Brief Description

This project formed part of the country office’s efforts to ensure an integrated response to the complex and rapidly worsening development challenges facing Lesotho’s Urban areas; by bringing the public and private sector together, and enhancing their capacity to finding effective means of providing the needed basic services.

To achieve the above objective, the project aimed for the following:
To increase urban citizens’ access to basic services, and therewith, to contribute to the creation of a healthy environment and the improvement of living conditions in the urban areas.

The project also contributed to the Country Office’s efforts in supporting Government’s initiatives to: a) provide a favourable policy environment for provision of services for urban environment through Private, Public Partnership (PPP); b) build capacity for the public and private sector institutions that are involved in the provision of basic services; c) provide options for creation of employment and small business opportunities for the poor in the delivery of basic services.

Outputs:
1. Increased involvement of communities and private sector in the provision of basic services and infrastructure in Maseru City Council and other councils through PPP interventions;
2. Improved capacity for Public Private and Civil society actors involved in the provision of basic services;
3. Communities and private sector are involved in prioritization and decision making on provision of basic services;
4. Stakeholders are exposed to PPP approaches and best practice in the provision of basic municipal services;
5. Identification of PPP initiatives for provision of basic urban environment in other municipalities.

Achievements:
Since the PPPUE approach is relatively new in Lesotho, awareness raising on the public, private partnership approach formed an important part of the strategy. Thus, sensitization of the project was conducted through radio advertisements and billboards in Maseru.

A major achievement came in September 2007, where collaboration between the private and public sector was established for waste collection and management.

The following key activities have been successfully carried out: -
 

• Mapping and Prioritization of needed basic services that are provided by the MCC including the quality of such services;

• Harmonization of the PPPUE project with the existing programmes;

• Review of existing Policy and Regulatory Framework for private sector involvement in the provision of municipal services;

• Development of Policy Guidelines and Legislations for local level PPP ventures in provision of urban environment/municipal services;

• Assessment and review of the capacity of MCC in the delivery of basic services and contract compliance;

• Stakeholder sensitization and mobilization of key civil society partners for community awareness campaigns;

• Public awareness was carried out on the promotion of the PPP concept;

• Private sector partners were identified and engaged in the provision of one municipal service (i.e. solid waste management) in 70% of the city;

• Key stakeholders, council’s employees and the civil society were trained and exposed to PPPUE best practices and approaches;

• Resources were mobilized for the implementation of the pilot project (solid waste management)

The success of this initial PPP initiative has led to the development of a new PPP programme on Integrated Solid Waste Management.
 

Contact:

Ms. Charu Bist
charu.bist@undp.org