Technical Assistance to the Decentralisation within the framework of the “Support Programme for Administrative Reform and Decentralisation (PARAD)” – Technical Assistance to the Support Programme in the northern region of Mali (ADERE – Nord)

Detailed description of project Back

The Government of Mali has set in place a national mechanism in support of municipalities within the framework of the decentralisation process in the country. This support mechanism consist of two major components: a technical support aimed at reinforcing municipalities in their role of contracting authority, channelled through Support Centres (Centres de Conseil Communaux) under the auspices of the ‘Direction Nationale des Collectivités Territoriales – DNCT’; and a financial support in order to mobilise and manage financial resources earmarked for financing investments (FICT), managed by the ‘Agence Nationale des Collectivités Territoriales – ANICT’. The global objective of the Support Programme for Administrative Reform and Decentralisation (PARAD), financed by the European Commission is to contribute to the implementation of the Institutional Development Programme (PDI) complemented with the Framework Document of the National Policy on Decentralisation (DCPND) of the Government of the Republic of Mali.

Within the context of the decentralisation, the PARAD programme aims at providing substantial support to the Government in order to (1) favour the mobilisation offinancial resources by local communities ( FICT grants, own resources, subventions), (2) guarantee the continuation of the technical support mechanism for local communities with respect to contracting, planning and communal management, (3) support the deconcentration of Ministriesto accompany the process of transfer of competencies to communities and to favour partnerships between governmental services and communities.

The objectives of the present contract are:

• Provision of long term technical assistance in support of the ANICT for a 3 year period;
• Provision of specialised short term expertise (36 m/m) in support of the DNCT;
• Monitoring of the TA through regular backstopping missions.

In June 2009 a Rider to the contract was signed to ensure a transition between the closure of PARAD and PARADDER the new Programme under preparation, to support the regional development and a component of the on-going programme ADERE-North. The latter is being implemented through one national and three regional units and received financial support from the EC-EDF. The overall objective of the ADERE Programme is to generate new development dynamism in the regions of Kidal, Gao and Timbouctou and a possible replication of this process in other regions in Mali. More specifically the programme aims at developing the capacity of institutional agents, communities and the private sector to start networking and cooperation to assume their respective roles and develop jointly strategic regional development plans with corresponding action plans to be implemented. The rationale of the Rider to the contract is to ensure a continuation of the Technical Assistance to the ADERE Programme and very specifically to support the preparation of actions to be implemented under the 10^th EDF. The TA will continue its support on national level to achieve the results as laid down in the Financing Agreement of the ADERE programme:

Component 1

• Strategic Development Plans for the three Regions in the North are prepared and the corresponding action plan have been prepared following a participative approach;
• The Regional Assemblies of the three Northern Regions have been strengthened;
• The Offices of the central and de-concentrated Land Administrations dispose of the competences necessary to assume their role of steering the reform and supervision ;
• The private sector and the non-state actors have been mobilised, consulted, and participate in the regional development
• The Partners in development join forces to coordinate their actions with a shared concept.

Component 2

• Initiatives of the communities are integrated in Community Development Plans and the capacity of the communities to make themselves heard is reinforced;
• Community Initiatives are supported by the municipalities who have an increased awareness and who will ensure an adequate follow-up of these initiative within a set framework;
• The municipalities have the competences to take ownership of projects in zones with limited access and in favour of community initiatives.
• Development partners join forces to coordinate their actions.

Type of services provided

TA to the ANICT:

• Support with the implementation and monitoring of the budgetary support programme to the sector;
• Capacity strengthening of the ANICT; local communities;
• Developing synergies with other programs and all actors linked to/within PARAD.Short term expertise to the DNCT : areas of expertise include a/o:
• Support to the implementation of a communication strategy for the DNCT; strengthening strategic management capacities of the MATCL, the DNCT, participating institutions and associations;
• Improving the database on decentralisation (OISE);
• Support to the elaboration of local & regional development strategies; mobilisation of financial resources by local communities; identification of needs of local communities with respect to the management of decentralised cooperation projects;
• External control of investments.

Backstopping TA:

• Overall coherence and coordination with other national strategies and programmes (PNACT Il, PRODEC, PRODESS, CSLP etc.);
• External monitoring of the implementation of the financing agreement (component decentralisation);
• Backing the TA and more specifically in relation to support to the DNCT for the mobilisation of ST expertise.

Technical Assistance to ADERE – North:

• 4 m/m AT to the Central Unit;
• 10,5 m/m for each of the AT to the Units in Gao et Tombouctou;
• 4 m/m TA to the Unit in Kidal.