MAURITANIA: Design and implementation of a program of training, organisation and cooperative management

Project description

CA 17 International was involved in the component “support to producers’ organizations”. The objectives of CA 17 International’s mission were as follows:

• Carrying out an inclusive diagnosis of 109 agricultural cooperatives to identify the organisational needs in terms of technical, economic and organisational support;
• Designing a training program in the organisation and management of cooperatives in order to improve the administrative organisation, running, financial and accountancy management of these agricultural cooperatives. This program aimed to raise awareness of 9547 producers and train 436 members of the cooperatives’ decision-making entities (president, secretaries and treasurers);
• Developing a management and organisation’s manual for cooperatives; – Implementing the training/animation program.

Project goals

The main objective of the PAHABO project was to improve food security in one of the poorest regions of Mauritania. The PAHABO project had planned to carry out important work by developing water infrastructures in order to promote agricultural development in the West Brakna region. A support program for the valorisation of developed land would enable to implement measures to guarantee quality sustainable production and to ensure a rational management of the production system. In this context, it was planned to support cooperatives in their organisation and management in order to strengthen the capacities of agricultural organisations’ present in the West Brakna region.

This support allowed farmers to become active actors of the region’s development by:

• Improving producers’ skills in family farms’ management and in organisation of production activities;
• A progressive takeover of management and maintenance of the work carried out for this project.

Services provided

The mission of CA 17 International’s team was to:

• Develop the methodology and grids of the inclusive diagnosis;
• Train and provide technical support to local experts;
• Ensure quality services to the SONADER;
• Validate activity reports;
• Raise awareness among producers through the inclusive approach;
• Coordinate the start-up workshop with the different project partners;
• Diagnose the cooperatives’ training needs;
• Develop the training program and action plan;
• Develop management and organisation’s manuals for cooperatives;
• Conduct information and awareness sessions;
• Conduct specialised training;
• Present quarterly results to the governance board and monitoring of specialised training;
• Participate in specialsed training coordination meetings;
• Write activity reports.