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Senegal
>> Regional Overview >> Senegal Overview Program Data Sheet
685-002USAID MISSION: Senegal
PROGRAM TITLE: Democratic Local Governance (Pillar: Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance)
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE AND NUMBER: More Effective, Democratic, and Accountable Local Management of Services and Resources in Target Areas, 685-002
STATUS: Continuing
PLANNED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $5,940,000 DA
PROPOSED FY 2003 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $6,892,000 DAINITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1998 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2006 Summary: This program increases the ability of the population to prioritize local issues and mobilize local resources to address development needs. The program supports Senegal's decentralization policy that transfers responsibility for managing natural resources and services such as education and health to local governments - a major shift from the former highly centralized system. USAID's program includes:
- technical assistance and training to strengthen local governments and community-based organizations;
- information campaigns, training and education to increase citizens' participation (especially women) in local affairs;
- policy analysis to identify means of strengthening decentralization policies;
- equipment provision to help communities address priority needs.
Inputs, Outputs and Activities: FY 2002 Program: USAID will finance technical assistance and training to (1) expand the decentralization program to 10-15 communities in two additional regions, thus extending program coverage to seven out of the ten regions of the country; (2) develop capacities of local governments through training in decentralization responsibilities, leadership and strategic planning; (3) strengthen civil society organizations; and (4) promote popular participation and fundamental good governance practices regarding local affairs management, particularly those related to natural resources, health, solid waste management and education. FY 2002 funds will also be used for a technical assistance contract for a new Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (AG/NRM) activity, jointly funded with the private enterprise program, to promote sustainable management of agricultural and natural resources. This new activity will help local governments manage their natural resources (e.g., natural forests, farmland) so as to benefit from them now and in the future and minimize conflicts over access. It will also promote more effective mechanisms for AG/NRM policy dialogue. Finally, FY 2002 basic education funds will be used for a new education activity that builds on the experience of the education special objective (685-008) to strengthen linkages between communities, schools and education officials and improve the relevance of education to people's lives. Lack of basic skills is a constraint to citizens' ability to participate effectively in managing local affairs. Furthermore, education is one of the decentralized services managed by local governments and greater community involvement in managing schools will boost enrollment and enhance the quality of education. USAID believes that including education in the democratic local governance program will enhance the impact of investments in education and decentralization.
SUBMISSION OF THIS PROGRAM DATA SHEET CONSISTUTES FORMAL RENOTIFICATION OF USAID'S INTENT TO OBLIGATE FY 2002 RESOURCES FOR THE ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED ABOVE. Planned FY 2003 Program: USAID plans to use FY 2003 funds to expand the decentralization effort to communities in two more regions (total of nine regions out of 10), intensify AG/NRM activities in selected areas, and expand the basic education effort. To accomplish the latter, USAID will conduct awareness-raising campaigns for local elected officials on their responsibilities towards mobilizing decentralized budget resources towards education, focusing on areas where girls' enrollment rates are below 40%, and provide management training, including financial control, for principals, superintendents, and other key education officials. Life skills and civic education will be incorporated into the school curriculum and offering Arabic instruction may be explored as a way to encourage parents to send their children to school. Support for mapping the existing schools (using geo-referencing) will help the Ministry of Education plan where to construct new schools; the new activity will also assist communities that do not have a school within a five mile-radius to build classrooms.
Performance and Results: By the end of this program, it is expected that local governments will be empowered and able to exercise their authorities and manage local affairs in a transparent manner with effective citizen participation that improves the social and economic well-being of their communities. Thus far, the USAID program has helped develop the capacities of locally elected officials and their civil society partners in 85 of Senegal's 380 local governments. The elected officials in these communities have increased confidence and, armed with a better understanding of how decentralization is intended to work, they are less hesitant in their relationships with administrative authorities and agents of the central government. Two local councils undertook successful initiatives to increase their revenues by raising citizen awareness of the importance of paying taxes and working collaboratively with the revenue collection service. USAID-sponsored events were crucial in increasing citizens' participation in local decision-making and local officials are initiating more consultative processes with the public. Following last year's successful resolution of a conflict over use of forest resources, USAID applied a similar approach involving all stakeholders to resolve a serious conflict amongst fishermen in Kayar, the major fish-landing site in the country, and to develop a plan for sustainable and consensual fisheries management.
Natural resources management (NRM) is one of the most important responsibilities transferred from central government to local and regional levels. USAID's Community-Based Natural Resources Management activity, completed in 2001, supported the development and implementation of land use management plans in 20 rural communities with approximately 260,000 residents. In most of these communities, sustained participation and commitment led to significantly greater use of sound NRM technologies and practices improved local planning and management capacity and higher household incomes. In addition, the population now expects greater transparency in the functioning of their associations and local governments, and women in particular are increasingly assuming leadership roles in NRM. Ultimately, these changes in attitudes and behaviors will contribute to immeasurable improvements in the quality of each community's natural resource base.
90% of elected officials in targeted communities are now exercising their authorities and taking new initiatives due to a better understanding of decentralization. To increase the number of women in local government, USAID launched a program to encourage political parties to propose women candidates for the May 2002 local government elections. The next phase will assist 16 parties to identify practical steps to promote women candidates and will impart useful skills to women who are elected.
Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: Associates in Rural Development Inc. (ARD), a U.S. contractor, is implementing the decentralization and local governance program. Environmental Development Action in the Third World, a Senegal-based international non-governmental organization, works with local development committees in six communities. Goree Institute has a grant to consolidate the Human Rights NGO network. The National Democratic Institute has a grant to promote women candidates in the local elections. The U.S. Treasury provides a budget specialist (co-financed by USAID and Treasury) to the Ministry of Finance to improve the transparency and efficiency of the Government of Senegal's budget process.
US Financing in Thousands of Dollars
685-002 More effective democratic and accountable local management of services and resources in targeted areas DA ESF Through September 30, 2000 Obligations 16,489 300 Expenditures 8,474 0 Unliquidated 8,015 300 Fiscal Year 2001 Obligations 5,301 0 Expenditures 4,911 300 Through September 30, 2001 Obligations 21,790 300 Expenditures 13,385 300 Unliquidated 8,405 0 Prior Year Unobligated Funds Obligations 0 0 Planned Fiscal Year 2002 NOA Obligations 5,940 0 Total Planned Fiscal Year 2002 Obligations 5,940 0 Proposed Fiscal Year 2003 NOA Obligations 6,892 0 Future Obligations 25,078 0 Est. Total Cost 59,700 300
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
