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Goals and Contents.

The goal of the « Coordinated Municipal Strategy for the development of rural villages constituting the Dankassari community in Niger” is to enhance the efficiency of the rural community of Dankassari in several priority sectors:

  • Carrying out the water project,
  • Enhancing the efficiency of municipal services (registry, tax collection) management of grain banks and millet mills.
  • Implementation of a plan for agriculture and cattle breeding,
  • Women’s training.

The project rests on three local bodies:

  • The Dankassari community, who defines and implements its local development, with the support of partners and thanks to the Mayor’s personal involvement.
  • The Dogondouchi Department and the RAIL (Support Network for Local Initiative,) who carry out technical surveys.
  • The village management committee who see to the long-term sustainability of actions..

Project Partners

The Cesson-Sévigné and Dankassari communities, the Niger State, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brittany, the Brittany-Loire Water Agency, SMBR.

Actions carried out in 2013-2014

Several prominent events are to be noted.

The Mayor of Dankassari came on a visit to Cesson-Sévigné in November 2013 on the occasion of the International Solidarity Week. He made a speech to the Town Council, reviewing the accomplishments of decentralised cooperation and he had a number of fruitful contacts, notably with schoolchildren in Cesson.

Following his visit, the Cesson-Sévigné town council joined France United Cities in 2014, and has been involved in the preparation of the Franco-Nigerien Decentralised Cooperation Assembly which is to be held in Niger from October 13th to 17th 2014.

The new Cesson-Sévigné town council elected in 2014 has asserted its intention to keep up the decentralised cooperation with Dankassari by maintaIning the town’s financial support.

Action 1 - Implementing the water supply project

Action 2: Enhancing the municipal services’ efficiency: registry, tax collection.

In the wake of the 2012 Census in Niger, the completion of the registry previously started in Dankassari has proceeded.

A new action, which the mayor of Dankassari considers as essential, aims at making the population, the councillors and the village chiefs aware of municipal tax levy, a key factor in the development of the community. When he took office in 2011, following a transitory period during which the role of mayor of Dankassari had been in the hands of the Préfet of Dogondoutchi, he discovered that the levies amounted to 8000 €, while the provisional budget had been 110 500 €; since then, he has striven to avoid facing such a situation.

The results he has obtained are as follows :

  • 2011: prevision: 110 500 €, collection : 130,000 €
  • 2012: prevision : 116 500 €, collection : 119 200 €
  • 2013: prevision : 122 500 €, collection by July 8th, 83 000 € : the shortfall is due to the fact that the cell phone company Aitel hasn’t yet paid its due to the town.

A session dedicated to summoning resources and to stressing the importance of tax collection was held on January 9th and 11th 2014 (in Gofaoua and Dankassari), involving the councillors and the 48 chiefs of the villages concerned.

Action 3 – Environmental awareness, reforestation.

Action 4 – Women’s training
In our project, women’s training is a far-reaching action, since it makes it possible to develop girls’education and to further women’s self-reliance.
In 2013, the project funded a literacy program for a group of women, and supplying matrons with ox-drawn carts, enabling them to evacuate mothers in case of difficult births, or other health emergencies, and providing them with further earnings.

Actions carried out in 2014-2015

The new Town Council elected in Cesson-Sévigné at the municipal polls in 2014 stated their will to further the decentralized cooperation with Dankassari by maintaining the town’s financial support.
The Cesson-Dankassari Cooperation was actively involved in the preparation of the Franco-Nigerien Decentralized Cooperation meeting in Niger from October 13th to 17th 2014.

ACTION 1. Implementation of the water project.

ACTION 2. Improvement of municipal services efficiency: registry, municipal tax collection.
The action previously launched in Dankassari has been maintained, concerning registration as well as municipal tax awareness among the population, the councilors and the village chiefs.
An assessment of all the grain banks and the millet mills in the village is still ongoing in 2015. It
will permit to define a strategy of COGES and miller training, and to decide which villages are to be equipped in the future.

ACTION 3. Environment Awareness, Reforestation.

ACTION 4. Women’s Training.
In our project, women’s training is a far-reaching action, it involves furthering girls’ education and increasing women’s self-reliance.
In 2014, the project funded a literacy program for a group of women, and the equipment of matrons with ox-driven carts. The matron project enables them to deal with difficult deliveries or other emergencies, and is also a source of income.

Actions carried out in 2015-2016

ACTION 1 : Hydraulic equipment plan.

ACTION 2: Improving municipal services.

Actions are still being carried out to improve awareness of municipal tax collection among the population, the elected councillors and the village chiefs.

Following a survey of all the cereal banks and millet mills in the town, the following have been carried out: a training session for COGES of cereal banks and mills, and a training session and allocation of some tools for millers. Two cereal banks have been upgraded, one has been transferred and another created . Two millet mills have been set up and three more have been repaired.

ACTION 3 – Environmenal education - 454- Reforestation 455
A survey has been carried out concerning vegetable gardening and cattle breeding. The surveys enable the Dankassari Municipality to know the needs and potential of their town and to create
partnerships.

ACTION - Women’s education
In our project, women’s education is a far-reaching action, it entails developing women’s schooling and enabling more women to become self-reliant.
In 2015, the project financed literacy courses for 2 groups of women and outfitting matrons with ox-drawn carts. The ox-drawn carts give them an income complement.