85593 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond The first round of Country Status Overviews (CSO1) published in 2006 benchmarked the preparedness of sectors of 16 countries in Africa to meet the WSS MDGs based on their medium-term spending plans and a set of ‘success factors’ selected from regional experience. Combined with a process of national stakeholder consultation, this prompted countries to ask whether they had those ‘success factors’ in place and, if not, whether they should put them in place. The second round of Country Status Overviews (CSO2) has built on both the method and the process developed in CSO1. The ‘success factors’ have been supplemented with additional factors drawn from country and regional analysis to develop the CSO2 scorecard. Together these reflect the essential steps, functions and results in translating finance into services through government systems—in line with Paris Principles for aid effectiveness. The data and summary assessments have been drawn from local data sources and compared with internationally reported data, and, wherever possible, the assessments have been subject to broad-based consultations with lead government agencies and country sector stakeholders, including donor institutions. This second set of 32 Country Status Overviews (CSO2) on water supply and sanitation was commissioned by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW). Development of the CSO2 was led by the World Bank administered Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO). This report was produced in collaboration with the Government of Niger and other stakeholders during 2009/10. Some sources cited may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of the collaborating institutions, their Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The collaborating institutions do not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the collaborating institutions concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The material in this publication is copyrighted. Requests for permission to reproduce portions of it should be sent to wsp@worldbank.org. The collaborating institutions encourage the dissemination of this work and will normally grant permission promptly. For more information, please visit www.amcow.net or www.wsp.org. Photograph credits: Taibou Maiga © 2011 Water and Sanitation Program An AMCOW Country Status Overview Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond 1 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Strategic Overview Since the end of the 1990s, the water supply and sanitation the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) figures, meeting sector in Niger has undergone a large number of reforms; the MDG targets will require that services are provided these have had a profound effect on both the institutional to an additional 855,000 people per year for drinking landscape and the means of intervention of the relevant water and an additional 1,248,000 people per year for ministries and the state’s technical departments. As in sanitation. many countries in the subregion, the decentralization process has placed the communes at the heart of the sector The target for drinking water remains achievable, but even though communes do not yet have the capacity to only if the government makes this a national priority carry out their newly allocated roles, particularly that of and provided that this priority is supported by a robust acting as the contracting authority for the construction of investment program. However, it will be far more difficult infrastructure. to achieve the target for sanitation by 2015. When current access rates are compared to targets, it is The prospects for investment are mixed, as the RWS evident that the overall pace of infrastructure construction subsector is severely underfunded. To address this, major still needs to be accelerated, despite considerable efforts financial commitments will need to be obtained from having been made in the urban water supply (UWS) and development partners through the National Water Supply the progress in the rural water supply (RWS) subsector. and Sanitation Program (PNAEPA: Programme National The situation in the sanitation and hygiene subsector d’Alimentation d’Eau Potable et de l’Assainissement), needs particular attention as access rates are exceedingly which is a central tool for the sector. However, to accelerate low, especially in rural areas. mobilization of the financing required to implement the PNAEPA, the country’s political situation will first need to According to the figures provided by the government, be seen to stabilize. achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets will require providing services to an additional 514,000 This second AMCOW Country Status Overview (CSO2) people per year for drinking water and an additional has been produced in collaboration with the Government 1,361,000 people per year for sanitation. According to of Niger and other stakeholders. 2 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond Agreed priority actions to tackle these challenges, and ensure finance is effectively turned into services, are: Sectorwide • Continue the transfer of water supply and sanitation related competencies to communes, with back-up support from deconcentrated technical departments. • Clarify the institutional context for sanitation and hygiene and, in particular, the leadership role of the Directorate of Basic Sanitation (DAB: Direction de l’Assainissement de Base). • Revitalize the National Water and Sanitation Commission, increase the frequency of meetings, and reinforce the secretariat. • Ensure dialogue is maintained between stakeholders within the water supply and sanitation sector, notably through the consultation framework. • Continue to use the objective-based program budget/Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (BPO/MTEF) tool by improving the way in which this is linked to the financial planning carried out at the commune level. • Develop financing strategy within the sanitation and hygiene subsector, as both rural and urban areas are currently suffering from severe underinvestment. • Improve the way in which nongovernmental financing is taken into account in the monitoring tools developed within the water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector. • Develop the monitoring and evaluation framework for sanitation and hygiene (both in rural and urban areas) on which work is currently at a standstill. • Harmonize the JMP and government approaches and identify areas of similarity between the two. Rural water supply • Monitor the new 2009 indicators, which provide a much more refined analysis of the progress and issues associated with providing sustainable access. • Actively seek new financing to overcome the funding deficit which is currently preventing both the MDG targets from being achieved and the PNAEPA from being properly implemented. • Develop a common financing tool for the subsector, as per the recommendation of the 2010 joint sector review. • Continue the Local Water and Sanitation Plan approach with a view to ensuring this becomes the principle tool used for concerted planning at local level. • Widely distribute the Guide to Water Supply Services within the Rural Water Supply Subsector and supplement this with the targeted training of communes and operators. • Develop a communication strategy for WSS in rural areas. • Reinforce the monitoring of indicators at the commune level, ensuring this is aligned to the monitoring and evaluation approach used at the national level. • Expand the use of the technical, accounting, and financial monitoring undertaken by the SAC-SPE (Back-up Support Structure for the Public Water Service) to all water service operators in rural areas and delegatee communes. 3 3 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Urban water supply • Based on the recommendations of the current pricing study, establish how the urban sector can regain the financial viability it had attained in 2006. • Complete the updating of the UWS master plan. • Mobilize the funding required to achieve the targets set out in the PNAEPA, based on an expansion of the service area of the asset-holding company (SPEN: Société de Patrimoine des Eaux du Niger) and implementation of the new master plan. • Maintain the quality of service to users and, particularly, the quality of the water distributed, including in secondary towns. • Direct investment towards poor and disadvantaged users, particularly in the outlying settlements of Niamey and secondary towns. Rural sanitation and hygiene • Ensure sanitation and hygiene in rural areas becomes a real political priority, which is reflected in the national budget. • Reinforce the intervention capacities of the newly created Directorate of Basic Sanitation (Direction de l’Assainissement de Base). • Develop pilot Community-Led Total Sanitation programs and scale up this approach should the pilots prove successful. • Improve the way in which sanitation and hygiene is dealt with in nationally conducted household surveys. • Ensure the recently approved national strategy is put into operation and seek financing for the subsector. Urban sanitation and hygiene • Ensure sanitation and hygiene in urban areas becomes a real political priority, which is reflected in the national budget. • Reinforce the intervention capacities of the newly created Directorate of Basic Sanitation (Direction de l’Assainissement de Base), who is also active in urban areas. • Support the pit emptying service and set up sites that are equipped to deal with sludge disposal and treatment in Niamey and in the large towns. • Improve the way in which sanitation and hygiene is dealt with in nationally conducted household surveys. • Ensure the recently approved national strategy is put into operation and seek financing for the subsector. 4 Contents ........................................................................................................................... 6 Acronyms and Abbreviations. 1. Introduction. ................................................................................................................................................... 9 2. ............................................................................................. 10 Sector Overview: Coverage and Finance Trends. 3. Reform Context: Introducing the CSO2 Scorecard. ........................................................................................ 13 4. Institutional Framework................................................................................................................................. 16 5. Financing and its Implementation.................................................................................................................. 18 6. Sector Monitoring and Evaluation.................................................................................................................. 20 7. Subsector: Rural Water Supply....................................................................................................................... 22 8. ..................................................................................................................... 26 Subsector: Urban Water Supply. 9. Subsector: Rural Sanitation and Hygiene........................................................................................................ 29 10. ...................................................................................................... 32 Subsector: Urban Sanitation and Hygiene. Notes and References.................................................................................................................................... 35 5 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Acronyms and Abbreviations AEP(A) Water Supply (and Sanitation) DHPES Directorate of Public Hygiene and Health (Approvisionnement en Eau Potable (et Education (Direction de l’Hygiène Publique Assainissement)) et de l’Education pour la Santé) AFD French Development Agency (Agence DGSP General Directorate of Public Health Française de Développement) (Direction Générale de la Santé Publique) AfDB African Development Bank DP Development partner AMCOW African Ministers’ Council on Water DRE Directorate of Water Resources AMN Association of Municipalities (Direction des Ressources en Eau) (Association des Municipalités du Niger) DRH Regional Directorate of Water ARM Multi-sector Regulatory Authority (Direction Régionale de l’Hydraulique) (Autorité de Régulation Multisectorielle) EDS Population and Health Survey AUE Water Users’ Association (Enquête Démographie et Santé) (Association des Usagers de l’Eau) EPEM Modern Water Point Equivalent AUSPE Public Water Service Users’ Association (Equivalent Point d’Eau Moderne) (Association des Usagers du Service Public GDP Gross domestic product de l’Eau) GNI Gross national income AWF African Water Facility GoN Government of Niger BCC Support and Control Offices IRH Water Resources Inventory (Bureau de Contrôle et de Conseil) (Inventaire des Ressources Hydrauliques) BOAD West African Development Bank IWRM Integrated Water Resources Management (Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement) JMP Joint Monitoring Programme (UNICEF/WHO) BPO Objective-based program budget LIC Low-income country (Budget Programme par Objectifs) MDG Millennium Development Goal CGPE Water Point Management Committee MEE/LCD Ministry of Water, the Environment and (Comité de Gestion de Point d’Eau) Desertification Control CLTS Community-Led Total Sanitation (Ministère de l’Eau, de l’Environnement et CNEA National Water and Sanitation Commission de la Lutte Contre la Désertification) (Commission Nationale de l’Eau et de MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey l’Assainissement) M&E Monitoring and evaluation CREA Regional Water and Sanitation Commission MSP Ministry of Public Health (Commission Régionale de l’Eau et de (Ministère de la Santé Publique) l’Assainissement) MTEF Medium-Term Expenditure Framework CREPA Regional Center for Drinking Water and MUH/C Ministry of Urban Development, Housing Sanitation (Centre Régional pour l’Eau and Land Registry (Ministère de l’Urbanisme, Potable et l’Assainissement) de l’Habitat et du Cadastre) CSO2 Country Status Overview (second round) NGO Nongovernmental organization CUN Urban Community of Niamey O&M Operation and maintenance (Communauté Urbaine de Niamey) PANGIRE National Action Plan for Integrated Water DAB Directorate of Basic Sanitation Resources Management (Direction de l’Assainissement de Base) (Plan d’Action National de Gestion Intégrée des Ressources en Eau) 6 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond PEADD Water and Sanitation Program for SARAR Self-esteem, Associative strength, Sustainable Development Resourcefulness, Action planning and (Programme Eau et Assainissement pour un Responsibility Développement Durable) SDR Rural Development Strategy PDS Healthcare Development Plan (Stratégie de Développement Rural) (Plan de Développement Sanitaire) SDRP Accelerated Development and PEM Modern Water Point (Point d’Eau Moderne) Poverty Reduction Strategy PHAST Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation (Stratégie de Développement Accéléré et de Transformation Réduction de la Pauvreté) PLEA Local Water and Sanitation Plan SEEN Operating company for water utilities in Niger (Plan Local d’Eau et d’Assainissement) (Société d’Exploitation des Eaux du Niger) PNAEPA National Water Supply and Sanitation SPEN Asset-holding company for Program (Programme National water utilities in Niger d’Alimentation d’Eau Potable et de (Société de Patrimoine des Eaux du Niger) l’Assainissement) TAT Theoretical access rate PSE Water Sector Program (Taux d’Accès Théorique) (Programme Sectoriel Eau) TD Service rate (Taux de Desserte) RGPH General Population and Housing Census UCP Project Coordination Unit (Recensement Général de la Population et (Unité de Coordination de Projet) de l’Habitat) UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund RSH Rural sanitation and hygiene USH Urban sanitation and hygiene RWS Rural water supply UWS Urban water supply SAC/SPE Back-up Support Structure for the Public WHO World Health Organization Water Service (Structure d’Appui Conseil au WSP Water and Sanitation Program Service Public de l’Eau) WSS Water supply and sanitation Exchange rate:1 2009 average: US$1 = 472.1863 CFA Francs. 2010 average: US$1 = 496.6657 CFA Francs. 7 8 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond 1. Introduction The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) commissioned the production of a second round of Country Status Overviews (CSOs) to better understand what underpins progress in water supply and sanitation and what its member governments can do to accelerate that progress across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).2 AMCOW delegated this task to the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program and the African Development Bank who are implementing it in close partnership with UNICEF and WHO in over 30 countries across SSA. This CSO2 report has been produced in collaboration with the Government of Niger and other stakeholders during 2009/10. The analysis aims to help countries assess their own service delivery pathways for turning finance into water supply and sanitation services in each of four subsectors: rural and urban water supply, and rural and urban sanitation and hygiene. The CSO2 analysis has three main components: a review of past coverage; a costing model to assess the adequacy of future investments; and a scorecard which allows diagnosis of particular bottlenecks along the service delivery pathway. The CSO2’s contribution is to answer not only whether past trends and future finance are sufficient to meet sector targets, but what specific issues need to be addressed to ensure finance is effectively turned into accelerated coverage in water supply and sanitation. In this spirit, specific priority actions have been identified through consultation. A synthesis report, available separately, presents best practice and shared learning to help realize these priority actions. 9 An AMCOW Country Status Overview 2. Sector Overview: Coverage and Finance Trends Coverage: Assessing Past Progress rate’), tend to be closer to the JMP estimates than those calculated from the previous indicator. For the urban The figures below give an overview of the development water supply (UWS) subsector, however, there is still a in the access rates to water supply and sanitation (WSS) considerable difference between the two estimates. services between 1990, 2008, and 2015. The figures use two sources: JMP figures and those provided by the Niger is still a long way from achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for water supply and Government of Niger (GoN). The 2015 target has either sanitation—in both subsectors, the effort required far been calculated based on the 1990 access rate provided by exceeds that which the sector is currently able to provide. the JMP or set by the government in the sector’s reference As far as water supply is concerned, the main bottleneck documents—in this case, the National Water Supply is to be found in the rural water supply subsector (80 and Sanitation Program (PNAEPA: Programme National percent of the population of Niger still lives in rural areas). d’Alimentation d’Eau Potable et de l’Assainissement). However, the situation is most acute in the sanitation and hygiene subsector, where it will be impossible for Niger to As far as access to drinking water is concerned, there achieve its MDG target. is a significant difference between the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) estimates and those of the GoN (as To illustrate the difference in access to drinking water and presented during the 2010 sector review). The situation access to sanitation, the average number of additional is complicated by the fact that the GoN has changed the people provided with access to sanitation and drinking indicators used for the rural water supply (RWS) subsector water each year between 1990 and 2008 can be compared following the establishment of an inventory of facilities to the number of people to whom it will be necessary at the end of 2009. The latest estimates made using this to provide access between 2009 and 2015 for the MDG new indicator, utilized by the government to measure targets to be reached. The results vary depending on the the coverage rate in rural areas (the ‘theoretical access estimate used: Figure 1 Progress in water supply and sanitation coverage Water supply Sanitation 100% 100% 80% 80% Coverage Coverage 60% 60% 40% 40% 20% 20% 0% 0% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Government estimates Government target Government estimates Government target JMP estimates MDG target JMP estimates MDG target Source: JMP and the Government of Niger. 10 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond • If the JMP figures are used, the ratio stands at 3.64 for Investment Requirements: Testing the drinking water—which means that, between now and Sufficiency of Finance 2015, there needs to be an almost fourfold increase in the efforts made between 1990 and 2008 if the The CSO2 costing methodology also provides an estimate MDG targets are to be met. For sanitation, however, of the amount to be invested in each subsector and the this ratio stands at 23.65—which will be a far more proportion of this amount that corresponds to public considerable challenge. investment. The anticipated financial flows for this estimate • If the figures utilized by the GoN for 2009 and 2015 is based on the 2011–13 objective-based program budget are used, these same ratios equate to 1.89 for drinking (BPO: Budget Programme par Objectifs) which corresponds water and 13.75 for sanitation. to the financing acquired and that which is likely to be obtained. The difference in these ratios can be explained by the fact that the MDG target for sanitation set by the GoN Based on the CSO2 estimate, investment of US$100 is slightly lower than the target calculated using the JMP million per year will be required to meet drinking water data; in addition, the GoN’s MDG target for drinking water targets and US$59 million for sanitation (see Figure 2 and is significantly lower than the target determined using Table 1). For the 2009–15 period, the total investment JMP data (58 percent compared to 68 percent). However, requirements stand at US$1,113 million for drinking water regardless of the target used, far greater efforts will be and sanitation. Nearly 75 percent of this investment needs required for sanitation than for drinking water. to be allocated to rural areas. To achieve the MDG target for drinking water, access It is important to note that the investment considered needs to be provided to an additional 855,000 (JMP) in the calculation only relates to drinking water and or 514,000 people (GoN) per year between 2009 and household sanitation facilities that are to be constructed 2015. For sanitation, an additional 1,248,000 (JMP) or and rehabilitated to meet the MDG targets and exclude, 1,361,000 (GoN) people per year need to be provided for instance, studies and upfront investment required for with access to an acceptable sanitation facility between mobilizing water resources, awareness-raising and hygiene 2009 and 2015—even assuming that sanitation facilities education activities, as well as industrial sanitation and are to be largely self-financed by households, this remains wastewater treatment plants. an unattainable target given the current performance. Figure 2 Required vs. anticipated (public) and assumed (household) expenditure for water Water supply Sanitation Required CAPEX Required OPEX Required CAPEX Required OPEX 0 50 100 150 0 20 40 60 80 US$ million/year US$ million/year Public CAPEX (anticipated) Public CAPEX (anticipated) Household CAPEX (assumed) Household CAPEX (assumed) CAPEX deficit CAPEX deficit Source: CSO2 estimates. 11 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Table 1 Coverage and investment figures Coverage Target Population CAPEX Anticipated Assumed Total requiring requirements public CAPEX HH deficit access CAPEX 1990 2009 2015 Total Public Domestic External Total % % % ‘000/year US$ million/year Rural water supply 31% 48% 54% 376 71 68 0 25 25 1 45 Urban water supply 57% 73% 76% 112 29 29 0 46 46 0 - Water supply total 35% 52% 58% 488 100 96 0 71 71 1 28 Rural sanitation 2% 6% 50% 1023 45 23 0 3 3 3 40 Urban sanitation 19% 59% 75% 156 14 7 0 1 1 1 12 Sanitation total 5% 15% 54% 1178 59 29 0 3 3 3 53 Source: CSO2 estimates.3 Table 2 access. This would, in turn, modify the funding deficit Annual O&M requirements given above. Subsector O&M The ‘overfinancing’ of the UWS subsector is somewhat US$ million/year misleading, as the levels of financing required annually for Rural water supply 20 the 2011–15 period have been estimated by extrapolating Urban water supply 13 the amounts required over the first three years (2011–13) Water supply total 34 using the estimates given in the BPO. Rural sanitation 4 Urban sanitation 3 Sanitation total 6 In addition to the investment requirements presented above, US$40 million per year will be needed to finance Source: CSO2 costing. the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of current and future infrastructure, with US$34 million of this required The analysis clearly highlights the acute underfinancing for drinking water and US$6 million for sanitation (CSO2 of RWS in Niger, which represents the largest part of the estimates, see Table 2). A large part of these costs is to sector (and 84 percent of the population in 2008). Even be borne by households, either out of their own budget though the BPO is relatively conservative (as it only takes (for household latrines), through the tariff or via a fixed account of obtained or probable financing), there is a contribution (for water supply infrastructure in both rural large discrepancy between the investment requirements and urban areas). and the financing forecast for the next three years; this gives an indication of the effort required on the part of the The availability of finance is only part of the picture. government and the development partner (DP) community Bottlenecks can in fact occur throughout the service over the years to come. delivery pathway—all the institutions, processes and actors that translate sector funding into sustainable There is an element of uncertainty surrounding the services. These bottlenecks can be caused by the low proportion of the population to be provided with access capacity of communes to assume their contracting in 2015, as this estimate is based on a relatively old authority responsibilities, the cumbersome nature of the census (2001). The results of the next General Population public procurement procedures, and the limited capacities and Housing Census (RGPH: Recensement Général de la of the private sector in construction. The rest of this report Population et de l’Habitat) due in 2011 could, therefore, evaluates the service delivery pathway in its entirety, lead to an upward or downward revision of population locating the bottlenecks and presenting the agreed priority growth and so of the population to be provided with actions to help address them. 12 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond 3. Reform Context: Introducing the CSO2 Scorecard The CSO2 scorecard is an assessment tool providing a The two reference strategies for the WSS sector are: snapshot of reform progress along the service delivery pathway. This scorecard looks at nine building blocks of • The Accelerated Development and Poverty Reduction the service delivery pathway, which correspond to specific Strategy (SDRP: Stratégie de Développement Accéléré functions classified in three categories: three functions et de Réduction de la Pauvreté), which is the reference that refer to enabling conditions for putting services in framework for economic and social development place (policy development, planning new undertakings, in Niger. Partners underlined their commitment to budgeting); three actions that relate to developing the support the implementation of this strategy during the service (expenditure of funds, equity in the use of these external support agency round table held in Brussels in funds, service output), and three functions that relate to October 2007. sustaining these services (facility maintenance, expansion • The Rural Development Strategy (SDR: Stratégie de of infrastructure, use of the service).4 Each building block Développement Rural): Adopted in 2003, the overall is assessed against specific indicators and scored from 1 objective of the SDR is to ‘reduce the rate of rural (poor) to 3 (excellent) accordingly. poverty from 66 percent to 52 percent in 2015’. This is the only reference framework that exists for Figure 3 shows the overall results obtained by Niger for public intervention in the rural sector. It consists of these three criteria, which are compared to the average 14 programs, one of which is the ‘water supply and results of its peer group countries in SSA.5 It can be seen sanitation program’ (No 8). that the overall results for Niger are lower than its peer- group average, except for the ‘development’ criterion For policy and strategy, there are two reference frameworks where the results are similar. However, for the two in place: (a) the ‘water and sanitation policy and strategy other criteria (enabling conditions and sustainability), the document’ of May 2001; and (b) the ‘master plan for performances of Niger fall below the average of other developing and managing water resources’, developed in low-income countries. Figure 3 Average scorecard results for enabling, As in many countries in the subregion, at the end of the developing, and sustaining service delivery, and 1990s Niger put in place a range of reforms that have peer-group comparison significantly altered the institutional landscape of the WSS sector. Some of the most notable elements of these Enabling reforms are: • The establishment of a public-private partnership in the UWS subsector, accompanied by a wide-ranging investment program (the Water Sector Program or PSE: Programme Sectoriel Eau). • The reorganization of the ministry in charge of water, which took place during 2007 and which fundamentally redefined the state’s role within the sector. Sustaining Developing • The gradual establishment of the conditions necessary Niger average scores for the development of a programmatic approach Averages, LICs, GNI p.p. <=$500 within the rural water supply subsector. Source: CSO2 scorecard. 13 An AMCOW Country Status Overview 1993 and updated in 1997. Two sector policies that needed There are several reform projects in progress that relate to be added to these frameworks; these were adopted to national policies and strategies. A major development in 1999 and in March 2001 for urban water supply and within the institutional environment has been the effective rural water supply respectively. Despite the fact that they establishment of a sector coordination and stakeholder contain fundamental principles, these two policies have consultation body, the National Water and Sanitation never been accorded regulatory or legislative status. Commission (CNEA: Commission Nationale de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement), as well as the development of a In the sanitation and hygiene sector, the basic texts are: National Water Supply and Sanitation Program (PNAEPA) (a) the sector policy for health, adopted in 2002; and for the 2010–20 period. The PNAEPA should become the (b) the 2005–10 Healthcare Development Plan (PDS: reference for the whole sector with regard to the baseline Plan de Développement sanitaire). A very precise and situation (2009), planning, and strategic directions. A comprehensive operational strategy for hygiene and National Action Plan for Integrated Water Resources basic sanitation was adopted in 2009. This is due to be Management (PANGIRE: Plan d’Action National pour la implemented in 2010 led by the Ministry of Water, the Gestion Intégrée des Ressources en Eau) is in the process Environment and Desertification Control (MEE/LCD: of being developed.6 Ministère de l’Eau, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte Contre la Désertification)—the Directorate of Basic Another important development within the political and Sanitation (Direction de l’Assainissement de Base) and regulatory framework relates to the decision to expand other ministries concerned. the use of Local Water and Sanitation Plans (PLEA: Plans Table 3 Key dates in the reform of the sector in Niger Year Event 1999 Sector policy letter for the urban water supply subsector, setting out the progression of the public utility (Société Nationale des Eaux) towards a public-private partnership. 2000 A public-private partnership for urban water supply is established between a public asset-holding company (SPEN: Société de Patrimoine des Eaux du Niger) and a private lessee (SEEN: Société d’Exploitation des Eaux du Niger). 2001 The Water Sector Program for the UWS subsector is launched. Sector policy letter for the rural water supply subsector. 2002 Definition of a delegated management framework for small towns (Maradi workshop). Law on the transfer of competencies to local authorities. 2003 Adoption of the Rural Development Strategy, the new reference framework. 2005 Communes effectively set up, election of the first mayors. A roadmap for reforming the water supply and sanitation sector is adopted. 2006 The National Water and Sanitation Commission (CNEA) is established. 2007 The Accelerated Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy is adopted. Creation of a Ministry of Water and the reorganization of services. 2008 The National Water Supply and Sanitation Program is developed. First annual sector review is held for the WSS sector. 2009 Second annual sector review is held (June 2009). Monitoring indicators (drinking water and sanitation, rural and urban) are defined. Guide to Water Supply Services within the Rural Water Supply Subsector is developed. 2010 Promulgation of the new Water Code (April 2010). Third annual sector review is held (May 2010). Revision of the 2010–20 National Water Supply and Sanitation Program. 14 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond Locaux d’Eau et d’Assainissement) as planning tools at also for the Integrated Water Resources Management commune level. A pilot PLEA was devised at the end of (IWRM) aspect. Nevertheless, there are a whole series of 2009/beginning of 2010 and this initiative was deemed implementing provisions missing from this Water Code, successful enough to be extended across the national although these are currently being developed. territory. It is also important to highlight the recent adoption Lastly, the development of a Guide to Water Supply Services of national drinking water standards (NN 03-02-002, within the Rural Water Supply Subsector (Guide des February 2006) following the adoption of standards services d’alimentation en eau potable dans le domaine de pertaining to liquid waste (NN 03-02-001, December l’hydraulique rurale) has led to clarification and definition 2004) developed by the Ministry of Public Health and the of the roles, relationships, responsibilities, and mandates Ministry of Commerce. of those stakeholders involved in the construction of modern water points (PEM: Points d’Eau Modernes), in Table 3 provides a summary of the main steps taken as management and in monitoring and control by taking part of the WSS sector reform process in Niger. Sections 4 account of national decentralization and deconcentration to 6 then highlight progress and challenges across three strategic directions. This Guide to water supply services is thematic areas—the institutional framework, finance, and currently in the process of being distributed. monitoring and evaluation (M&E)—benchmarking Niger against its peer countries based on a grouping by gross Among the main texts governing the WSS sector, the national income. The related indicators are extracted from Water Code, in preparation for a number of years and the scorecard and presented in charts at the beginning which has recently been adopted (April 2010), acts as of each section. The scorecards for each subsector are a reference document not only for water supply, but presented in their entirety in Sections 7 to 10. 15 An AMCOW Country Status Overview 4. Institutional Framework Priority actions for the institutional framework • Continue the transfer of water supply and sanitation related competencies to communes, with back-up support from decentralized technical departments. • Clarify the institutional context for sanitation and hygiene and, in particular, the leadership role of DAB. • Revitalize the National Water and Sanitation Commission, increase the frequency of meetings, and reinforce the secretariat. • Ensure dialogue is maintained between stakeholders within the water supply and sanitation sector, notably through the consultation framework. The Ministry of Water, the Environment and Desertification Figure 4 Control (MEE/LCD), in conjunction with other ministries Scorecard indicator scores relating to institutional concerned, is responsible for designing, developing, and framework compared to peer group7 implementing the national policy for water resources, as set out in the April 2010 decree that defines its roles RWS and organization. MEE/LCD oversees the asset-holding company, Société de Patrimoine des Eaux du Niger (SPEN), which is responsible for water supply in urban areas. SPEN has signed a lease contract with SEEN (a private company whose majority shareholder is the Veolia USH UWS group) who operates the water service in Niamey and in 51 other towns. The Ministry also has some responsibility for sanitation through its Directorate of Basic Sanitation (DAB: Direction de l’Assainissement de Base), created at the beginning of 2010. RSH Niger average scores In addition to MEE/LCD, there are two other ministries Averages, LICs, GNI p.p. <=$500 active in the sector: Source: CSO2 scorecard. • The Ministry of Public Health (MSP: Ministère de la Santé Publique) is in charge of hygiene, health education, and sanitation. Sanitation and hygiene This ministry is involved in the design, development, responsibilities are entrusted to the Directorate of implementation, and monitoring of government policy Public Hygiene and Health Education (DHPES: Direction for sanitation, housing, and land registry through the de l’Hygiène Publique et de l’Education pour la Santé), Directorate of Sanitation (solid waste, stormwater, which comes under the supervision of the General wastewater) and Urban Infrastructure (public roads Directorate of Public Health (DGSP: Direction Générale and various networks). de la Santé Publique). • The Ministry of Urban Development, Housing, and Whereas responsibility for drinking water is clearly Land Registry (MUH/C: Ministère de l’Urbanisme, de centralized at MEE/LCD level, the situation is less clear for l’Habitat et du Cadastre), is in charge of sewerage sanitation and hygiene, as the different ministries involved and large facilities used for managing surface runoff. do not have prior experience of working together. 16 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond The decentralization laws recognize the local authorities ensure planning is better aligned. The Project Coordination as managers and regulators of natural resources, including Unit (UCP: Unité de Coordination de Projet), set up as part water. As such, local authorities and, in particular, the of PSE implementation, has clearly contributed to the communes are supposed to act as contracting authorities performance of the subsector. The UWS subsector now for water supply facilities. However, the communes boasts a coherent action and investment plan and the have still not fully taken on this role as the transfer of master plan has recently been updated. competencies and resources has not yet taken effect. For the RWS subsector, the planning effort continues but The vast majority of communes in Niger (213 out of a total is being hampered by several different factors: (a) the lack of 266 existing communes) are grouped together within of capacity within communes to carry out this planning; (b) the Association of Municipalities (AMN: Association des the lack of practical experience and resources within the Municipalités du Niger). The aim of this association is decentralized departments to support the communes in this to act as a link between the communes and the public task; (c) the current weaknesses of the M&E framework (see authorities for all areas that come under the communes’ Section 6); and (d) the absence of a planning framework remit. However, the AMN does not currently consider the at the national level to promote this approach. Here again, WSS sector as an area for priority action. the foundations have been laid by the PNAEPA, but a lot more needs to be done to make this operational. Coordination of DPs is undertaken through a consultative framework that meets regularly and defines DP common In 2006, the government set up a consultative body for policy and strategy within the sector: the National Water positions to be upheld and defended vis-à-vis governmental and Sanitation Commission (CNEA: Commission Nationale partners. This coordination is currently being facilitated by de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement). The CNEA’s role is to help Switzerland, which, in the past, was highly involved in the define the overall targets and directions of the national sector. One of the main features of state/DP consultation water supply and sanitation policy. The establishment of is the organization of the joint annual sector review. the CNEA is a sign that significant progress is being made in the sector. For planning, the situation varies for each subsector. In general, the implementation of the objective-based The CNEA is composed of 55 members representing seven program budget for water supply and sanitation has delegations: the state (20 members), local authorities been a highly positive development, even though not all (eight members), nongovernmental organizations partners are yet required to use this tool, meaning that its (NGOs) and sector associations (seven members), private impact on actual planning remains somewhat limited. companies from the commercial sector (seven members), users of the sector (eight members), national and regional The fact remains that the communes are not currently in specialist bodies (three members), and DPs (two members). a position to carry out the planning that theoretically falls It consists of a general assembly, an office, a permanent under their remit, either in rural or urban areas. The PLEAs secretary, and workgroups. are a useful measure but it will no doubt be necessary to wait several years before these plans are successfully The CNEA has held only two of its four statutory meetings adopted by the communes and their use expanded across since it was created. On each occasion, it has selected its the whole country. own topics for discussion, but the decisions made and recommendations put forward have not been properly There is currently no planning conducted within the followed up. The CNEA is hampered by the fact that the sanitation and hygiene subsector, either in rural or urban secretary’s role is carried out by the MEE/LCD (specifically areas. The PNAEPA has laid the foundations for a national by the Directorate of Water Resources [DRE: Direction des planning structure, yet this is still to be implemented in Ressources en Eau)], who does not have the necessary the field. The capacity of the new DAB to assume its resources available to conduct this role successfully. role as leader will determine the success of this planning approach. There is also a Consultation Framework in place in Niger aimed at promoting dialogue between water supply Within the UWS subsector, planning has been considerably and sanitation sector stakeholders. This Consultation reinforced by the establishment of SPEN, the asset-holding Framework, which previously focused mainly on rural company responsible for planning, as well as by the work areas, was expanded to include the UWS subsector at the carried out as part of the Water Sector Program (PSE) to end of 2009. 17 An AMCOW Country Status Overview 5. Financing and its Implementation Priority actions for financing • Continue to use the BPO/MTEF tool by improving the way in which this is linked to the financial planning carried out at the commune level. • Assist the UWS subsector to regain financial stability as part of the new financial cycle created as a result of the PSE. • Increase funding efforts over the course of the next few years to finance the RWS subsector, which is still severely underfunded. • Develop financing within the sanitation and hygiene subsector, as both rural and urban areas are currently suffering from severe underinvestment. • Improve the way in which nongovernmental financing is taken into account in the monitoring tools developed within the WSS sector. The WSS sector in Niger is highly dependent upon public Figure 5 development aid. Not including the operating costs of the Scorecard indicator scores relating to financing, ministries involved, it is estimated that over 90 percent of compared to peer group8 funding comes from bilateral and multilateral aid. The main RWS multilateral external support agencies within the sector are the World Bank, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and UNICEF; the main bilateral donors are France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. USH UWS As far as the RWS subsector is concerned, the principle means of intervention is still the project, with coordination undertaken by MEE/LCD. The situation is rendered complex by the number of parts or components dealing with water RSH supply and sanitation within predominantly agricultural, pastoral or rural development projects (for which MEE/ Niger average scores LCD does not directly act as contracting authority). Averages, LICs, GNI p.p. <=$500 This traditional project-based approach has recently started to evolve due to the gradual implementation Source: CSO2 scorecard. of a programmatic approach, whose main tools are the BPO and PNAEPA. The initial positive effects of this approach are beginning to become apparent insofar as decentralized cooperation9 (several hundred of these are the coordination of interventions has improved, but it has active in the country). The development of decentralization not yet had any real impact on the provision of aid or has reinforced decentralized cooperation activity, meaning financing mechanisms. that communes are emerging as partners at the local level. Several programs that have recently been launched One of the main characteristics of development aid in by NGOs emphasize the contracting authority role of the WSS sector in Niger is the involvement of NGOs and communes.10 18 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond Figure 6 Overall and per capita investment requirements and contribution of anticipated financing by source Rural water supply: Urban water supply: Rural sanitation: Urban sanitation: Total: $71,300,000 Total: $28,600,000 Total: $45,200,000 Total: $13,800,000 Per capita (New): $115 Per capita (new): $183 Per capita (new): $30 Per capita (new): $58 Assumed household investment Gap External anticipated investment Source: CSO2 estimates. The last review of public expenditure (which was restricted including Niamey). The average investment per new user to the RWS subsector) was carried out in 2008 and related over this period therefore stands at US$190; this is in line only to the 2001–07 period. Over this period, an average with the costs used in the CSO2 scorecard methodology. of US$26 million was spent each year on the construction of water supply facilities in rural areas. Around 95 percent For sanitation and hygiene, the available data is fragmented of this amount was mobilized by the GoN, mainly through and very imprecise. There are several reasons for this: a development aid. The remaining 5 percent came from the considerable part of the investment costs is currently being users themselves. It is important to note that only one mobilized by households themselves; very little investment quarter of the sector’s public expenditure comes from the is committed from MEE/LCD or MSP funds; financing national budget, and that a large part of this contribution allocated to sanitation and hygiene is often integrated into is allocated to the ministry’s operating costs (mainly for larger projects; a large part of the funding is mobilized salaries—around US$3 million per year). Approximately 70 by other ministries or other stakeholders (NGOs, but also percent of the national budget is executed each year (the UNICEF, which is an important stakeholder within the annual budget is always frozen during the final quarter for subsector); and lastly, there is no M&E mechanism in place accounting purposes). It is estimated that NGOs contribute to measure either effort or progress made. It is therefore 10 percent of total sector expenditure on investment. very difficult to estimate the level of funding that is currently being allocated to sanitation and hygiene. As far as the UWS subsector is concerned, it is estimated that around US$125 million was mobilized between 2002 Figure 6 shows the investment requirements for each and 2009 as part of the Water Sector Project (Projet Sectoriel subsector, as well as the prospects for financing over the Eau), with US$3.4 million of this coming out of SPEN’s own next few years. Although all of the financing required has funds. This equates to an annual funding stream of around been committed to the UWS subsector, the anticipated US$15.6 million per year. In total, 600,000 additional people financing for the other three subsectors is insufficient are estimated to have gained access to drinking water in to cover requirements. The situation is particularly acute urban areas between 2002 and 2009 (SPEN’s perimeter for the rural and urban sanitation subsectors, where the remained constant throughout this period: 52 centers, anticipated funding falls far below the level required. 19 An AMCOW Country Status Overview 6. Sector Monitoring and Evaluation Priority actions for sector monitoring and evaluation • Adopt the new, recently developed (2009) monitoring indicators for the RWS subsector. • Develop the monitoring and evaluation framework for sanitation and hygiene, work on which is currently at a standstill both in rural and urban areas. • Harmonize the JMP and Government approaches and identify areas of similarity between the two. With the exception of the UWS subsector, there was, until Figure 7 recently, no real national M&E mechanism in place for the Scorecard indicator scores relating to sector M&E, WSS sector in Niger. In the UWS sector there have been compared to peer group11 clearly and regularly monitored indicators since 2001, the year the lease contract was signed between SPEN and RWS SEEN. In the RWS subsector the water point database (the Water Resources Inventory, IRH: Inventaire des Ressources Hydrauliques) was not regularly updated: there was no baseline in place and the indicators used (particularly those used for calculating coverage rates) were not considered USH UWS relevant. Considerable progress was, however, made in this area over the 2009–10 period. As far as sanitation and hygiene is concerned, the subsector as a whole is still lagging behind. As a result, the current situation varies from one subsector to another. RSH As indicated above, the situation is satisfactory to highly Niger average scores satisfactory for the urban water supply subsector. The Averages, LICs, GNI p.p. <=$500 quality of data produced by both SEEN and SPEN enables monitoring to be carried out of the performance indicators Source: CSO2 scorecard. listed in the contracts that links the state, SPEN and SEEN (a performance contract between the state and SPEN and a leasing contract between SPEN and SEEN). The presence information on the development of the subsector (notably of the Multi-sector Regulatory Authority (ARM: Autorité in terms of facilities constructed and financial resources de Régulation Multisectorielle) has also had a positive used). It was also difficult to assess progress against the impact on the monitoring and evaluation mechanism put targets set out in the subsector’s reference documents, in place within the UWS subsector. the SDRP and SDR, and MDG targets. The IRH database, managed by the ministry in charge of water (currently For the rural water supply subsector, up until 2009 the MEE/LCD), is not considered a particularly reliable tool and lack of an effective M&E system made it difficult to obtain is cumbersome and costly to update. 20 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond Until 2009, the official indicator for water supply (the review. It still remains to be seen whether the ministry coverage rate), calculated annually, did not provide any is willing to take full ownership of these new indicators, real information on the population with access to drinking and whether the ministry has the necessary human and water and there were no indicators in place within the financial resources available to regularly update them. sector for evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of these annual exercises. The calculation method used for As far as sanitation and hygiene is concerned, the this indicator explains the considerable difference in the only source of available data comes from the regularly access rate provided by the JMP and the rate obtained by commissioned household surveys; the last significant survey the government. The 2009 review highlighted this issue was conducted in 2006 (EDS-MICS). The RGPH planned and called upon the minister to implement emergency for 2011, which includes a ‘housing’ section, should also measures to rectify the situation. In 2009–10, two provide a better understanding of the situation. significant changes were made: As the sanitation and hygiene subsector is currently in the • A baseline was established at the end of 2009, which process of being reorganized, it is not really in a position involved the participation of both the ministry’s to influence which categories should be included in the decentralized departments and the communes; this next household survey, despite the fact that there are inventory enabled a comprehensive set of photographs some interesting opportunities in terms of sample size (for to be obtained relating to the number and condition instance, the new Population and Household survey that of water supply facilities, photographs that had not will take place in 2011). previously been available for a number of years. • Three new indicators were defined and approved to The creation of a Directorate of Basic Sanitation within replace the coverage rate indicator. These indicators the ministry in charge of water is likely to lead to progress provide a far more precise picture of access to the being made in the implementation of a monitoring and public water supply service; the baseline established evaluation system. Again, it will be necessary for this at the end of 2009 enabled the validity of these three Directorate to quickly find the resources to identify those indicators to be established and this was presented at indicators which are to act as reference for the subsector the 2010 review. and to establish a baseline. The establishment of these three indicators and of the The 2010 joint review put forward the recommendation baseline at the end of 2009 is a clear sign of progress. that, to improve monitoring of the national situation These indicators have been integrated into the PNAEPA for sanitation and hygiene, household surveys (whether and the ministry has requested that the logistical specifically related to sanitation and hygiene or not) framework of the SDR also be revised to include them. should be conducted on a regular basis, every two Lastly, these indicators (and the new targets set out in the years for instance, to enable the situation to be closely PNAEPA) have been incorporated into the SDRP mid-term monitored. 21 An AMCOW Country Status Overview 7. Subsector: Rural Water Supply Priority actions for rural water supply • Monitor the new 2009 indicators, which provide a much more refined analysis of the progress and issues associated with providing sustainable access. • Actively seek new financing to overcome the funding deficit which is currently preventing both the MDG targets from being achieved and the PNAEPA from being properly implemented. • Develop a common financing tool for the sector, as per the recommendation of the 2010 joint sector review. • Continue the Local Water and Sanitation Plan approach with a view to ensuring this becomes the principle tool used for concerted planning at the local level. • Widely distribute the Guide to Water Supply Services within the Rural Water Supply Subsector and supplement this with the targeted training of communes and operators. • Develop a communication strategy for WSS in rural areas. • Reinforce the monitoring of indicators at the commune level, ensuring this is aligned to the monitoring and evaluation approach used at the national level. • Expand the use of the technical, accounting, and financial monitoring undertaken by the SAC-SPE (Back- up Support Structure) to all water service operators in rural areas and communes that delegated the management of their WSS services. According to JMP estimates, the number of people with the high rural population (12.3 million inhabitants in access to an improved source of drinking water in rural 2008, or 84 percent of the total population) and the rate areas rose from 31 percent to 39 percent between 1990 of population growth (which remains stable at around and 2008. This is a relatively large increase given both 3.4 percent per year in rural areas). Figure 8 Figure 9 Rural water supply coverage Rural water investment requirements 100% Required Required CAPEX OPEX 80% Coverage 60% 40% 20% 0% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 0 20 40 60 80 100 US$ million/year Government estimates Government target Public CAPEX (anticipated) Household CAPEX (assumed) JMP, improved JMP, piped on CAPEX deficit premises Sources: JMP and the Government of Niger. Source: CSO2 estimates. 22 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond Figure 10 Rural water supply scorecard13 Enabling Developing Sustaining Policy Planning Budget Expenditure Equity Output Maintenance Expansion Use 2.5 1.5 1.5 2 1 2 2 1 0.5 Source: CSO2 scorecard. According to the government, the access rate in 2008 stood Figure 11 at 48 percent. This is higher than the rate estimated by the Average RWS scorecard scores for enabling, JMP as the calculation methods are different. Regardless developing, and sustaining service delivery, and of which figures are used, the current rate of development peer-group comparison is too slow to enable either the 2015 target set by the government (54 percent) or the 2015 target calculated Enabling from JMP estimates (66 percent) to be achieved. To support this effort, the public authorities need to mobilize far higher levels of financing than those committed to date (see Figure 9), which are mostly based on the average amounts invested over the course of the last few years (around US$30 million per year for the 2001–07 period, US$26 million of which came out of public funds). According to the CSO2 model, US$71 Sustaining Developing million actually needs to be invested each year12 for the 2015 target set by the government to be achieved. Around Niger average scores US$20 million also then needs to be added to this to cover Averages, LICs, GNI p.p. <=$500 the infrastructure’s O&M costs. Source: CSO2 scorecard. The overall scorecard performance of the RWS subsector in Niger is slightly below the average for its economic peer group (see Figures 10 and 11). From a statistical analysis of the data produced by the ministry in charge of water since 2000, it is estimated that As far as the breakdown of the rural water supply by 1,200 modern water point equivalents (EPEM: Equivalents type of service is concerned, modern cement-lined wells Points d’Eau Modernes) were constructed over the 1998– constitute the technical solution still used by half of those 2008 period. There is, however, no way of establishing who currently have access to drinking water in rural areas. whether there has been a recent increase in this Although the use of small piped systems has developed construction capacity. The latest version of the PNAEPA rapidly since the publication of the sector policy in 2001, (July 2010) estimates that, to achieve the new targets set they still only represent one-sixth of supplies in rural areas. for the RWS subsector, 1,775 water points per year would The prospects for development show that this segment of need to be constructed, and around 1,139 water points the RWS subsector is the one most likely to provide the per year would need to be rehabilitated. The targets set highest increase in access to services over the next few for the RWS subsector have been reworded to take the years—it is also the segment in which financing can be new planning and prioritization rules into account, as most rapidly translated into services for rural users. shown in Table 4. 23 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Table 4 RWS targets and anticipated results for 2020 Targets Anticipated results for 2020 Increase access • Reduce by more than half the population with no geographic coverage by increasing the geographic coverage rate from 74.64 percent in 2009 to over 88 percent in 2020. • Increase the national theoretical access rate (Tat: Taux d’Accès théorique) from 48.04 percent in 2009 to over 58 percent in 2020. • Increase the access rates in all communes. Reduce disparities • Ensure a minimum access rate of 50 percent in all communes by 2020 (145 communes had an access rates of <50 percent in 2009). Sustainability • Reduce the breakdown rate of EPEM by half, from 19.5 percent in 2009 to less than 10 percent in 2020. • Renew assets by replacing all abandoned facilities or those rendered unproductive by climate change. • Construct small piped systems in all localities where the population will exceed 2,000 inhabitants in 2020. • Develop multivillage and intercommune water supply systems. Accountability • Back-up support provided to communes to ensure the Public Water Service is operational: over 75 percent of communes using the procedures set out in the Guide to water supply services. Source: PNAEPA, draft version, August 2010. Although the new targets set out in the 2010 PNAEPA • The poor capacities of MEE/LCD and, particularly, of its seem more realistic than those previously in place (as laid human resources; to improve budget implementation out in the SDR), the achievement of these new targets capacity, new staff will need to be hired with a different nevertheless assumes: (1) a significant increase in the skill set (back-up support to communes), notably at budget implementation capacity of MEE/LCD; and (2) a decentralized level. This increase in capacities should substantial increase in the financing available to the RWS also involve the redeployment of current staff to reflect subsector—around another US$45 million is required these new assignments. according to the CSO2 model. • The low capacities of communes, which are now expected to play a key role in the approach, including The financing currently available to the subsector (if using the role of contracting authority for investment. scenario 2 of the latest version of the 2011–13 BPO) is • The cumbersome implementation process of national therefore not enough to enable the targets set by the accounting procedures: short annual expenditure PNAEPA to be achieved. The political situation of the window, lack of training of MEE/LCD staff in public country in 2010 means DPs are unwilling to commit large expenditure rules, complications arising from the public amounts of funding. The government, therefore, faces a procurement Code. considerable challenge. • Lack of development of the private sector, which is intrinsically linked to the low levels of activity In addition, the main obstacles hindering the proper surrounding public contracts that has been observed utilization of funds are: to date. • The clear prevalence of the project/program approach, The communes are becoming increasingly involved in which leads to inconsistencies in those procedures used planning through the PLEA. The methodology of these by external support agencies and national procedures. plans was piloted at the end of 2009/beginning of 2010 24 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond (with funding from the WSP), as result of which the is proving difficult to put in place. The MEE/LCD has been MEE/LCD decided to expand their use. The communes promoting public-private partnerships to manage piped were also involved in the development of the baseline systems and this approach has been highly successful. study at the end of 2009. The PLEAs are developed in The basic tools (and notably delegation contracts) are in a participative manner with the communes and users. place and are generally well-managed by the ministry’s However, there is still a long way to go before communal decentralized departments. planning is integrated into national planning, as set out in the PNAEPA and the MTEF. The Water Users’ Associations (AUE: Associations d’Usagers de l’Eau) have legal status and are fully recognized (notably The MEE/LCD has recently developed a method to by the Water Code). They are now also considered as determine which areas should be given priority when IRWM implementation bodies—they group together users allocating public funds as part of PNAEPA implementation. of the same water source. The Public Water Service Users’ This priority-setting method is based on the size of the Associations (AUSPE: Associations d’Usagers du Service locality (or group of localities) and current facilities, Public de l’Eau) represent the users of services under favoring those localities where there is currently no water delegated management, while Water Point Management point. This new method should theoretically introduce an Committees (CGPE: Comités de Gestion de Point d’Eau) equity criterion into planning; however, it is not yet being make up the community-based structures. The legal status used. of the AUSPE is under development, as is a review of the legal status of the CGPE. The sustainability of the water service in rural areas has been the focus of renewed attention over the course of Technical and financial assistance has also been put in place the last few years and there have been several notable through the Support and Control Offices (BCC: Bureau developments in this area, most of which are contained de Contrôle et de Conseil) system—these are private and in the government’s recently published Guide to water decentralized support structures, remunerated through supply services. Based on a rigorous analysis of the the water tariff. Whilst it is clear that the BCC are useful, existing situation, this Guide and related regulatory tools they still need to reinforce their (financial) sustainability. has contributed greatly to improving the sustainability of The MEE/LCD (both at central and decentralized level) also water supply services in rural areas. needs to learn how to use the data provided by the BCC to develop proper benchmarking of the water service in The development of a baseline at the end of 2009 rural areas. The BCC has recently had its title changed to showed that 20 percent of facilities were out of service; SAC/SPE: Back-up Support Structure for the Public Water the reasons for this vary depending on the type of facility Service (Structure d’Appui Conseil au Service Public de and the technology used. For handpumps, breakdowns l’Eau), and its exact role is detailed in the Guide to water can be attributed to the low ability of users to pay for the supply services. service, as well as to the fact that the maintenance supply chain is not attractive to private operators. Breakdowns to The water resources inventory (IRH) has not been updated small piped systems are mainly due to the lack of proper for several years and, until recently, inventories were management of certain systems, the remoteness of some not carried out on a regular basis. A new approach was localities, and the fact that some ‘single-village’ systems introduced in 2009 with the development of a reference are not profitable, meaning that there are insufficient framework that uses a more commune-based method and funds available for maintenance. which focuses more on the service than the facilities. The MEE/LCD is well aware of the high development Apart from the rare exception, although mostly higher in demand for piped systems (whereas demand for than those charged within the SPEN perimeter, the tariffs handpumps is relatively low), as well as of the need to create currently being applied are too low to cover either the cost profitable piped systems by connecting as many localities of extending the water supply networks or the cost of as possible to the same network. This planning principle major maintenance tasks (notably on pumping systems). is also clearly listed in the PNAEPA; its implementation, However, they do enable the majority of operating costs however, requires intra or intercommune support, which to be met. 25 An AMCOW Country Status Overview 8. Subsector: Urban Water Supply Priority actions for urban water supply • Based on the recommendations of the current pricing study, establish how the urban sector can regain the financial stability it had attained in 2006. • Finish updating the urban water supply master plan. • Mobilize the funding required to achieve the targets set out in the PNAEPA, based on an expansion of the SPEN perimeter and implementation of the new master plan. • Maintain the quality of service to users and, particularly, the quality of the water distributed, including that within the secondary towns. • Direct investment towards poor and disadvantaged users, particularly in the outlying settlements of Niamey and secondary towns. The statistics published by the JMP indicate that 96 percent population had access to an improved service in 2008 and of the urban population had access to drinking water at it has set the 2015 target at 79 percent (this is, in fact, the end of 2008, compared to 57 percent in 1990 (see an extrapolation as the target set out in the PNAEPA for Figure 12). As far as the JMP is concerned, therefore, Niger 2020). has already reached the urban component of the drinking water MDG, which stood at 79 percent and was based on The service level has also improved as 37 percent of the the 1990 access rate. However, it seems clear that the JMP urban population had a household connection in 2008 overestimates the access rate for urban areas;14 the same compared to only 21 percent in 1990 (JMP estimates, phenomenon was also observed in Mali. which are considered more reliable for this particular category). However, with only 37 percent of users having Using the same assumption for access in 1990, the household connections, the level of service provided to government estimates that only 73 percent of the urban users in urban areas could still be improved. Figure 12 Figure 13 Urban water supply coverage Urban water supply investment requirements 100% Required Required CAPEX OPEX 80% Coverage 60% 40% 20% 0% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 0 10 20 30 40 50 US$ million/year Government estimates Government target Public CAPEX (anticipated) JMP, improved JMP, piped on Household CAPEX (assumed) premises CAPEX deficit Source: JMP and the Government of Niger. Source: CSO2 estimates. 26 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond Figure 14 Urban water supply scorecard Enabling Developing Sustaining Policy Planning Budget Expenditure Equity Output Maintenance Expansion Use 3 2 2.5 2 3 2.5 2.5 2.5 1.5 Source: CSO2 scorecard. On paper, it would appear that the financing required for organization Veolia). There is also a regulatory agency the UWS subsector in Niger has already been obtained, as (ARM) that ensures the agreements contained within the the funding listed in the budget for the next three years delegation contract are respected. (US$46 million per year) as part of the new phase of the PSE exceeds the level required (US$29 million) to meet the All donors active in the UWS subsector (notably the World target set by the government. Bank, BOAD, AFD and China) are brought together within the Water Sector Program (PSE), where coordination and Although the support of DPs in the UWS subsector in Niger monitoring is undertaken by a Project Coordination Unit is undeniably welcome, there is no evidence to suggest that that has been in place since the beginning of the decade budget implementation capacity is sufficiently effective to of 2000. The PSE is financed through a combination of enable public investment to be mobilized at the level set loans and donations. As stipulated in its contract, the out in the current finance plan (given that an average of lessee also contributes to financing investment. US$15 million per year was mobilized over the 2001–09 period within the PSE framework). Funding for the UWS subsector is clearly detailed in the triennial state investment program. Investment and related The UWS subsector is undoubtedly in a far better situation subsidies are easily identifiable in the budget headings. than the RWS subsector. Nevertheless, questions still The urban water supply master plan is currently being remain over the overall financial stability of the sector and, rewritten. The urban water supply subsector has been particularly, over the contribution to be made by the tariff included in the joint sector review since 2009. to financing this new 2010–20 investment phase. Local authorities are formally involved in investment Overall, the scorecard results for the UWS subsector planning, notably through the development of the UWS are above the average of Niger’s peer-group countries master plan and the monitoring of its implementation. (see Figures 14 and 15). The UWS subsector has sound However, their actual participation is limited as they lack foundations in place and its prospects are good. both human resources and competencies. Since the institutional reform of 2000, which led to the There are criteria in place that enable investment to be establishment of a public-private partnership, constant planned in such a way as to guarantee better access to the progress has been made in the subsector as reflected in poorest users. There is also a strategy aimed at providing the increase in access to services. The main performance drinking water to disadvantaged neighborhoods; this indicators (see Table 5) show that progress has exceeded is based on a policy of installing social connections and expectations. standpipes and includes a component to finance small extensions to the network. There are clear contractual relationships in place between SPEN (the asset-holding company), the state (through the National quality standards were adopted in February 2006 ministry in charge of water), and SEEN (the private operator with which SEEN is obliged to comply. These standards are whose main international stakeholder is the multinational controlled on a regular basis. 27 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Table 5 Main performance indicators for UWS in Niger Forecast Actual Indicators 2001 2005 2010 2005 2009 Average water production (m3/day) 97,413 110,000 110,000 113,959 143,546 Overall distribution (m /day) 3 75,377 82,500 88,000 92,579 121,163 Number of centers managed 51 52 Water production (millions of m3) 32.5 40 41.6 52.39 Overall distribution (millions of m3) 23.16 31.03 33.79 44.22 Financing (billion CFA Francs) 4.84 34 48.7 62.7 Of which lessee (billion CFA Francs) 0.34 2.35 2.4 Source: SPEN presentation, 2010 annual review. The accounts of the sole urban water supply operator Figure 15 (SEEN) are audited annually, as stipulated in the contract. Average UWS scorecard scores for enabling, The performance contract between SPEN and the state is developing and sustaining service delivery, and regularly assessed using performance indicators defined peer-group comparison when the reform was implemented in 2000. The percentage Enabling of nonrevenue water has remained stable, at under 17.5 percent, since 2002; this is an excellent achievement given the dilapidated state of the infrastructure prior to 2000. SEEN (a private company) and SPEN (a state-owned company) both have autonomy for planning, managing human resources, financial management, and managing invitations to tender. SPEN has to report to its supervisory ministry (the ministry in charge of water). The public procurement procedures do not create any particular Sustaining Developing bottlenecks to implementing investment planned as part Niger average scores of the PSE. Averages, LICs, GNI p.p. <=$500 SEEN has a detailed business plan in place that includes a summary of all investment required to ensure service Source: CSO2 scorecard. continuity and development. The tariffs were revised upwards in 2002, 2004, and 2006. In total the sale price to the user increased by 30.5 percent between 2002 and Taking into account (a) the performances of the UWS 2006. The last pricing study took place in 2005; another subsector in general and of its two main stakeholders study is in progress and the results of this were due to be (SPEN and SEEN) in particular; (b) the targets set out in published at the end of 2010. It appears that, although the new master plan; and (c) the financing that has so far the UWS subsector achieved financial stability in 2006, this been obtained for the sector, Niger is in a position to meet stability has since been lost. The arrears accumulated by its MDG targets for urban areas. Nevertheless, it would the administration (over 500 million CFA Francs or US$1 seem advisable to align the MDG targets with the new million) continue to impact heavily on SEEN’s finances. master plan and the PNAEPA. On a more institutional and political level, the medium- to long-term performances The new master plan that is currently being developed of the UWS subsector are dependent upon continuing sets ambitious targets for the development of the UWS negotiations with external support agencies (and so upon subsector, whose perimeter is to be expanded from 52 the development of the political situation), as well as to 89 centers by 2020 (the date set out in the PNAEPA), upon the continuation of the public-private partnership, with over 1.4 million additional inhabitants provided with the conditions of which are due to be renegotiated in access to drinking water. 2010–2011. 28 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond 9. Subsector: Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Priority actions for rural sanitation and hygiene • Ensure sanitation and hygiene in rural areas becomes a real political priority, which is reflected in the national budget. • Reinforce the intervention capacities of the newly created Directorate of Basic Sanitation (Direction de l’Assainissement de Base). • Develop pilot CLTS programs and scale up this approach should the pilots prove successful. • Improve the way in which sanitation and hygiene is dealt with in nationally conducted household surveys. • Ensure the recently approved national strategy is put into operation and seek financing for the subsector. Niger is currently unable to provide reliable figures for the seems completely unattainable given the current state of country’s rural sanitation and hygiene (RSH) subsector. The the subsector. JMP estimates that in 2008 only 6 percent of households had access to improved sanitation facilities (see Figure 16). Analysis of the financing available for the RSH subsector This very low rate is due to the fact that the majority of reveals a considerable funding deficit, making it impossible sanitation facilities found in rural areas do not qualify as for Niger to meet its sector targets. According to CSO2 improved under the JMP definition (they are traditional estimates, US$45 million per year will be required to meet latrines). The JMP also estimates that 79 percent of the targets, whereas only US$3 million of public investment households practice open defecation. The government- has been committed to date (see Figure 17). The potential set target is to achieve an access rate of 50 percent in investment from households comes to the same amount 2015; this is consistent with the MDG target pertaining (US$3 million); added together, these two contributions to access to sanitation in rural areas that was calculated only cover a very small part of the required investment. based on JMP estimates (51 percent). However, this target The underfinancing of the subsector is, therefore, striking. Figure 16 Figure 17 Rural sanitation coverage Rural sanitation investment requirements 100% Required CAPEX Required OPEX 80% Coverage 60% 40% 20% 0% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 US$ million/year Government estimates Government target Public CAPEX (anticipated) JMP, improved JMP, improved + Household CAPEX (assumed) shared CAPEX deficit Source: JMP and the Government of Niger. Source: CSO2 estimates. 29 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Figure 18 Rural sanitation and hygiene scorecard Enabling Developing Sustaining Policy Planning Budget Expenditure Equity Output Markets Uptake Use 1 2 0 1.5 0.5 1 1 0 0.5 Source: CSO2 scorecard. In addition, around US$2 million is required to cover the Figure 19 facilities’ maintenance costs; at the moment these costs Average RSH scorecard scores for enabling, are being met by the households who ensure the upkeep developing, and sustaining service delivery, and of their own sanitation facilities (household latrines). peer-group comparison Enabling At the moment, sanitation and hygiene in rural areas is not a priority for either the government or the communes. As a result, the performances of the subsector are well below the average of Niger’s peer- group countries for each of the three criteria (see Figures 18 and 19). Niger has the lowest number of sanitation facilities in rural areas of the whole continent. This is mainly due to both the Sustaining Developing high proportion of traditional facilities and the prevalence Niger average scores of open defecation. Few programs have distributed Averages, LICs, GNI p.p. <=$500 improved sanitation facilities, with the exception of those pertaining to public places (with unsatisfactory results: it Source: CSO2 scorecard. is estimated that only 20 percent of schools have improved latrines). number of nongovernmental stakeholders and the lack of coordination between the main ministries involved (notably The process of improving the subsector in Niger was boosted MEE/LCD, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Ministry by the AfricaSan conference of 2008. A comprehensive of Equipment). Work on implementing the strategy, review conducted during that year provided a better particularly as regards hygiene and the recommended understanding of the sector’s stakeholders, the methods subsidy levels, is therefore only just beginning. used for mobilization activities, the main technologies, the problems encountered within the institutional framework As stated above, it is estimated that programs and and, lastly, the current pace of latrine construction using projects contribute to the financing of just over 5,000 funding from projects and programs (around 5,300 latrines per year; in rural areas, these are mainly SanPlat latrines per year). A strategy was developed as a result of latrines. This is in addition to the thousands of traditional this review and this was validated in April 2009. The DAB latrines constructed by the households themselves. The was created in 2010 within MEE/LCD, which reflects the demand for improved sanitation facilities is still very low stated willingness of the government to implement the in rural areas, as are the households’ own capacities for strategy validated in 2009. financing facilities. The situation is only likely to improve (and, notably, open defecation will only be eradicated) if Nevertheless, the sanitation and hygiene subsector remains significant financial support is provided to the subsector. somewhat fragmented due to the presence of a large As things stand, however, public funding levels are far too 30 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond low to provide any form of impetus to the subsector, either programs that involve the construction of toilet blocks in for implementing promotional activities or for providing schools and other public places). Nevertheless, it is worth assistance with facility construction. noting that several organizations are involved in the promotion of SanPlat slabs (UNICEF, Eau Vive, CREPA, and Some stakeholders have been experimenting with so on). This has led to the training of a sizeable number innovative approaches; these were analyzed in the 2008 of masons and there are several SanPlat slab production/ review and could be used to provide a source of inspiration promotion workshops taking place. There is no program for the subsector. Examples of these are working-capital in place to either train or reinforce the local private sector programs (NGO Rail), a Community-Led Total Sanitation at the national level. (CLTS) pilot, use of which remains limited, or attempts to distribute eco latrines (CREPA). The classic approach is still The promotion of sanitation is considered a priority used for accompanying measures, however, with PHAST in the 2009 strategy, which seeks to strike a balance and SARAR methods employed in the mobilization cycle. between stimulating demand and subsidizing facilities. The low number of staff that the Ministry of Public Health Some projects and programs (often led by national or (MSP) is able to mobilize to carry out these accompanying international NGOs) have made considerable efforts measures makes it difficult for them to implement the to drive promotional activities in rural areas, despite policy and strategy on a large scale without the support of insufficient resources being made available at the national projects and programs. level. The very high percentage of households with no sanitation facilities and who practice open defecation are Rural sanitation is not identified as such in the national in favor of the widespread use of CLTS, but use of this budget and communes hardly ever include this expenditure approach remains limited and does not yet form part of in their budgets. There is currently no breakdown of sector the projects and programs supported by the government. expenditure to enable priorities to be set. There is also no system in place for estimating (let alone monitoring) The monitoring of sanitation and hygiene practices and of the access rate at commune level, even though this is handwashing with soap, in particular, is still unsatisfactory. supposed to form the baseline level for planning. There is no baseline in place to provide a clear indication of the situation or how this has evolved since 2006 (the date Masons are present in certain centers—the review of the last household survey that dealt with sanitation). estimated that around 3,000 masons have been trained by The proposed indicators included in the strategy and in projects and programs active in Niger. They do not always the latest version of the PNAEPA assume that there is a master the techniques required for the construction of monitoring system in place. However, this does not yet improved latrines, however, for which demand is currently exist and establishing this system needs to be one of the very low in rural areas (outside of those wholly subsidized recently created DAB’s first priorities. 31 An AMCOW Country Status Overview 10. Subsector: Urban Sanitation and Hygiene Priority actions for urban sanitation and hygiene • Ensure sanitation and hygiene in urban areas becomes a real political priority, which is reflected in the national budget. • Reinforce the intervention capacities of the newly created Directorate of Basic Sanitation (Direction de l’Assainissement de Base), which is also active in urban areas. • Support the pit emptying service and set up sites that are equipped to deal with sludge disposal and treatment in Niamey and in the large towns. • Improve the way in which sanitation and hygiene is dealt with in nationally conducted household surveys. • Ensure the recently approved national strategy is put into operation and seek financing for the subsector. There is no national monitoring and evaluation system A large part of the progress seen in the subsector is due to for assessing progress made within the urban sanitation households investing their own funds in facilities. The state subsector in Niger. The figures estimated by the JMP, based injects very low levels of public funds into the subsector, on the results of household surveys, show that access to the communes make no contribution at all, and there improved sanitation facilities increased slowly between is currently no sewerage surcharge in place. According 1990 and 2008, rising from 19 percent to 34 percent. to CSO2 estimates, US$14 million per year is required The government has set the 2015 access rate target at between 2009 and 2015 to finance the subsector; this 75 percent; this is based on an estimate of the access rate means a total of US$98 million is required to ensure the for two JMP categories, ‘improved’ and ‘shared’, which targets are met. Given that anticipated public investment came to a total of 59 percent in 2008. Only by taking currently stands at around US$1 million per year, it is the combined total of these two categories into account evident that the subsector is acutely underfinanced (see is it possible to envisage the urban sanitation subsector Figure 21). achieving its 2015 MDG target for access to sanitation in urban areas (see Figure 20). Figure 20 Figure 21 Urban sanitation coverage Urban sanitation investment requirements 100% 80% Required CAPEX Required OPEX Coverage 60% 40% 20% 0% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 0 5 10 15 20 US$ million/year Government estimates Government target Public CAPEX (anticipated) JMP, improved JMP, improved + shared Household CAPEX (assumed) CAPEX deficit Source: JMP and the Government of Niger. Source: CSO2 costing. 32 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond Figure 22 Urban sanitation and hygiene scorecard Enabling Developing Sustaining Policy Planning Budget Expenditure Equity Output Markets Uptake Use 1.5 1.5 0 1 0.5 1 1 0 1 Source: CSO2 scorecard. In addition to this, O&M costs stand at US$3 million Figure 23 per year. Average USH scorecard scores for enabling, developing, and sustaining service delivery, and Consequently, the CSO2 scorecard results for the subsector peer-group comparison are very low (see Figure 22) and fall far below the average Enabling of Niger’s economic peer-group countries for the three main indicators (see Figure 23). Households in urban areas only have recourse to on- site sanitation as there is no sewer system in Niger. The corresponding facilities (latrines, lined pits, and cesspools) are financed by the households themselves as subsidized programs are currently few and far between. The main and most recent program aimed at providing subsidized Sustaining Developing latrines to urban areas was that funded by the PSE, which Niger average scores promoted a relatively high standard technology (ventilated Averages, LICs, GNI p.p. <=$500 improved pit latrines) with a very high level of subsidy Sources: CSO2 scorecard. (90 percent) to offset the low ability of households to contribute financially. There are a few small piped sewer systems in place in areas of Niamey constructed as part will have to work extremely hard to position itself as the of a pilot scheme by an NGO, a private operator, and a provider of back-up support to communes. property developer. There is a BPO in place within the PNAEPA framework for Although the urban sanitation subsector is not particularly the sanitation and hygiene sector (urban and rural) and this fragmented, it lacks clearly defined leadership. The is presented and discussed during the joint sector reviews. municipalities are supposed to act as contracting authority This tool is still not particularly developed and the progress for the infrastructure and general sanitation services, but report given during the annual reviews is very succinct; there are very few urban communes that have a proper notably, there is no clear separation of rural and urban sanitation master plan or even a clear policy (this includes sanitation. The urban sanitation subsector is notoriously Niamey—the study aimed at setting up a disposal site underfinanced and there is still much work to be done to has never been followed up as the infrastructure, the attract new DPs to the sector. construction of which has been planned since 2003, has not yet been built). The PNAEPA makes provision for Promotional campaigns are organized on an ad hoc basis the financing of Strategic Sanitation Plans (PSA: Plans and rely heavily on the goodwill of municipalities and their Stratégiques d’Assainissement) in 92 towns within the nongovernmental partners, as well as on the involvement conceded perimeter. The Directorate of Basic Sanitation of healthcare workers to transmit health messages. 33 An AMCOW Country Status Overview Any upscaling of promotional activities would entail a industries). There are also no sites equipped to deal with considerable increase in the number of field staff. sludge disposal. It is estimated that the vast majority of sludge is illegally dumped. In urban areas, those involved in the construction of sanitation facilities respond to the demand of households, There is no government program in place specifically which remains fairly basic (lined pits, improved latrines, aimed at improving the private sector’s urban sanitation cesspools). There is neither a sewer system nor any service offer. Development of the service offer is entirely specialist companies. dependent on the steady increase of demand from users and on the pro-activity of the private operators themselves, Vacuum trucks are able to satisfy the effective demand for who tend to invest sparingly due to the fact that there is the evacuation of excreta, except in neighborhoods that no legal framework. are very poor or where the population density is too high. The Urban Community of Niamey (CUN: Communauté The sanitation and hygiene sector (in both rural and Urbaine de Niamey) has its own vacuum truck, but this urban areas) is currently being hampered by the lack of is used mainly as part of a private service offer. The CUN an M&E framework. There is still a lot of work that needs has very little control over pit emptying operators and, to be done to define the baseline indicators and to align although prices remain subject to competition laws, there data from household surveys, as well as planning which is no subsidy mechanism available to reduce the amount facilities are to be built or subsidized. The DAB has already households have to pay. started work on this and should soon be in a position to propose specific measures for implementation. Given this There is no wastewater treatment system, either in context, it is difficult to provide a quantified and reasoned Niamey or in the other urban centers, except for a few assessment of the importance and effectiveness of hygiene systems managed by commercial operators (hotels, some education or sanitation promotion campaigns. 34 Water Supply and Sanitation in Niger: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond Notes and References Source: Global Economic Monitor, the World Bank. 1 expenditure reported. UWS: audited accounts and balance The first round of CSOs was carried out in 2006 covering 16 2 sheets from utilities. RWS/RSH: periodic analysis of equity countries and is summarized in the report, Getting Africa criteria by CSOs and government. UWS: pro-poor plans On-Track to Meet the MDGs on Water and Sanitation. developed and implemented by utilities. RWS/UWS: nationally consolidated reporting of output. RSH/USH: Due to rounding, subsector figures may not sum to 3 monitoring of quantity and quality of uptake relative to totals. promotion and subsidy efforts. The CSO2 scorecard methodology and its structure are 4 The CSO2 model calculates both the investment costs of 12 detailed in the regional synthesis report. new facilities and the cost of rehabilitating existing facilities. Within this report, Niger is classified as an African low- 5 For example, for RWS, this represents US$43 million and income country with a GNI below US$500 per capita US$28 million per year up to 2015, respectively, based on (World Bank Atlas Method). the assumption that the average lifespan of installations in Development of the PANGIRE was due to start in 2008 6 rural areas is 30 years (this is an average of the different with funding from the African Water Facility. Contractual technologies used: water supply networks or simple issues prevented the study taking place, but this is now facilities such as boreholes equipped with handpumps). due to be relaunched at the end of 2010. The scorecard uses a simple color code to indicate: 13 The relevant indicators are as follows. All subsectors: 7 building blocks that are largely in place, acting as a driver targets in the national development plan or the PRSP; on service delivery (score >2, green); building blocks that subsector policies agreed and approved. RWS/UWS: are a drag on service delivery and require attention (score institutional roles defined. RSH/USH: institutional lead 1–2, yellow); and building blocks that are inadequate, appointed. constituting a barrier to service delivery and a priority for The relevant indicators are as follows. All subsectors: 8 reform (score <1, red). programmatic Sector Wide Approach; investment program In urban areas, the reference indicator for the government 14 based on MDG needs assessment; sufficient finance to is the service rate (TD: taux de desserte), which is meet the MDG; percent of official donor commitments calculated based on the assumption that a household utilized; percent of domestic commitments utilized. connection serves 10 people and a standpipe serves 250 A relatively common phenomenon in Francophone West 9 people (although no study has taken place to confirm Africa: exchange of technical or financial support between this assumption). In contrast, the JMP data for access to institutions of the global North and South, other than drinking water in urban areas is drawn from two national central governments (for instance, twin cities). surveys undertaken in 2008: the National Budget and Household Consumption Survey (Enquête Nationale sur 10 Such as the PEADD, for example, a program financed by le Budget et la consommation des Ménages [ENBC08]) the European Commission’s ACP-EU Water Facility and and the National Nutrition and Survival of Young Children implemented in 12 communes by the French NGO, Eau Survey (Enquête Nationale Nutrition et Survie d’Enfant Vive. [NSE08]). However, these surveys accorded only very little 11 The relevant indicators are as follows. All subsectors: place to water and sanitation and so it is unlikely that annual review setting new undertakings; subsector they were able to examine the true access rate to drinking spend identifiable in budget (UWS: including recurrent water in urban areas in any depth. Observation clearly subsidies); budget comprehensively covers domestic/donor shows that several of Niamey’s outlying areas are without finance; standards and definitions used for household proper access to the public water service. surveys consistent with JMP. RWS/RSH: domestic/donor 35 Notes For enquiries, contact: Water and Sanitation Program–Africa Region The World Bank, Upper Hill Road P.O. Box 30577, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +(254) 20 322 6300 E-mail: wspaf@worldbank.org Web site: www.wsp.org