7.3 Oversight and management

For the OWNP, overall guidance of the programme is given by the steering committees, however they are not responsible for its management. Management can be described as the art of knowing what to do and then seeing that it is done in the best and most cost-effective way. In the OWNP context, management means knowing how the programme should be implemented and overseeing that implementation to make sure it is being done effectively and efficiently. There is, therefore, a close relationship between management and implementation. As you can see from Figure 7.1, implementation is the responsibility of the Programme Management Units (PMUs) and WASH teams. Implementation is described in Section 7.4.

Federal level

Management and oversight of implementing the OWNP at federal level is through the National WASH Technical Team (NWTT). They focus on managerial oversight of technical activities and are responsible for overseeing the plans that are executed by the WASH sector ministries. In their role they review and give advice on WASH proposals before they are sent to the NWSC for approval. They are also responsible for negotiating with regions about targets and the allocation of resources (POM, 2014).

The NWTT is accountable to the NWSC for performance against budget, plan and expected results in each of the WASH sector ministries. If there is an issue that requires a decision, the NWTT have to submit it to the NWSC. For example, there may be issues raised by a PMU about selecting the location of a new water supply scheme or choosing options for design and construction. The proposal and questions would be sent to the NWTT for technical advice. If the NWTT approves the scheme it then goes to the NWSC for endorsement, however if there is any disagreement, the final decision lies with the NWSC.

The team is composed of directors from relevant directorates in the four WASH ministries, the National WASH Coordinator and invited representatives of donors and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). (These stakeholders are described in Study Session 9.) The assigned representative from the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy is chair and the National WASH Coordinator serves as secretary.

Regional level

The Regional WASH Technical Team (RWTT) is responsible for managerial oversight of technical activities at regional level and has a similar membership profile to the national team. It comprisesdirectors or process owners assigned by the four WASH bureaus, the Regional WASH Coordinator and representatives of donors and WASH CSOs in the region. The representative from the Water Bureau is chair and the Regional WASH Coordinator is secretary (POM, 2014).

The RWTT provides direct oversight and direction for planning and implementing regional programme activities. They review plans, budgets and reports from the WASH sector bureaus and are accountable to the RWSC. They have responsibility for negotiating about targets and resources both upwards with NWTT at national level, and downwards with woredas and towns.

7.2 Governance and guidance

7.4 Implementation