Due to the 4G internet, staff of the Burkinabe water authorities can continue their work from home. Moreover, the scheduled workshops can still continue online. The first online meetings already took place. This will serve as a permanent communication tool within the project and enables better communication between the Burkinabe water authorities as well. In Burkina Faso, the five water authorities are located far apart, and until now online meetings rarely took place – so there is an opportunity to be seized. Moreover, the water authorities received disinfectants and personal protective equipment.
The 4G internet and protective equipment arrived at precisely the right time, says Etienne Nacoulma, from the Burkinabe water authority Agence de l'Eau du Gourma (AEG): “Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the Burkinabe government took measures to keep all the water services up and running. It also reduced water and electricity taxes to relieve its citizens of their short-term financial concerns. Working from home is difficult for many, but now that we have 4G internet, we only go to the office when it is absolutely necessary.”
This way, the Dutch water authorities contribute to modernisation and reinforcement of the Faso Koom partnership in these challenging times.
