Top > Regional Affairs > Africa > TICAD > Illustrative List Of Ongoing and Pipeline Projects/Programs For African Development As a Reference Document for TICAD II > IV. Multi-Sectoral or Other Projects / Programs Not Listed in the Preceding Sections (4.3 Capacity Building) > OECD/Club du Sahel/Local Economy Development (1997-)

OECD/Club du Sahel/Local Economy Development
(1997-)

I. Basic data

Sector(s): Rural / urban development - Capacity building - Governance
Title: ECOLOC
Donor country/ organization: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, World Bank
Beneficiary countries: West Africa as a whole
Implementing agencies in beneficiary countries: Municipal Development Program Countries Cities
Starting Date: 1997
Project / Program budget: Regionally $800,000 per year
Finance / Type of cooperation: Grants

II. Project / program description

  1. Objectives
    Introduction of tools for understanding the local economy, training and financial management suited to the challenges of decentralization and capacity-building for local authorities.
  2. Activities / contents
    • case-studies of local economies (mid-size towns and rural hinterland) carried out by teams of local consultants advised by the regional team;
    • design of simplified sets of indicators and teaching material;
    • support for the organization by local authorities of debates on the revitalization of the local economy;
    • based on the case-studies and local debates, design of tools and procedures to evaluate the local economy and of simplified sets of indicators;
    • gradual formation of a network of African consultants;
    • to meet potential demand (over 100 mid-sized towns in West Africa now, 300 in 2020), support for the introduction of a West African program able to apply and develop the method designed, by using the network of African consultants.
  3. Expected outcomes / impacts
    • improved ability of local elected officials to act as "developers of the local economy";
    • improved dialogue between local elected officials and economic operators;
    • adaptation of public investment to the needs of economic operators;
    • in return, greater mobilization of local resources (taxes);
    • consistent frameworks for development and investment at local level for States and donors.

III. Contact point:

Mr. Laurent Bossard
ECOLOC: c/o OECD-Club du Sahel, 39-41 boulevard Suchet,
75775 Paris Cedex 16 (France)
Tel: 33 1 45 24 90 13
Fax: 33 1 45 24 90 31
laurent.bossard@oecd.org

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