Success Story of the ARIAL Programme Support to the Association of Municipalities of Chad

Success story of the ARIAL Programme support to the Association of municipalities of Chad (ACT)

ACT background

Created in 1997, the ACT was a moribund association: it was more a club of friends than an umbrella structure of local governments
August 2011: the ACT solicited financial and technical support from the ARIAL programme. It was a success and the ACT got a financial and technical support for 2 years.

Objectives: The ACT set objectives that will allow its actions to be sustainable. These are:

Step 1: to introduce oneself to donors

Objective: to make oneself known among donors
Action: in parallel to elaborating ACT key documents, the Association took the opportunity of the visit of experts to meet donors with them: UNDP, French cooperation and the EU.

Step 1: first results

There was an immediate knock-on effect and the French cooperation provided the ACT with office equipment
The French cooperation also financed the Permanent Secretary capitalisation mission in Burkina Faso
The EU started to regularly communicate with the ACT

Step 2: to maintain contact

Objective: in order to gain donors confidence, it is important to maintain contact and inform them of the ACT actions
Added value of an association of municipalities: an umbrella organisation of donors target group (municipalities and local population)
Action: the ACT solicited support from two experts of the ARIAL programme in elaborating strategic documents and developing funding requirements to be submitted to UNDP. The quality of the documents presented to UNDP convinced the agency to recognise the ACT as the unique interlocutor of municipalities and key player in the decentralisation process in Chad.

Step 2: results

The Ministry of Territorial Administration (MATD) and the ACT were invited by UNDP at the meeting of validation of the programme.
A joint team UNDP – MATD – ACT visited ten pilot municipalities with the following missions: i) to assess the situation of the communes; ii) to identify the needs in IT equipment; and iii) to identify the needs in office space

Step 3: to be visible and known

Objective: to use main events to increase the association visibility throughout the country
Action: July 2012: organisation of the ARIAL regional workshop in Ndjamena; 20-23 November 2012: ACT 1st General Assembly

Step 3: results

The ARIAL regional workshop confirmed the ACT – which became National Association of Municipalities of Chad (ANCT) – as the centre of actions in favour of the structure members and as a dynamic structure able to play the role of interlocutor vis-à-vis donors and central government for the benefit of members.
The General Assembly was a major event: presence of numerous donors; active participation of new elected mayors; the ANCT could be presented as a networking platform between donors, national stakeholders and municipalities.

Prospects

The French cooperation signed an agreement with the State. It will enter into force in 2014 and foresee a credit line for the ANCT.
The ANCT undertook the process of moving its statute from a simple association (ACT) to an association of public utility (ANCT). This statute will allow the association to get an annual structural grant from the budget of the State.

Challenges

The ARIAL financial and technical support will end in August 2013
Condition of donors to support municipalities in Chad: to hold local elections
Chance of the ANCT: even though elections were held with delay in early 2012, they have given momentum to development partners for the benefit of municipalities and their umbrella structure

Conclusion

Being in a favourable environment is important in order to attract external fund
The ARIAL programme support was combined with favourable external factors: local elections were held; donors give priority to the decentralisation process in their programme

Source: ANCT - This case was presented during the ARIAL special session at the 6th Africities Summit, Dakar, December 2012