GOVERNANCE AT THE GRASSROOTS AN ANALYSIS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES IN THE SAHEL REGIONS OF NIGER, BURKINA FASO, AND MALI August 2014 This study was produced with funding from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) as part of the project development phase for Scaling Up Resilience for Over One Million people in the Niger River Basin of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali (SUR1M), one of 10 projects across the Sahel Region for which a Concept Note has been approved by the DFID-funded Building Resiliency and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) Programme. The SUR1M consortium is led by Catholic Relief Services, and brings together CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), Caritas Développement (CADEV) Niger, Catholic Organisation for Development and Solidarity (Organisation Catholique pour le Développement et la Solidarité) OCADES Burkina Faso, Caritas Mali, Farm Radio International (FRI), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Agrometeorology, Hydrology, Meteorology (AGRHYMET) Regional Centre, Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and Tulane University. Cover photograph: The villagers of Guidan Na Dole in southern Niger meet with a CRS field agent to discuss community-led sanitation. 23 July 2014, François Therrien for CRS Copyright © 2014 Catholic Relief Services For any commercial reproduction, please obtain permission from
[email protected] or write to: Catholic Relief Services 228 West Lexington Street Baltimore, MD 21201-3413 USA GOVERNANCE AT THE GRASSROOTS AN ANALYSIS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES IN THE SAHEL REGIONS OF NIGER, BURKINA FASO, AND MALI AUGUST 2014 Authors: Burkina Faso and Mali: Alexis Kaboré & Elie Siboné Niger: Moussa Abari & Boukary Issa i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS .