2000年-世界发展银行全球_Nigeria_-_Innovative_Training_for_the_Improved_Delivery_of_Water_5页_545kb

Nigeria National Water Rehabilitation Project Summary

Core Content

The Nigeria National Water Rehabilitation Project (NWRP), a six-year initiative supported by the World Bank, aimed to improve the reliability and quality of water supply in Nigeria and increase revenue for state water agencies. The project focused on restoring nearly 250 urban water systems to their original design capacity through innovative training strategies for water service operatives.

Main Objectives

• Ensure reliable supply of good quality water
• Increase revenue for state water agencies
• Improve the operational capacity of water systems

Challenges

1. Lack of systematic training for operatives: Many water service personnel had not received formal training.
2. Need for increased autonomy: State water agencies required more revenue to sustain operations, which depended on improved service delivery and customer payments.

Enabling Arrangements

• A Manpower and Training Committee (MTC) was established, comprising the National Water Resources Institute (NWRI), the Project Office, and representatives from 36 state water agencies.
• The MTC defined roles and responsibilities and recommended the appointment of Human Resources Development Officers (HRDOs) in each state water agency to oversee staff development.
• The Ministry of Water Resources and World Bank supported the recommendations, ensuring institutional ownership and commitment.

Skills Training Strategy

Defining Needs

• Training needs were identified through:
  • Consultant analysis of staff profiles
  • Requests from HRDOs

Outreach Approach

• The Nigeria Water Supply Training Network was developed as a low-cost, on-the-job training model.
• Training was delivered in the workplace of the water agencies, using hands-on methods to ensure skill transfer.
• Initial pilot courses focused on pump maintenance, and were successful in improving operational efficiency.

Training Costs

• Training cost was $90 per week per operative, including all expenses.
• Overhead was minimized by:
  • Using local trainers
  • Training in existing facilities
  • Keeping the Outreach Office small and efficient

Training Courses Offered

• Pump maintenance and repair
• Borehole maintenance
• Engine and generator maintenance
• Leak detection and repair
• Electrical installation and repair
• Meter repair
• Valve repair
• Pipe network maintenance
• Water quality procedures
• Bookkeeping
• Customer enumeration
• Word processing

Training Impact Measurement

• A Training Impact Study was conducted with 491 operatives, assessing:
  • Understanding of training objectives
  • Skill acquisition and application
  • Relevance and practicality of training
  • Workplace factors affecting skill use
• Trainees rated the training on a scale of 1 to 5, with a mean score of 4.1, indicating high effectiveness.
• Feedback was used to improve course design and delivery.

Key Outcomes

• Operatives gained and practiced new skills.
• Training led to restoration of pumps and improved water delivery.
• The outreach model was scalable and cost-effective.
• The project demonstrated the importance of practical, on-the-job training in enhancing service delivery.

Expansion and Future

• The Outreach Office expanded its training capacity, delivering over 500 trainee weeks annually by the fourth year.
• A 12-week engineering skills course was introduced at NWRI in Kaduna to train new engineers.
• A training impact study will be conducted for this course.

Transfer of Concept

• The outreach training model has been adopted in other projects:
  • Ethiopian Water Supply Project
  • Ghana Urban 5 Project
• This indicates the model's effectiveness and replicability in similar contexts.

Key Contributors

• David Henley: Team leader, Nigeria Water Rehabilitation Project
• Jack Cresswell: Skills training and quality assurance specialist
• Umar Bature: Chief Human Resources Officer, NWRP office in Abuja
• Abiodun Aderonmu: Head of Outreach Training Office, NWRI in Kaduna

Conclusion

The NWRP's innovative training approach, particularly the outreach model, significantly improved the performance and sustainability of Nigeria's water systems. It emphasized practical skills, cost efficiency, and institutional capacity building, setting a precedent for similar initiatives in other African countries.