Component 2. Small Towns

This component focused on African towns with between 3,000 and 30,000 inhabitants

Small towns, the size of which can vary from between 3,000 and 30,000 inhabitants, have specific characteristics as they tend to be situated midway between rural and urban.  Too small to benefit from those opportunities available to large urban centers, particularly in terms of competencies for developing and managing services, they are also too large to be able to accommodate those community-based approaches prevalent in rural areas.

 

Aim:

In order to improve access to water and sanitation services in small towns, this component aims to establish resource-sharing approaches at regional level to meet the needs of small towns, which relate to the following 3 aspects:

  • Strengthening financial capacities to undertake activities to construct and improve water and sanitation services.
  • Improving back-up support for actors at small town level.
  • Building local service management and technical supervision skills.

 

Results:

  • Each regional sector diagnostics provide an overview of regional sector financing, training and back-up support capacities and assess local authorities’ and local actors’ needs;
  • Each regional strategies detail the regional capacity-building requirements for finance, training and back-up support;
  • Each regional action plans identify the priorities for implementation;
  • Strategies are shared at regional and national level.

 

Process steps within in each region:

  1. Conducting a regional sector diagnostic to assess the regional offer available to small towns and their needs.
  2. Undertaking a more in-depth diagnostic of needs and demand in a selection of small towns.
  3. Validating the diagnostics.
  4. Developing a regional strategy to support small towns.
  5. Finalizing and adopting the regional sector strategy.

A steering committee, notably composed of the regional departments in charge of the sector, was responsible for developing and implementing the regional strategy.

 

Regions involved (2008-2009):

  • Centre-Est Region (Burkina Faso)
  • Region of Mopti (Mali)
  • Region of Brong Ahafo (Ghana)

 

Methodological guide:

For further information on this topic, a guide is available that includes:

  • a methodology, already  successfully piloted in three regions, for undertaking a regional level diagnostic of water and sanitation services that includes all actors and culminates in the development of a regional strategy;
  • examples of specific actions that can be carried out at regional level, some of which have already been piloted.

How to create a regional dynamic to improve local water supply and sanitation services in small towns in Africa: CMS Guide 2

 

 

 

 

 

Briefing Note:

Article: "The regional level: An appropriate, yet often overlooked strategic level"