AFR/301
"Public Transformation in West Africa" initiative support project (TPAO)

In a context of increasing instability and vulnerability to external shocks, West African states wish to consolidate and improve public service. To this end, policy and strategic frameworks for the modernisation of the administration have been designed and are being implemented. Wishing to mutualise and develop their capacities and experiences in this field, three West African countries (Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal) initiated a joint initiative called “Public Transformation in West Africa" (TPAO).

This willingness to work together is expressed through the reference institutions that these countries have set up to provide the best possible support for the modernisation of the administration:

• the Organisation and Methods Office (BOM) in Senegal;
• the Permanent Secretariat for the Modernisation of the Administration and Good Governance (SP-MABG) in Burkina Faso; and
• the High Commission for the Modernisation of the State (HCME) in Niger.

This initiative is supported by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Luxembourg Cooperation. This partnership framework remains open and may gradually involve other institutions and partners.

After a diagnostic and design phase, a project to support this initiative is being launched for a period of three years. LuxDev will support its implementation. The technical coordination will be based in Dakar and will involve the country offices in Niger and Burkina Faso.

To ensure that by 2033, West African users/citizens are satisfied with the quality of public service and contribute to it, the TPAO initiative will contribute to making the West African public service more accessible, adapted, efficient and of high quality. It will focus on taking into account the needs of users/citizens, strengthening the intervention capacities of the public service and developing a culture of public innovation.

The joint TPAO initiative will support the establishment and sustainable implementation of a sub-regional mechanism based on mutualisation and piloted by the reference institutions in charge of the modernisation of the administration.

This system should enable the design and implementation of a support offer structured around:

• a digital platform for sharing public transformation initiatives;
• a support and training offer intended for reference institutions, public transformation operators, public service actors and experts;
• a support mechanism for innovative public transformation projects. Through this mechanism, the aim will be to promote endogenous reformers who bring about positive changes within the public service.

A first call for projects will be launched in the coming months on the theme of public service information.