Rapport participation CGLU Afrique (ader sikasso) - Eng

UCLG Africa’s participation in the self-assessment workshop relating to the implementation of the program of Support to Regional Economic Development (ADERSikasso) The Regional Council of Sikasso (Mali) hosted the self-assessment workshop relating to the implementation of the program of Support to Regional Economic Development (ADER) of Sikasso from February 15 to February 16, 2016. UCLG Africa took part in the work initiated by the Swiss Cooperation and was represented by François Paul Yatta, Program Director of the organization.

The workshop was attended by about sixty people including local and regional elected officials, technical executives of the Regional Council, limited technical committees of the three economic development platforms of the Sikasso region, but also back stoppers in charge of regional economic development and promotion of agricultural sectors, from the private sector, decentralized services of the national government, of the Governorate, projects of the Swiss cooperation operating in the Region, and from the office of the Swiss cooperation in Mali. Some representatives are of the regional Councils of Mopti and Timbuktu were equally present with a view to the development of similar programs of the Swiss Cooperation in their regions.

At the time of assessment of the program led by the Regional Council of Sikasso since 2013, it appears that : -The Regional Council performs effective leadership of regional economic development through a number of strategic activities such as : Public hearings conducted annually on the implementation of economic development issues in the region. A National Government / Region Plan-Contract signed and being implemented, some study reports carried out on the economic opportunities in the region, and almost 90% of the potential of own resources of the Regional Council have been mobilized; - Local and infranational governments implement and make agro-sylvopastoral investments in the region profitable. Several strategic activities have been implemented, including projects with the private sector and 2 public audits made each year for each new investment.

The participants thanked the Swiss cooperation for its support over the long term which enabled the strengthening of project ownership by the Regional Council. Indeed, thanks to the long process of support of the Swiss Cooperation, Sikasso was the first region to benefit from the National Government / Region Plan-Contract and to operationalize its Regional Development Agency (ADR). The workshop also sketched the main lines of the planning of the next two years of the program.