Congo/ Cuvette: Owando commune gets urban infrastructure

On October 19, river drainage and household waste services were launched in Owando, the capital of the Cuvette department, a week after the commune of Nkayi (Bouenza), also a beneficiary of the "Resilient Cities" program.

The groundbreaking ceremony officially marking the start of work on Component 2 of the program, financed by the European Union (EU), was held by the Delegate for Major Works, Oscar Otoko, in the presence of the Prefect of the Cuvette department, Jean Christophe Thicaya. delegate for major works, Oscar Otoko, in the presence of the prefect of the Cuvette department, Jean Christophe Thicaya. The event also mobilized local authorities, central government representatives, local civil society organizations and development partners.development partners, including the EU delegation and the French Embassy in Congo.

The urban works involve the construction of at least 5.5 km of gutters and culverts, 1 km of cobblestone roads, ands, 1.9 km of compacted laterite tracks and the development of around 1km of a river. According to Oscar Otoka, these infrastructures are designed to improve living conditions for the town's 30,000 inhabitants, particularly in areas prone to flooding. Owando needs to groom its streets and avenues so that it shines even brighter, " he says.pit of the efforts made in 2007 by the Government of the Republic within the framework of accelerated municipalization", he declared.

In addition to these river drainage and sanitation infrastructures, the Cuvette capital has benefited from technical assistance, management training and computerization.With this in mind, an institutional diagnosis was carried out by the Belgian firm IBF, as well as a capacity-building plan for municipal staff in road management, financial management and local investments.

The mayor's office has also been equipped with IT equipment to promote the digitization of local administration. Staff will soon be trained in archiving, a necessary process for the registry office.As part of the same "Resilient Cities" program, the Owando commune will be equipped with an urban planning guide and an administrative and logistics management manual. Other capacity-building programs will focus on the gender concept and local communication.

All this work will help to raise the profile of the commune, speed up the decentralization process and change the population's hygiene habits," hailed Owando mayor Michel Elenga Ekobo.The mayor promised to work to ensure that the achievements of this program, agreed between the Congolese government and the EU delegation, are sustained. " For our part, we will monitor good municipal governance practices, including land use and urban planning policies, building standards, environmental and resource management, quality of life thanks to green spaces...", assured the mayor.

The communes of Owando and Nkayi have benefited from 21 billion FCFA (32 million euros) in funding from the European Union, of which a third has been provided by the European Commission.euros), including 12.5 billion FCFA for component 2 of the "Resilient Cities" program. "Water and sanitation are fundamental rights for communities around the world. This project is the concrete result of the Congo-EU partnership", insisted Augustin Bongo Tshiani, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation.

Source: www.adiac-congo.com