Three examples of decentralised cooperation

AFD and Mulhouse working toward the restoration of the Mahajanga markets (Madagascar)

The Mahajanga market restoration project experience illustrates that participation by French communities and their local elected officials can offer visibility to citizens and enable technical assistance, particularly appreciated by stakeholders from the Madagascan local bodies.

The approach is a long-term one and the partnership between local bodies from the Alsace region and from Mahajanga aims not only to rehabilitate the markets themselves, but also to modernise the way that the markets, and municipal affairs more generally, are managed. The involvement of a regional structure - the Alsatian Regional Cooperation - Development Institute (IRCOD) - in order to mutualise resources and skills was one of the key factors in the project’s success. Support from the City of Mulhouse played a decisive role in terms of political dialogue, and the same is true for the “trades mentoring” and skill transfer.

Four French local bodies working together in Senegal

A mutualised development cooperation project with the town of Saint-Louis involves participation by four local authorities in France and four partner counterparts in Senegal: the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region and the Saint-LouisRegion; the Nord Département and the communities from the Département of Dagana; the city of Lille and the town of Saint-Louis; the municipality of Saint-Laurent Blangy and that of Rosso.

The objectives:

 to support the local authorities of the Saint- Louis Region in municipal management and urbansocial development;

 to contribute to the emergence of structured civil society stakeholders, which are representative and capable of being project leaders;

 to improve access to basic public services (health, education and social services).

Institutional support in the fields of economic development, management of basic social and cultural-youth services and Francophonie make up the core of this cooperation effort. Thanks to the coordination of the activities, this programme has made the project more consistent and effective.

Sustainable organic cotton in Mali and Burkina Faso in collaboration with the Brittany region

This project for promoting and structuring a sustainable organic cotton industry in Mali and Burkina Faso is designed to deliver on three objectives:

 to participate in the development of sustainable organic cotton production;

 to help enhance the value of production (installation of small-scale processing units);

 to foster a global approach to the development of new markets, especially by using distributors in Brittany as a foothold.

The development of this sustainable organic cotton industry is mutually beneficial: in Africa, via economic development, creation of employment, the positive impact expected on living conditions, the environment, health and education; in Brittany through a stable supply, in terms of quantity and quality, and employment in organic cotton industrial and distribution firms.

Assistance for the shift from conventional to organic cultivation, training, support for production activities and certification enabled the formation of a network of Breton manufacturers who are committed to procuring their organic cotton supply from West Africa and practising fair trade. The MAEE’s share of the co-funding amounted to 100,000 euros out of the project’s total cost of 300,000 euros.

^{Updated on September 2010}