Delegating the management of facilities to users (Mali)

Promote the sustainability and cost effectiveness of schemes by setting up management delegation systems that enable local authorities to entrust infrastructure owned by the territorial community to groups of local farmers.

The basic economic infrastructure is usually provided through state or decentralised-authority funding. The building phase of the project is entirely managed by the territorial community (TC). A delegation process ensures that responsibility for managing this infrastructure is transferred to beneficiary actors organised in user associations. Agreements are concluded between the TCs and communities with the aim of guaranteeing the sustainability and economic viability of facilities. This agreement makes it possible to extend the ownership of schemes beyond that of the traditional management committee model. It can also increase local tax revenues and prolong the lifespan of facilities when they are well run.
The commune is the owner of the scheme but delegates its management to a user group (an interprofessional farming committee for lowland development projects) by means of a management delegation contract. Member subscription fees and upkeep fees are paid into a bank account opened by the community. The commune has the right to oversee the administrative and financial management of the delegatee and ensures the application of access and farming rules in the scheme. Group managers regularly report on activities to other members and the commune.
The commune council undertakes the overall project management of the installation works, contributes to funding the developments, provides key guidance on farming matters, delegates the management of the infrastructure to the interprofessional committee (IPC), supports the IPC in recovering fees, and ensures the monitoring and development of the project. The rural development commission of the commune council exists within each council. Its role is to catalogue the issues actors face and propose solutions to the commune council, support cooperatives in their search for partners together with the IPC, research the land titles for schemes on behalf of the council (registration), validate the development plan, support IPC in managing conflicts between cooperatives, and carry out any other tasks that are required of it by the commune council. The interprofessional committee brings together representatives from different cooperatives, associations and groups and takes on the delegated management role. Its role is to: maintain communications between users, the town hall and partners; coordinate activities that affect several local-level cooperatives; ensure the rational use of lowland resources; secure the agreement of the different user groups on the rules for accessing and dividing up the scheme site; assess and validate the cooperatives’ farming plans (individual needs analysis in terms of production capacity); monitor the use of inputs, seed and equipment obtained by the cooperatives; receive the fees collected by each cooperative from its members; manage renovation and maintenance funds; prevent conflicts of interest arising among the cooperatives. The management committee is a sub-committee within IPC and is tasked with managing water supply (opening and closing the distribution gates), carrying out small-scale maintenance and alerting the IPC to any failures to respect the farming code. Consultancies facilitate the process, support the institutional and organisational strengthening of actors and provide training on management tools. Technical services ensure the application of technical and environmental standards and ensure sound financial management (fee collection, financial controls, delegated public procurement). The project team provides advisory support, organises users structurally and delivers training, tools, coordination and monitoring.