A two-day regional meeting brought together stakeholders from Saint-Louis, Matam and Louga to harmonize local and environmental governance practices.

Local authorities from the Saint-Louis, Matam, and Louga regions met for two days in Louga as part of ongoing territorial coaching organized by the Municipal Development Agency (ADM), in collaboration with the Regional Development Agencies (ARD). This meeting for exchange, dialogue, and harmonization is part of the implementation of PACASEN (Support Program for Municipalities and Urban Areas of Senegal).

Strengthening capacities in environmental and social assessment

Territorial coaching aims to strengthen the capacity of local authorities regarding environmental and social assessment procedures prior to investment decisions. In each local authority, PACASEN targeted three key stakeholders: the municipal secretary, the environmental and social management focal point, and the complaints management mechanism focal point.

According to Ndèye Sagne, environmental and social management specialist at PACASEN, the objective is to strengthen the capacities of local authorities in understanding the tools put in place, in particular the Environmental and Social Management Manual and the Complaints Management Mechanism, within the framework of the implementation of projects of common interest.

“Environmental and social management is crucial and very important in the implementation of projects and investments,” Ms. Sagne emphasized. She encouraged stakeholders to make use of the tools that PACASEN will provide at the end of the meeting.

Compliance with the Environmental Code

The specialist emphasized the importance for communities to remain compliant with current regulations, particularly the Environmental Code established in 2001 and revised in 2023. This text requires that all environmental assessment procedures be respected during the implementation of projects.

Local authorities will need to integrate these aspects from the planning stage, through studies, and throughout project implementation. All focal points agree that compliance with these environmental and social regulations allows local authorities to ensure sound project management while protecting the environment.

A two-part program

The first day of training was devoted to environmental management, enabling municipalities to master the environmental and social management manual when carrying out their projects, from planning and studies to design and operation.

The second day included a field visit chosen by the ARD. The objective of this outing was to enable the focal point to identify non-conformities, propose recommendations, and verify whether the environmental clauses included in the tender documents were being respected.

The meeting concluded with a practical session on the Complaints Management Mechanism available to each PACASEN community. A hands-on exercise was conducted to verify whether the focal points were proficient in handling complaints within their respective municipalities.