From 16 to 21 January 2017, the staff of the African Water Association took part in a training workshop on project management. A five-day training course that was more practical than theoretical. It focused on the use of a software of the Microsoft suite exclusively dedicated to the planning and the follow-up evaluation of the projects namely MS Project. This training workshop, which is in its second edition, is part of the series of capacity building sessions initiated by the AfriCap program, a USAID-funded program, one of the components of which is focused on "capacity building The EFA in order to lead it to formulate, coordinate, adapt and harmonize WASH policies in West Africa ".

From principles of basic use to essential tools and functionalities, participants in this training, including the Executive Director of the AAE, have become familiar with the environment of this software through practical exercises. Once the initiation stage was completed, the other modules included task planning, resource planning, and cost planning from the MS Project software, based on a case study. The final stage of the training focused on the monitoring / evaluation of a project to identify critical paths and, above all, the levels of achievement compared to the planning duly established at the opening of the project.

This training responds to an urgent need, especially since the African Water Association conducts large-scale projects and programs that are often subject to audits by donors. The use of this software in business planning and monitoring and evaluation would ensure a computerized and better structured management of these projects. Such an approach contributes to improving the credibility of the EFA with its technical and financial partners, in search of reliable organizations for the coordination and implementation of their activities.

The training was provided by the CICF Cabinet of Mali through USAID West Africa, the main technical partner of the African Water Association in the implementation of the AfriCap program.