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WEST AFRICA REGIONAL PROGRAM
Activity Data Sheet
>> AFR Regional Overview >> WARP Overview Program: West Africa Regional (formerly Sahel Regional Program)
Title and Number: Regional Dialogue Increased on the Role of Civil Society and Communal, Local and National Governments in Achieving Improved Management of Natural Resources, Food Security, and Market Development, 625-002
Status: Ending
Planned FY 2001 Obligation and Funding Source: $0
Proposed FY 2002 Obligation and Funding Source: $0
Initial Obligation: FY 1997 Estimated Completion Date: FY 2001Summary: Sahelian states suffer from poorly institutionalized economic and political participation and decentralized democratic governance. This jeopardizes the sustainability of improvements in areas such as natural resources management, food security and local public service delivery, and weakens program impact.
The purpose of this activity is to promote dialogue and mutual action on issues of political and economic participation, pluralism, and effectiveness and responsiveness of government. Attention is focused on strengthening institutions through regional networking and dialogue to support the development of an effective partnership between civil society and all levels (national to communal) of government. Direct beneficiaries of this activity are members of rural communities who achieve somewhat greater control over their local natural resources and over public service delivery and localized mechanisms for conflict resolution, as well as improved capacity to advocate for their rights. Since 80% of the population in the Sahel is rural, approximately 37 million people could benefit directly. Problems in resource access and control experienced by women, pastoralists and youth are specially targeted.
The final year of this SO is FY 2001. These activities will now be supported under the WARP regional program.
Key Results: Since 1995, three regional networks--for farmers, women, and youth-have been formed and have become operational. The regional nature of these networks, with membership from each of the nine member states of CILSS, has strengthened the "voice" of these societal stakeholders in dialogue with their respective governments. Governments of the nine states have been presented with six country case studies of decentralized natural resource management, and have benefited from Sahelian technical expertise in reviewing and redrafting natural resource and land tenure legislation to encourage decentralized management. In FY 1999, a seminal comparative study of Sahelian options in local revenue generation was completed and shared with representatives of the nine member states, who engaged in an intensive dialogue on applying the lessons in the cases to their respective challenges in decentralized revenue mobilization. In FY 2000, CILSS held a major regional forum on ways to improve governance and management of natural resources. Key results included participants' strong consensus on the need to: (1) follow through on empowering grassroots stakeholders to manage natural resources and public services, (2) strengthening local human resources, (3) helping communities and communes with revenue generation, and (4) addressing governance and management problems that arise when natural resources and eco-systems straddle local and national borders.
Performance and Prospects: Sharing of perspectives, ideas and experiences among governments, non-governmental organizations and private sector actors in the region has served and will continue to serve as a catalyst for democratization and improved governance. Regional exchanges, analyses, and debates have been shown to play a unique role in fostering African leadership and expertise in defining principles and shaping institutions and approaches consistent with realities of West African countries.
Experience has shown that decentralization and local empowerment in the Sahel allow local markets to flourish, contribute to food security, and improve the effectiveness of natural resources management; hence this activity cuts across and reinforces the other two activities in the Sahel Regional Program. To achieve the strategic results under this activity, USAID is strengthening the capacity of groups in civil society to participate actively in the dialogue cited in the activity title, supporting the dialogue between these groups and government entities at regional conferences, and assisting Sahelian individuals and institutions to produce materials that will serve as the basis of discussion at regional exchanges. In FY 2000, the third quinquennial conference on decentralization was held in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. It brought together stakeholders from government and civil society to hold each state accountable for progress in decentralization since the 1994 conference, and it exposed all of the participants to the new information that has been generated with USAID support since the 1994 conference. The Bobo Dioulasso Forum 2000 produced five specific recommendations that reflect current regional realities, recognize significant constraints, and point the way to well adapted policy and action remedies: (1) carry through on transferring effective power and authority to manage natural resources and public services to grassroots actors; (2) strengthen local human resources through capacity development programs that build on existing local knowledge and expertise (focusing on promoting basic education and functional literacy and encouraging fuller exchange of information and communication); (3) reinforce mechanisms for own-source revenue generation (to enable communities and communes to finance natural resources and public service management activities); (4) harmonize policies and formal rules concerning shared natural resources and ecosystems and strengthen conflict prevention and resolution capacities; and (5) create a land tenure observatory.
Possible Adjustments to Plans: Activities begun under the SRP are being expanded and continued under a number of the WARP strategic objectives beginning in FY 2001.
Other Donor Programs: The majority of the effort under this activity has been designed and is being implemented by CILSS, representing its nine Sahelian member states. External financing in support of this activity has come from Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, France the United States and the European Union. CILSS member states made in-kind contributions valued at five percent of the external contributions. In addition to CILSS's efforts, USAID supports participation by members of the WAEN in debates on economic policy, which is regarded as contributing to civil society development and debate. Recurrent WAEN expenditures are self-financed, but donors, including the United States, Germany, Canada, France, the World Bank and the European Union, support technical assistance and special activity costs.
Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: USAID provides support to this activity through grants to CILSS and the Club du Sahel, and via grants and contracts with U.S. entities, including The Mitchell Group, Inc., Development Alternatives, Inc., Associates in Rural Development, Inc., and Research Triangle Institute.
FY 2002 Performance Tables
Performance Measures:
Indicator FY97 (Actual) FY98 (Actual) FY99 (Actual) FY00 (Actual) FY00 (Plan) FY01 (Plan) FY02 (Plan) Indicator 1: Positive evolution of the legislative and regulatory framework in favor of a participatory and decentralzed management of natural resources, especially in light of the number of laws and regulations that have been revised and enacted. NA NA 5 8 5 NA NA Indicator 2: Participating and involvement of networks, farmers' platforms and other membership organizations in debates and decision making within CILSS and other organizations in the sub-region NA NA Average High Average NA NA Indicator Information:
Indicator Level (S) or (IR) Unit of Measure Source Indicator Description Indicator 1: S average of the assessment of progress made (grade from 1 to 10) in each CILSS member country CILSS data analysis and CILSS interviews with national and local partners. Measures progress made by each of the 9 CILSS countries toward a policy and legislative framework that is enabling and well adapted to land tenure security and decentralized NRM, based on standards defined at the 1994 Praia Conference. Indicator 2: S low, average, high CILSS, WAEN, USAID and other donor reports and personal observation. Estimate of the extent to which specific advocacy networks are able to affect the decision making of regional and national authorities. U.S. Financing
(In thousands of dollars)
Obligations Expenditures Unliquidated Through September 30, 1999 2,045 DA 993 DA 1,052 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 2,480 DFA 2,380 DFA 100 DFA Fiscal Year 2000 390 DA 805 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 100 DFA Through September 30, 2000 2,435 DA 1,798 DA 637 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 2,480 DFA 2,480 DFA 0 DFA Prior Year Unobligated Funds 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Future Obligations Est. Total Cost Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA 0 DA 0 DA 2,435 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 2,480 DFA
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
