News

2018
- 5 November
- By Caroline de Boisset
- Senegal Office SEN/028
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SÉNÉGAL - Lancement du e-module d’apprentissage de passation des marchés publics
Plus d’une cinquantaine de personnes issues des secteurs public et privé sénégalais et de la société civile se sont réunies à Dakar pour le lancement d’un module de formation en ligne sur les marchés publics par l’Autorité de Régulation des Marchés publics (ARMP) et financé par la Coopération luxembourgeoise. Le but de ce module d’e-learning : former largement et à bas coûts les acteurs de la sphère publique et privée sénégalaise aux exigences de bonne gestion publique et financière.

Un résultat ludique pour un sujet aride

A l’issue de la conférence de presse présidée le Ministre M. Seydou Gueye, Secrétaire Général du Gouvernement Sénégalais, et M. Saër Niang, Directeur de l’Agence de Régulation des Marchés Publics, les participants se sont pris au jeu de la formation à la fois ludique et didactique. Ils ont testé ensemble leurs connaissances sur le code des marchés publics sénégalais via le module de formation en ligne. Résultats satisfaisants, c’est un score de plus de 80% de bonnes réponses que l’auditoire a enregistré !

Le public se prête au jeu de la formation en ligne et participe aux quizz sur les marchés publics

Une rédaction nationale, un appui technique luxembourgeois

Au-delà du caractère largement accessible et ouvert, il est important de noter que ce module est avant tout l’histoire d’une coopération. Cette formation est le fruit d’un travail conjoint entre les experts nationaux qui ont été les rédacteurs du projet et la Coopération luxembourgeoise qui a apporté son soutien technique et financier.

« Des Marchés publics 4.0 »

L’appui apporté au projet est aussi une occasion pour le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg de réaffirmer son engagement et son soutien pour le développement de solutions digitales innovantes qui rendent possible la formation à un plus grand nombre de personnes.
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- 5 November
- By Sandrine THINNES
- Asia Office MYA/002
- Socio-economic development
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MYANMAR - Village Veterinarian Extension Services
After the project had trained the 5th batch of village veterinarian extension workers (village vets) in August 2018, it was time to introduce the 65 trained village vets to the concept of extension work. The project team put together information leaflets on the most common diseases in cattle, pigs and poultry and trained the village vets on how to approach the villagers and share the knowledge.

The village vets should approach the villagers in small groups and introduce them to the signs shown by animals if infected by any of the most common diseases. The villagers are then invited to contact the village vet immediately if those signs occur so that the animal can be treated or put under quarantine to avoid further spreading of the disease.

Although the information leaflets are in Burmese language and many of the villagers are illiterate, the fact that the village vets provided information in their local ethnic language (in these shown cases La Hu) and explained in detail the pictures, the villagers are able to recognize and react appropriately.

Upon a recent follow-up mission the project team and the field coordinator visited villagers and asked about the leaflets and their purpose. Many households were able to provide the information that was shared with them and even showed the coordinator which diseases they had already come across. They were also very happy to have a village vet who provides the medicine and can thus even cure their animal.

For the moment, MYA/002 project is supporting the village vets with the medicines/vaccines free of charge. The payment of the medicines/vaccines will start once the village vets have completed their full training and also when the project has provided further support to the farmers in improving their husbandry techniques and are able to create an income from their livestock. For now the importance lies on training the village vets and the farmers alike in preventing and containing most common diseases to avoid outbreaks and loss of valuable assets to the farmers’ livelihoods.

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- 19 October
- By Manon LIENARD
- Niger Office NIG/023 NIG/024 NIG/025 NIG/026
- Education, vocationnal training and employment Agriculture, forestry and fishery Water and sanitation
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NIGER - Lancement de la revue à mi-parcours du 3e Programme indicatif de coopération
Le 9 octobre 2018 s’est tenu à Niamey l’atelier de lancement de la revue à mi-parcours du 3e Programme indicatif de coopération (PIC 2016-2020) entre la République du Niger et le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg.

Travaux de groupe sectoriel "développement rural" © LuxDev

Lors du discours d’ouverture de l’atelier, le chef du bureau de l’ambassade du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg à Ouagadougou a souligné l’importance de cet exercice. Dans le cadre de la nouvelle stratégie générale de la Coopération luxembourgeoise « En route pour 2030 », la Coopération au développement constitue en effet un des piliers essentiels de l’approche 3D (Diplomatie, Développement, Défense) en matière de politique étrangère du Luxembourg. Il a ensuite rappelé le contexte et les objectifs de la revue qui se déroulera en deux phases. Du 9 au 22 octobre, l’équipe d’évaluateurs externes réalisera une évaluation technique à mi-parcours des interventions bilatérales, du programme multilatéral ainsi que des actions humanitaires financées par le PIC III. Une deuxième étape aura lieu en début 2019 et se focalisera sur une analyse politico-stratégique du PIC dans son ensemble, en lien avec le contexte national de mise en œuvre.

La table de séance de l'atelier, de gauche à droite : le chef du bureau de l'ambassade du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, le représentant résident de LuxDev, le chef de mission de l'équipe d'évaluateurs © LuxDev

En présence des partenaires nationaux et internationaux de la Coopération luxembourgeoise au Niger, l’équipe d’évaluateurs a présenté la méthodologie qui orientera les échanges bilatéraux pendant les visites de terrain, à Niamey et dans les régions de Dosso, Zinder et Tahoua.

Les quatre programmes mis en œuvre par LuxDev dans le cadre de l’enveloppe bilatérale du PIC III, à savoir le NIG023, le NIG024, le NIG025 et le NIG026, font l’objet de l’évaluation technique à mi-parcours. Ces programmes visent explicitement l’alignement sur les stratégies et les procédures nationales. Un rôle actif a donc été accordé aux partenaires nigériens lors de l’atelier afin de recueillir leurs perceptions et leurs préoccupations quant à l’appui apporté à la mise en œuvre des programmes sectoriels concernés. À cet effet des travaux de groupe sectoriels ont été organisés et ont permis d’affiner les objectifs de l’évaluation par la prise en compte des enjeux jugés prioritaires par les acteurs sollicités.

Travaux de groupe sectoriel "eau et assainissement" © LuxDev

Dans le secteur de l’éducation, les partenaires ont souhaité souligner l’importance de la capitalisation et de l’institutionnalisation des bonnes pratiques repérées au niveau régional. Les acteurs de la formation professionnelle ont mis l’emphase sur la qualité de la formation et sur la nécessité d’articuler les mesures de formation avec l’insertion professionnelle. Dans le secteur de l’eau et de l’assainissement les processus de délégation de la gestion de l’eau et des infrastructures doivent être examinés. Finalement, en ce qui concerne le développement rural, les réflexions ont porté sur la durabilité des actions mises en œuvre et sur la pérennisation des dynamiques qui ont vu le jour dans la région de Dosso.

Travaux de groupe sectoriel "formation professionnelle" © LuxDev

Dans l’après-midi du mardi 9 octobre 2018, les responsables des différentes parties prenantes de la revue à mi-parcours, réunis en comité, ont validé les propositions méthodologiques de l’évaluation en y intégrant ces pistes de réflexion.

Un atelier de restitution de la première phase de terrain aura lieu le 22 octobre à Niamey et permettra à l’équipe d’évaluateurs de partager avec les différentes parties prenantes les premières impressions et recommandations suite aux évaluations techniques.

Travaux de groupe sectoriel "éducation" © LuxDev
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- 16 October
- By Fenke ELSKAMP
- Mali Office MLI/021 MLI/022 MLI/023
- Food security Education, vocationnal training and employment
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MALI – Inauguration de nouveaux locaux à Ségou
Lundi 10 septembre, de nouveaux bureaux ont été inaugurés à Ségou.

LuxDev entretenant des relations de travail étroites depuis de nombreuses années avec le Conseil régional de Ségou, ce n’est pas un hasard si les nouveaux bâtiments ont été édifiés dans l’enceinte de ce même Conseil régional.

Aussi, la trentaine de collaborateurs opérant sur les trois programmes en cours, à savoir « Développement rural et sécurité alimentaire » (MLI/021), « Formation et insertion professionnelle » (MLI/022) et « Décentralisation et bonne gouvernance » (MLI/023), sont désormais basés à proximité immédiate du Conseil régional et regroupés dans un seul et même lieu.

Dans son allocution, M. Fischbach, le représentant de l’ambassade du Luxembourg, a rappelé que cela fait 20 ans que les gouvernements du Mali et du Luxembourg ont décidé de travailler ensemble, dans un partenariat visant le développement et le bien-être socio-économique des populations du Mali. La longévité de ce partenariat témoigne de la volonté du Luxembourg de s’engager sur du long terme.

M. Fischbach a d’ailleurs profité de l’occasion pour confirmer que l’ambition du Luxembourg reste d’agir en étroite collaboration avec ses partenaires et de se présenter comme un interlocuteur de confiance à tous les niveaux.

Qui plus est, l’importance que le Luxembourg attache au Mali est mise en évidence par l’investissement de près de 41 milliards de Francs CFA (62,5 millions EUR) dans le cadre du troisième Programme indicatif de coopération.

Le gouverneur a, quant à lui, exprimé dans son discours, sa satisfaction sur la collaboration avec le Luxembourg. Il a qualifié les nouveaux bâtiments de "joyau architectural de qualité, construit dans le respect des normes en matière de génie civil".

De plus, il a rappelé que la réalisation de ces infrastructures s’inscrit dans l’objectif de renforcer les capacités du Conseil régional de Ségou tout en permettant à court terme d’abriter les équipes techniques des programmes.

Le gouverneur a ensuite conclut en encourageant les parties présentes à poursuivre dans la voie de la dynamique enclenchée.
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- 10 October
- By Sandrine THINNES
- Asia Office MYA/002
- Socio-economic development
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MYANMAR - Improving Basic Agricultural Knowledge
Since August 2018, the MYA/002 Agricultural Production Support team in close collaboration with the Department of Agriculture improved the knowledge in basic agricultural techniques of 45 participants from 21 villages of the 5 Tract area of Kyaing Tong township.

Identifying the most common diseases in paddy rice

Over the course of 3 days, the participants were introduced how to recognize the different types of soil and the most common diseases and pests in paddy crops. The training further included practical exercises in how to set up a compost heap to produce natural fertiliser as well as how to mix natural pesticides from garlic and soap for instance. As many of the farmers work on mountainous terrain, the technique of how to plot a sloping land using an A-frame was very informative to them.

The trainings were delivered in Burmese with a translation into the local dialect of either La Hu or Shan. Information cards were handed out to the participants to support the theory with pictures and images so that even illiterate farmers are able to understand the information more easily. The trainees are invited to share their knowledge with their peers.

Finding the bug in the rice field

Besides the training sessions, the project team visited those initial 21 villages and recruited farmers interested in setting up a vegetable garden (called home garden) as well as model farms with long term crops such as tea, coffee and/or fruit trees amongst the most common long term crops. The response from the villagers was phenomenal as more than 450 people are interested in setting up home gardens and 91 volunteered to try out the model farm concept. Home gardens are not very common in the villages as they are always ravaged by free ranging chicken and pigs but also most farmers are not very familiar with the needs or techniques of growing vegetables properly. The villagers would however be very happy to also see a change in their diet and are happy to learn how to grow them.

Visiting a farm in Loi Mwe growing cabbage and tea in a mixed plot

To wrap up this initial training, the project invited the trainees to a learning trip to the Loi Mwe area to visit the model and research farm from the Department of Agriculture, the famous tea village of Ba Wei (with over 70 year old tea plants), a farm/home garden plot as well as a multi crop (elephant foot yam, pineapple and pine trees) plantation on sloping land. For some this trip was also an adventure as it was the first time for them driving in a bus and also to have slept in a guest house. However, such learning trips are so important to help the trainees to better understand the theory as well as to exchange with other farmers in the area.

Ba Wei tea master showing how the fried green tea needs to be macerated before drying

In the upcoming months the project will support the volunteers with the necessary seeds, seedlings, tools and other material to set up their home gardens and model farms. The MYA/002 team and its partners are looking forward to soon be tasting those homegrown vegetables in a few weeks time.

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- 2 October
- By Neira Ramic
- Asia Office LAO/029
- Education, vocationnal training and employment
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LAOS - Marking World Tourism Day with the launch of the Sabaidee English App to improve language skills in tourism and hospitality
World Tourism Day is globally celebrated on 27 September each year to raise awareness on the contribution tourism makes to sustainable development. This year, the theme is “Tourism and Digital Transformation”. It focuses on the importance of digital technologies in providing innovative approaches to skills development to prepare young people for their future of work. With this in mind, the Technical and Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Sports – with the support of the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029) – has created an English language mobile app, specifically designed for the tourism and hospitality sector.

© Phoonsab Thevongsa

Called Sabaidee English, the app aims to improve English language competences of students and employees in tourism and hospitality. Through a series of fun and entertaining exercises and games, users can practice and improve their communication skills in English. The app, which is available on both Android and iOS platforms, is completely free of charge and once downloaded, can be used offline. In its testing phase, Sabaidee English was very well received by students and teachers alike. It has also been welcomed by employers as an effective and accessible way to develop the English language skills of staff.

© Phoonsab Thevongsa

"As 2018 is Visit Laos Year, special attention needs to be placed on developing the capacities of people currently employed in the tourism and hospitality sector, as well as those undertaking education and training for future careers in the industry. Through the development of Sabaidee English, the Technical and Vocational Education Department is committed to improving English communication skills for employees in tourism and hospitality”, says Mr Nouphanh Outsa, Director General, Technical and Vocational Education Department.

© Phoonsab Thevongsa

Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has celebrated World Tourism Day on 27 September each year. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

The Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029) is co-financed by the Governments of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev).
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- 1 October
- By Benoît SANTIQUIAN
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LuxDev, the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation, is 40 years old!
It has been 40 years since LuxDev, the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation, actively started participating in the implementation of the development cooperation policy of the Luxembourg government. Mainly active in the sectors of education and vocational training, health, renewable energies, agriculture and food security, decentralization and local governance, natural resource management as well as water and sanitation, the Agency is present in 12 countries on four continents.

Working primarily for the Luxembourg Cooperation, the Agency has, thanks to its know-how and experience, evolved and developed over time. In fact, it has gradually gained international renown and has been entrusted with the implementation of cooperation projects and programs by other donors such as, for example, the European Union, Switzerland or Denmark.

But the main evolution of LuxDev, whose mission aims nowadays to contribute to strengthen the capacity of Luxembourg's partner countries in order to allow them take ownership of their own development policies and strategies, lies in changing the way it operates.

This major development has been highlighted recently at the 40th anniversary conference entitled:

When the rhythm of the drums changes, the steps of the dancer also change

LuxDev, or the art of being proactive in a constantly changing environment.

During this event, whose interest and relevance were hailed by all the actors of the cooperation of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as well as by the partners of the countries in which LuxDev is active, the Agency had brought together speakers from its field staff and eminent representatives of the governments with which it cooperates.

Thus we could hear:
- Dr. Nao Boutta, Director of the Department of Health of Vientiane Province at the beginning of the cooperation between Laos and Luxembourg in 1996, who is currently Director of the Ministry of Health in Laos;
- Peter Heimann, expert in the development of health systems strengthening mechanisms and the implementation of quality improvement programmes with over 20 years of experience in health system development, international assistance and the management of projects and programmes for development assistance;
- Professor Abdelkader Galy, who is affiliated to the Office of the Prime Minister of Niger and coordinator of the support unit for the implementation and monitoring of the sectoral plan for education and training;
- Mrs. Kadidja Oujdi, Senior Technical Advisor of the Education Program (NIG / 023) implemented by LuxDev, a specialist in institutional capacity building and improved management of education systems;
- Mr. Mamour Ousmane Bâ, senior consultant in training class planning who has been a member of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Planning for 30 years and general coordinator of cooperation between Senegal and Luxembourg over the last decade; and
- Mr. Yann Nachtmann, a member of the Luxembourg Cooperation for 18 years in West Africa and currently Technical Assistant in Senegal in support of capacity building for LuxDev.
Following a speech by Messrs Romain Schneider, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Action and Gaston Schwartz, LuxDev's Managing Director, the speakers discussed successively the evolution of the Agency's modus operandi in the areas of health in Laos and education in Niger, before concluding by highlighting the modalities that allowed the Agency to move from a project approach to national execution in Senegal.

In each of these three cases, the speakers have allowed the public to understand why and how LuxDev has evolved from an approach that consists mainly of implementing development actions under governance, to a modus operandi making the national actors the owners and the first ones responsible for their development.

The evening then ended with a cocktail dinner whose musical entertainment was provided by Aboubakar Traoré, a true prodigy of kamelé n'goni and exceptional singer from Burkina Faso.

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- 26 September
- By Hoang Le Cam Do
- Asia Office VIE/032
- Inclusive and innovative finance
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VIETNAM - Workshop on the Financial Conglomerates Supervision
Danang has recently witnessed the first training workshop on the Financial Conglomerates Supervision in Vietnam under the framework of Project VIE/032 – Capacity Building in Finance Sector. The intensive three-day training, from 27 to 29 August 2018, was jointly held by Project VIE/032 and Vietnam’s National Financial Supervisory Commission (NFSC).

Despite NFSC being the only institute assigned for Financial Conglomerates supervision in Vietnam by the Prime Minister’s decision since 2015, with a specialised Financial Conglomerate Department being responsible for 8 potential financial conglomerates (if so-called) (i.e. 7 bank-holding companies & 1 insurance corporation), the Vietnamese regulatory regime for a financial conglomerate is currently basically an institutional approach with separate requirements for banks, securities firms and insurance companies. Until a national supervisory framework or concrete guidelines for financial conglomerate supervision are available, a number of potential risks threaten the financial market in Vietnam. It has become an urgent need for NFSC to get updated with latest information and shared with knowledge and skills by one of the experienced conglomerate supervision example countries within the region. Experts from both public regulators and private sector on Conglomerates from South Korea (Korean Financial Supervisory Services, Shinhan Financial Group, and one of the top professors on risk contagion within Financial Conglomerates from Dongguk University in S. Korea) were therefore chosen as speakers and facilitators for the workshop.

The training workshop draw attention from various financial institutions and entities. In addition to majority of participants coming from NFSC, the rests were from Ministry of Finance, State Securities Commission, Insurance Supervision Authority, Central Economic Committee, Economic Committee of National Assembly, financial and economics academy/university/college, as well as from banking sectors (State Bank of Vietnam and other state-owned commercial banks).

Issues exchanged in the event have been of great interest for all participants, which covered from legal issues such as building up legal frameworks for conglomerates, conglomerates identification, international supervision and examination standards (criteria, information collection), reporting regulations and typical models to technical matters as risk contagion, information sharing and feasible problems/challenges to be resolved; study cases were also shared by the speakers.

NFSC’s Deputy Manager of Conglomerates Supervision Department, Mrs. Thi Minh Nguyet NGUYEN, shared her view that the three-day event has satisfactorily reached her expectations: “The training is quite useful with loads of information; the presentations and discussion focus right on the knowledge blanks I wanted to fill”.

Mr. Huy Tuan HA, Vice Chairman of the NFSC, expressed his appreciation of the training contents and highly valued the support from Luxembourg to this event, saying: “the support from Luxembourg’s government through the activities of Project VIE/032 is very much appreciated. With that, we could grasp a dear opportunity to have our staff’s knowledge widened and skills sharpened, which clearly helps improving the capacity of NFSC’s personnel on this absolutely important subject.”

After the training, the NFSC is expected to “step by step strengthen its conglomerate supervision activities by consolidating supervisory and examination criterion with more detailed and systematic guidelines in data collection and calculation, providing further trainings for Conglomerates Supervision Department’s staff, improving supervision data infrastructure, reinforcing information sharing mechanism amongst relevant departments, and continuing seeking for international technical assistance in development of supervision processes/criteria in line with both international practices and Vietnam’s circumstances”, said Mr. Tuan.
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- 17 September
- By Neira Ramic
- Asia Office LAO/029
- Education, vocationnal training and employment
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LAOS - Public and private sectors collaborate for Tourism and Hospitality Skills Training in Sekong Province
In collaboration with the Skills for Tourism Project LAO/029, Swisscontact is implementing the Pheun Than Heng A Sip Training Programme (PTHAS) which seeks to upgrade hospitality skills amongst 500 MSME (Micro Small Medium Enterprise) staff and support 500 more people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter the tourism and hospitality sector in selected southern and central provinces.

On 5th September 2018, 24 staff members from micro, small and medium tourism/hospitality enterprises received PTHAS certificates of completion for a hospitality upskilling training programme. The training was delivered by industry experts from the neighbouring Champasak Hotel and Restaurant Association (CHRA). The staff members completed 12 competency assessed units in either food and beverage services or housekeeping. The training was held on 4 – 5 September 2018.

Certificates were presented in Lamam town by Mr. Thongkharn Khounpaserth, president of the Sekong Hotel, Guesthouse Restaurant Group (SK HGRG) and signed by both SK HGRG and Mr. Sounbanh Daesomphong, the Deputy Director of the Department of Information, Culture and Tourism (DICT).

Swisscontact is supporting the SK HGRG to deliver the PTHAS training programme under the Skills for Tourism (Project LAO/029).

Project LAO/029 is supported by the Governments of Lao PDR, Switzerland and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
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- 14 September
- By Raja CHOWDHRY
- Asia Office VIE/034
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VIETNAM - Bac Kan Province Delights Local Small Business Owners with Demand Driven Tourism English Programme
Located in Nam Mau commune – Ba Be district, Ba Be Lake and National Park is 70km from the center of Bac Kan province and covers more than 7,600 ha with almost half of this area is strictly protected and off the beaten track. There is a huge amount to explore there, with a vast variety of flora and fauna, as well as interesting geology and landscapes to discover.

The lake itself is actually three small lakes joined together – Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng. The area is a national preserved forest and tourist centre and a national park. It is recognised by UNESCO as a Ramsar site in Vietnam - an important wetland of the world. Located 145m above the sea level, the lake has an average depth of 20-25m and its deepest part is 35m. The lake bed is made up of limestone with millions of crags and crevasses that are ideal for a large variety of marine life - there are over a hundred of species of freshwater fish in the lakes.

The Ba Be National Park, home of Tay, Dao and Hmong minorities has been the most visited destination in Bac Kan province by both Vietnamese and international tourists. According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Bac Kan welcomed more than 300,000 tourists in the first 6 months of 2018, of which 10,500 were foreigners.

To attract more foreign tourists by providing them with the market-driven tourism products and improve the quality of tourism services, the district government and homestay owners in Pac Ngoi & Bo Lu villages who constitute the major tourism labor force in Ba Be National Park decided to improve their tourism English skills but it seemed a big challenge when they had to travel at least 4 hours to the city back and forth on their motorcycle to attend evening classes while being busy with their family lives and family business.

Pac Ngoi class – Working in pairs and groups simulating participation in tourism activities

A demand-driven tourism English course has been tailored and funded to meet the needs of the local government and villagers in Ba Be to enable its learners to communicate in English and strengthen their capacity of providing tourism services of better quality.

The 3-month on-site training which is divided into two modules will allow 56 homestay owners and boat drivers to identify and achieve simpler goals more easily. The people’s committees of Nam Mau and Pac Ngoi villages have contributed the use of community house to facilitate the training classes 3 nights a week.

Bo Lu class – Listening to the instructions and monitoring self-progress

“This is a great opportunity for Ba Be tourism, especially Pac Ngoi and Bo Lu villages. We do hope that, after the course supported by the project VIE/034, our citizens will be able to communicate effectively with foreign tourists as well as be able to provide higher standard services responding to the market-oriented requirements”, said Ms. Hang – Nam Mau commune chairperson, on the launching day of the training, 23rd August 2018.
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