkina Faso. This planned training of trainers (ToT) has been possible with the collaboration of CAPNET and aims at contrinuting to reduce the negative impacts of drought through some approaches like IWRM and effective planning. It will increase participants knowledge on these topics and come out with a monitoring tool. About twenty participants will take part drawn from administration, NGOs, Civil Society and private sector institutions of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, the three pilot targeted countries of IDMP and some regional institutions in West Africa.
For more on IDMP WAF: felicite.vodounhessi@gwpao.org
Conventions have been with the CWP of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to allow the implementation of pilot projects in the countries during 2016 and continue the consultation meetings of national and regional platforms in the area of Integrated Drought Management.
The Project Manager has seized the opportunity and visited the pilot villages in the rural town of Gouendo in Mali where Mr. Boureima DIARRA, the mayor of the rural town said that "It is always better to teach us how to fish than to give us the fish".
In Benin, Burkina and Niger the biding processes have been completed for the consultants to carry out the study on the Identification of development priorities in the Mékrou Basin being part of each country that will be followed by a validation workshop. The development of the study started in each country and is being followed closely by the CWP and the Mékrou PMT.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day (8 March), We have interviewed Mrs Hadja KORA ZAKI Mariame, the Chair of the National Association of users of the natural resources of the River Niger Basin in Benin (ANU-Benin) in the department of Atacora in the Northwest of the country.