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Capacity building in Burkina Faso: Training rural water supply operators to use the mWater platform

Rural water operators in seven regions of the country learn to use tools to improve the technical and financial monitoring of lease contracts

Published on: 09/12/2024

burkina_mwater_workshop_nov2024.jpg

Participants practise using mWater (Ph IRC Burkina, 2024)
Participants practise using mWater (Ph IRC Burkina, 2024)

As part of the strategic partnership between IRC and the national water utility ONEA, an innovative training session on the mWater digital platform took place on November 19-20, 2024, in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. This workshop aimed to equip operators managing rural piped water systems in seven regions of the country with tools to improve the technical and financial monitoring of lease contracts.

Objectives and expected impact

The primary goal of this session was to enable participants to master the use of mWater, a leading platform for monitoring water services, with a focus on:

  • Facilitating the input of technical and financial data.
  • Automating the production of semi-annual operational reports.
  • Strengthening the accountability of local authorities, operators, and users.

By the end of the workshop, operators were trained on entering semi-annual operational data and generating automatic technical and financial reports, marking a key step towards more transparent and efficient water service management.

A participatory and practical approach

The workshop brought together around 30 participants, including operators, representatives from the Regional Directorate for Water and Sanitation (DREA), ONEA, and IRC. The methodology integrated theoretical sessions, practical demonstrations, and interactive computer exercises. Participants were introduced to the main functionalities of mWater, such as data entry, visualization, and automatic report generation.

Feedback from participants highlighted the platform's usefulness and the relevance of the training to their daily work. A majority now feel confident in using mWater independently and even plan to train their colleagues.


Screenshot of the platform mWater

Next steps

To consolidate the gains, several actions are planned:

  • Post-training support to ensure the effective integration of mWater.
  • Update tools based on participants’ suggestions.
  • Organise accountability sessions among local stakeholders on the technical and financial performance of leased systems to enhance transparency and cooperation.

Conclusion

This workshop represents a major milestone in improving drinking water services in Burkina Faso. By integrating mWater into their practices, operators now have an innovative tool to tackle the challenges of managing drinking water supplies. 

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