West African Irrigation Development and Management Agencies (WAIDMAs)

Our main publications

Click on the images to download the final synthesis reports with recommendations from the four projects and the action poster.

Why West African Irrigation Development and Management Agencies?

WAIDMAs are key actors in irrigation in West Africa. They act as a link between the sectorial ministries in charge of irrigation in the countries and irrigators in large 'public' irrigation schemes. These schemes are generally co-managed by the WAIDMAs (irrigation administration) and the users, who are often organised in associations and/or producers' groups. WAIDMAs are the heirs of a long history that began during the colonial period or with the independence of African countries. Their missions have evolved significantly over time, particularly due to criticism as to their ability to manage the schemes under their responsibility in a way that supports the development of productive irrigated agriculture while consuming water resources efficiently. It is now necessary to collectively re-think the future of these organisations and reinvent the place they should have in a sector undergoing profound change.

What do we do?

Since COSTEA's beginnings in 2013, we have been participating in and facilitating the process of reflection between 11 WAIDMAs in 6 countries of the Sahel Irrigation Initiative (Bagrépôle and AMVS in Burkina Faso, Office du Niger, ODRS, OPIB and ORS in Mali, SONADER in Mauritania, ONAHA in Niger, SAED and SODAGRI in Senegal, and ANADER in Chad), farmer-irrigators and their organisations, local authorities, professional bodies and NGOs involved in irrigated agriculture and working in the areas of action of the 11 WAIDMAs.

Public bodies, project owners and managers of large hydro-agricultural systems, as well as their partners in these territories, can thus acquire the methods and tools to become key actors in the SAHEL Irrigation Initiative. In doing so, they can significantly contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Dakar Declaration of October 2013.

We are specifically studying four themes:

  • The transfer of management to irrigators: this study, launched in February 2020, was entrusted to the GRET/SCP consortium and three WAIDMA contributing experts, and was completed in October 2022.
  • The management of irrigation and land tenure, this study, launched in September 2020, was entrusted to Sylvatrop and six contributing experts from WAIDMAS, and was completed in October 2022.
  • The involvement of WAIDMAs in the organisation of agricultural value chains, this study, launched in September 2020, was entrusted to ACK International and eight contributing experts, and was completed in October 2022.
  • The role of WAIDMAs in project ownership: this study, launched in February 2021 and entrusted to the CACG/SCP consortium and 6 WAIDMA contributing experts, was completed in November 2022.

FURTHER READING

You can consult the Framework Paper (in French) for the four WAIDMA projects

STUDY ON TRANSFERRING MANAGEMENT TO IRRIGATORS:

The preparatory document of this project:

The deliverables produced by this project (all in French):

STUDY ON VALUE CHAIN ORGANISATION: 

The preparatory document of this project:

The deliverables produced by this project (all in French):

STUDY ON THE MANAGEMENT OF IRRIGATION AND LAND TENURE:

The preparatory document of this project:

The deliverables produced by this project (all in French):

STUDY ON IRRIGATION PROJECT OWNERSHIP:

The preparatory document of this project:

The deliverables produced by this project (all in French):

OTHER COSTEA PUBLICATIONS:

Comparative diagnosis of the 11 West African Irrigation Development and Management Agencies (in French) 

Another useful link: Dakar Declaration of October 2013