L’Association Nationale des Communes du Bénin (ANCB) chaired by Cotonou Mayor Luc Sètondji ATROKPO and the USAID/West Africa Municipal Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Activity (MuniWASH) now work together for a clear improvement in governance and management of the water and sanitation sector in Beninese municipalities.

This is through the signing this Thursday, August 19, 2021 at the headquarters of the ANCB, a memorandum of understanding between the two structures. Started since 2019, the MuniWASH project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by TETRA TECH in 16 municipalities including 8 in Benin and 8 in Côte d'Ivoire for a period of 5 years. This project aims to support city governments, national directorates and agencies, utilities, and service providers in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire to sustain and expand city-wide water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to fill critical needs that reach poor and underserved community members in priority municipalities.

Specifically, the memorandum provides for technical capacity building activities for ANCB but also for the beneficiary municipalities of Abomey-Calavi, Allada, Aplahoué, Avrankou, Cotonou, Bohicon, So Ava and Ouidah, on issues related to the management of water and sanitation services, municipal governance, gender and social inclusion promotion, civil society engagement, and improved advocacy said Safaa FAKOREDE, MuniWASH Chief Of Party

Continuing his speech, Mr. FAKOREDE recalled the four key components of the project which are: improving financial viability and sustainability, improving technical and operational competence, improving governance and municipal management, strengthening learning and knowledge sharing. According to him, in view of its status as a key interlocutor in the relations between communes and decentralization and development actors, the ANCB has played a decisive and central role in providing access to the mayors of beneficiary communes and their strong involvement in the implementation of project activities since the beginning of the project. Thus, "the signing of the memorandum of understanding formalizes the collaboration already well underway between our two institutions for a more sustainable synergy of action" he added. He then praised the exceptional leadership of the ANCB and its president, Mayor Luc Sètondji ATROKPO for his constant support to the implementation of the project.

Speaking after the signing of the memorandum, the president of the ANCB expressed his gratitude to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and through it, to all the American people for its unwavering support to MuniWASH project. "MuniWASH project has common objectives with the ANCB in the supply of drinking water, sanitation, hygiene in urban areas in our country," said Luc Sètondji ATROKPO before reassuring the project stakeholders of the availability of the umbrella organization of Beninese municipalities to play its part fully through the respect of its commitments.

Source : ANCB