Interview with Ms. Cate Nimanya, NETWAS Uganda

Sascha de Graaf (2006)

Summary

What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned so far (either from your work or from the symposium) about strengthening capacity for local governance in WASH?

When we are carrying out capacity development, we tend to look at the individual level. But we should think of moving towards the organisational level. That means building capacity for the whole organisation or local government, while taking into consideration the organisational objectives.

Most developing countries have many projects that do a lot of capacity development. In sector-wide approaches (SWAP), capacity development is not just done for the project but also for the local government. If capacity is built in the existing systems that will continue working after the projects are done, then we’ll be able to improve on WASH as a whole.

What is the most important thing that sector staff should keep in mind in the context of strengthening capacity for local governance?

The most important thing as I see it is the need to document. We started capacity building at the individual level. But people move, they get better jobs. So if we document knowledge and experiences, they are accessible for everyone and we keep the circle running.

What does ‘strengthening capacity for local governance’ mean for you in practice? Has it changed or will it change the way you (or your organisation) work(s)? If so, how?

At this symposium the principles of good local governance have come out clearly. They include issues like accountability, transparency, equity and participation. If we look at these elements vis à vis capacity development for content issues, then I think we will be able to improve a lot.

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