Final evaluation : municipal management training project

The project clearly met its objectives. All told, 54 training activities were conducted in 12 countries for 1,127 participants. The Training in Decentralization and Privatization component, which drew on the Government of Cote d'Ivoire's decentralization program and its pathbreaking municipal elections in 1980, 1985 and 1990, included regional and national conferences to discuss issues of decentralization and democratization; study tours around Cote d'Ivoire and elsewhere in West Africa to reinforce ideas presented at the national and regional conferences; and local activities. The latter, especially local resource mobilization seminars, appear to have been the most successful portion of the project. The substance of the training was clearly excellent, with a hands-on orientation in which actual procedures for collecting market taxes were discussed in detail. The broad-based participation of local elected and traditional authorities and business groups also played a role in the seminars' success. The objective to build a capacity for municipal management training in public and private training institutions was only partially met; it is a time-consuming and expensive task which seems best achieved through joint training exercises with other donor participation. The objective of meeting USAID Missions' training needs was met, as evidenced by cabled messages of satisfaction from Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso. The objective of preparing courses and manuals for municipal management was partially met. Many of the subject areas listed in the Project Paper -- management of shelter, community facilities, and urban community development -- were beyond the means of a regional project with a minimal training budget. The project's effectiveness was hampered by several unforeseen events. Political unrest in Guinea, Togo, and Niger curtailed otherwise promising activities in those countries. The closing of the Regional Housing and Urban development Office for West and Central Africa (RHUDO) in Abidjan deprived the project of the extensive benefits of the close relationship between the contractor and RHUDO cited in the 1990 evaluation. Even more, the sudden closing of the Mission in Cote d'Ivoire has affected the project, and will prevent the kind of direct follow-up activities envisioned in the original design. This is particularly distressing since Cote d'Ivoire is widely acknowledged in the region as a leader in decentralization and democratization. Thus, USAID has cut itself out of the very successful regional coordination and exchange mechanisms that it pioneered through this project. Lessons learned are as follows. (1) The project's innovative development of an interconnected network of international, national and local experts to stimulate practical, hands-on discussion effectively promoted dialogue and exchange. It is unlikely that the more theoretical training favored by other donors can achieve the same results. (2) Decentralized municipal development is the "cutting edge" of democratization. Failure to sustain municipal institutions poses the greatest threat to democratic gains. (3) One of the most effective elements of the local seminars was the inclusion of participants from a variety of agencies and local organizations in an effort to build support for local leaders and for the idea that local projects must be financed through local taxes. (4) The regional approach pioneered by this project appears to be an effective vehicle for innovative concepts that are not widely accepted or understood by more traditionally oriented Missions. (5) Follow-up is key to the effectiveness of training. Municipal officials should be provided TA in setting up the new procedures they learned about in training.