Growing on lessons learned in Mali
The setting up of the former support projects to the rural communities has enabled to learn the following lessons and to put them in linkage with the challenges to overcome. These findings are also linked to the results of the assessment of decentralization by the government of Mali.
Lessons learned by the Support Programs to the Local Communities
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Domains |
Lessons learned |
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Institutions |
The importance of an appropriate institutional framework, starting from the grassroots organisations to the municipalities including the organs and/or specialized commissions, enabling the setting up of a coherent and participative planning system. The involvement of the entirety of the local institutional actors is crucial in the elaboration of the PDSEC. |
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Financial arrangement |
The definition of minimum conditions enabling the local authorities to have access to drawing rights. Need of coherence between local planning and sectoral programing. The importance of budgetary support as a mechanism to disburse the funds with the goal to strengthen the project ownership of the local authorities in matters of investment. The adoption of procedures evaluating the institutional and financial performance of the local governments and the impact of the results on the evaluation of the budgetary allocations. The national mechanism for the funding of investments (ANICT) necessitates support to adapt to the needs of food security. |
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Planning process for the local development
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The importance of emphasizing on the quality of the technical support on providing to the municipalities in matters of planning. The role of the local government/municipality as the manager of the planning process and the achievement of local development. The positive impact of the municipal investments in matters of fight against poverty, food security and inequality reduction between men and women. |
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Local capacity building
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The emphasis is put on a comprehensive approach of capacity building and support of the local actors among others through a control of the management of the civil status. |
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Environmental problems |
More specific targeting of the environmental questions. An innovative reflection in matters of local environmental governance that puts the focus on the inter-municipal relations in matters of managing natural resources. The determining impact of the environmental actions on the reduction of local poverty, in general, and the food security of households, in particular. |
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Financial and economic situation of the communities
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The importance of better understanding the functioning of the communities and their economic environment through adapted instruments aimed at diagnosing the institutional, financial and economic situation of the municipalities and to implement specific action plans. Necessity to strengthen the financial autonomy of the local governments. |
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Impact on the policies
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The importance of playing an active role in national reflection in matters of decentralization and devolution and to strategically link democratic decentralization to the objective of reducing poverty. Need to associate the national authorities in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the projects. |
Challenges remain
The review of the causes of food insecurity in the Nioro circle have enabled to place the topic of water at the centre of preoccupations. Many elected representatives have reminded the priority of water (linked to the increase of agricultural and pastoral production) to improve the availability of food products.
Despite the efforts accepted, the question of clean water remains a worry in these zones with a weak potential for subterranean waters (not accessible) and in which, the national objectives in matters of accessibility are not reached. The interventions in this area must rely on an analysis of the situation (mapping the water points and their use) and the analysis of the hydrogeological potential of the region to identify actions that ensure the sustainable development of this resource.