The module "Strengthening the efficiency of drinking water and sanitation services" is part of the technical cooperation programme "Drinking water and sanitation in Burkina Faso", which aims to improve access to drinking water and sanitation for the population, particularly in peri-urban areas and villages close to towns. The objective of the module is that "urban drinking water supply and sanitation services are improved".

The programme targets the urban and peri-urban population of selected partner communes in the Boucle du Mouhoun, Hauts-Bassins, South-West and Centre-North regions (approx. 180,000 people) and indirectly the urban population of the whole country through improved management of drinking water supply and sanitation. The intermediaries are the staff of the National Water and Sanitation Office (ONEA) and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation (MEA), as well as the elected officials and staff of the communes. A large part of the population, including high numbers of internally displaced people and vulnerable groups (women and children), lacks safe access to clean water and good sanitation.

The methodological approach of the programme is capacity building of state and communal actors (multi-level approach) to improve cooperation in the sector and to strengthen the capacities of partner structures. The main outputs are:

1. The improvement of national steering tools for the water supply and sanitation sub-sector through the use of digital technologies;
2. The improvement of the basis for the large-scale implementation of decentralised sanitation systems;
3. Municipal project management for water supply and sanitation in the project intervention municipalities is improved; and
4. ONEA's performance in terms of climate change resilient and customer-oriented water supply and sanitation is improved.

The Consultant's support focuses on indicators related to outputs 3 and 4. Output 3 involves assistance to municipal project management (including leasing, management of facilities, accountability) and hydraulic and sanitary engineering (water safety). Output 4 involves support to ONEA for the control of operating costs with a view to climate change in terms of adaptation and mitigation (in particular, non-revenue water and energy efficiency) and steering and corporate communication (accountability).