On 25 September 2019, the regional dialogue on the theme "Accelerating progress in IWRM implementation to achieve water-related SDGs in West Africa: challenges, innovative approaches and the roles of partnerships" took place in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. The regional dialogue was organized by Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP-WA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Sanitation of Burkina Faso, the ECOWAS Water Resources Management Centre and the West African Monetary and Economic Union (UEMOA)’s Commission in charge of Agriculture Water Resources and Environment.
The Capital city of Togo, Lomé hosted the kick-off meeting of the establishment process of the ECOWAS regional water observatory and validation of the provisional report of the operationalization study of the West African Regional Water Resources Policy (WARP) Monitoring and Evaluation Facility from 20 to 22 June 2018.
GWP-WA and CWP Mali carried out a mission in the villages concerned by the pilot projects in the rural commune of Gouendo from 4 to 8 June. The mission confirmed the expected results in the project document, in particular the capacity for the beneficiaries to make their own compost and to spread it rationally through the zai method.
The Regional Center AGRHYMET and the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Union brought together experts and research structures at the national level involved in the implementation of the Mékrou Project for a training workshop on hydrological modelling and the L-Moments methodology. "The aim of this workshop is to strengthen the capacities of the actors of the technical management of the Mékrou basin on tools that have been developed in the framework of the Project in order to allow the experts to master these tools and also to perpetuate all the assets of the project in terms of developing tools for replication in other basins. This makes it a very important workshop to ensure the sustainability of tools in the region", according to Dr. Abdou Ali, the Regional Coordinator of the training at AGRHYMET.
The Integrated Drought Management Project (IDMP) manager, Ms Félicité Vodounhessi made a follow up mission in Niger where she visited the Torodi pilot project beneficiaries. This project involves the development of the irrigated crop site for the women in the village of Kankantouti.
M. Bila Compaoré nicknamed Moussa is the chief of the Kogoloweogo association set up since the early 80’s during the revolution period for the reforestation through tree planting in Komki Ipala, 45 km in the west of Ouagadougou. The association involves most of the population of the village of Komki Ipala but is ruled by a group of 21 persons including four women. He is almost 60 but very active and enterprising. “The implementation of this project taught us lots of things that I will personally try to implement in my own field such as making bunches, surrounding walls, land scarification or semi moon to capture rain for the soil”, says Moussa.
The end of the rainy season has brought some very interesting news to farmers working with the Integrated Drought Management pilot project in the Mali central municipality of Gouendo. A field visit carried by the regional Project manager accompanied by the Permanent secretary of CWP Mali set a light encouraging results of the pilot action and the happiness of the beneficiaries.
The CWP Burkina Faso held the 2nd meeting of the core group of the platform on Friday 18 November. The exchanges focused on the various fundraising activities carried out, on institutional anchoring, on the organization, operation of the platform and the revision of the texts.
The CWP Mali made a guided visit to Gouendo on 16 and 17 November. The visit made it possible to interact with the beneficiaries to obtain their feedback on the pilot project, to know the peasants' perception of the project and to suggest areas for improvement.
The IDMP PM made a field visit accompanied by the Permanent Secretary and Communicator of the Niger CWP on November 22 in the rural municipality of Torodi. The project focus the development of the site of irrigated crops for the benefit of the women of the village of Kankantouti.