Project News

For Project for Strengthening Water Management Transfer (SWMT Project), Dr. Shuichi Matsushima, a short term expert of JICA visited Egypt from 20th June to 14th July, 2013 to support in preparing for the training program on Water Management (WM) and Water Users' Organization (WUO).

Main purposes of his mission were to (1) Analyze and clarify current situations and challenges of training activities on Water Management Transfer (WMT) and WUO by interviewing with the project staffs, members of Branch Canal Water Users' Associations (BCWUAs) in the pilot sites and stakeholders of the other projects, (2) Make comprehensive analysis and evaluation of training needs for the Counterparts (CPs) and the BCWUA members in the pilot sites as well as of the current training system and effects and (3) Give to the SWMT Project his technical guidance and support on development of a training program for the CPs and the BCWUA members.

In spite of sudden difficulties in not being able to go out to work because of unstable security conditions in the second half of his mission, Dr. Matsushima almost completed his activities as in the schedule by having meetings with all the main stakeholders above and visiting the three pilot sites.

Meeting in the GDIAS Fayoum.

Meeting with staffs of the Training Sector for Water Resources and Irrigation (TSWRI) (Dr. Matsushima and Eng. Ueno from the left.).

On 14th July which is his final day in Egypt, the SWMT Project organized a meeting on his final mission report, and 20 CPs participated in it. As a result of his activities in Egypt, Dr. Matsushima proposed to the SWMT Project 8 training courses for Trainings of Trainers (TOT), 11 training courses for local CPs who are direct trainers for BCWUAs in the pilot areas as well as 7 training courses for the BCWUA members by the local CPs. Moreover, Dr. Matsushima emphasized that it is important to make effective use of the training materials available which were already developed by the other projects, while he explained about the basic concepts of WMT.
After his presentation, there were several comments by the participants. One comment was that it is important to make understood not only the BCWUA members but also staffs of Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) the concept of WMT in the trainings, while another was that not the individual CP but the whole MWRI should make efforts to realize the WMT. There was also a comment that trainings on WMT should be planned and implemented in each pilot site by considering enough the local diverse situations. Eng. Nagwa El Khashab, Head of the CDIAS and Manager of the SWMT Project also commented that it is important for the SWMT Project to continuously learn the Japan’s experiences and get the JICA’s technical support on WMT.
Based on Dr. Matsushima’s recommendations above, the SWMT Project will start to prepare for the first TOT in November, 2013, while identifying training resources and materials which are available and useful in cooperation with the CPs.

Meeting with a staff of Water Management Reform Programme II by GIZ.

Dr. Matsushima presenting results of his mission to the CPs.