Burkina Faso : ONEA Water Training Center
(The News N° 17 - February 2010)
The National Water and Sanitation Office (ONEA) is transforming its Vocational Training Center (CFP) - created in 1990 - into a full Water Training Center (CEMEAU), in order to provide its exper - tise to the field stakeholders involved in the implementation of the National Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Program (PN-AEPA) in Burkina Faso.
Indeed, the implementation of the PN-AEPA by 2015 is supported by new decrees on the transfer of competences and resources from the Burkina State towards the Municipalities and leads to the emergence of new stakeholders:
- Decentralized administrations,
- Local Authorities,
- Users’ Associations,
- Private Operators in charge of the delegated management of water supply services,
- Craftsmen, repairmen, roads and services enterprises, consulting firms, etc,
- The civil society and NGOs.
The field reality shows that these stakehol - ders are not sufficiently prepared to fully play their parts in the ongoing reforms. ”ONEA”, through its Strategic Development Plan and its experience in leasing contracts with many middle-sized towns, ambitions to become a driving force in the partnership to increase work control by the local authorities regarding WSS in particular.
In addition, ”ONEA” is implementing a quality approach which culminated with its recent ISO 9001 certification for its customer management.
The official launching of the ”CEMEAU” project took place on 27 March 2009.
The goals of ”CEMEAU” creation meet a twofold concern:
- On the one hand, developing the professional skills of the staffs in the water sector on the operation and maintenance of hydraulic infrastructures.
- On the other, raising awareness and training the water stakeholders on the main topics of public water and sanitation ser - vices, on the regulation and legislation on this matter, as well as on pricing and the contractualization of these services.
”CEMEAU” should be a Training Center open to all the stakeholders and staffs of the Bur - kina water sector, but also should receive personnel from the sub-region.
”CEMEAU” will have to be self-financed. ”ONEA” initiated a viability study of ”CEMEAU” as the former ”CFP” had only been designed to be an internal training center.
The conclusions of this study, implemented by the International Office for Water with financial support from the German Coope - ration Agency GTZ, were presented to ”ONEA” Board of Directors in December 2009.