A group of mayors in Mali have agreed to pool their resources and develop a Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP) through the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) programme, a European Union action. The Intercommunal of Balanzan is a group of local governments comprising four towns in Mali’s Ségou region. Home to a population of over 300 000, the four municipalities are taking the opportunity offered by the CoM SSA programme to address their sanitation issues together.

The mayors explained their interest in joining CoM SSA when they met the programme’s implementing partner Expertise France:

Mr Nouhoum Diarra, President of the Intercommunal, Mayor of urban municipality of Ségou: The creation of the intercommunal was firstly motivated by sharing a common issue: sanitation. The municipality of Ségou has only one waste dump, which is currently full. The four municipalities are united by common issues and wish to strengthen and pool their resources, their technical and financial capacities to face the common supra-municipal development challenge.

Mrs Diabate Mamou Bamba, Mayor of rural municipality of Pelengana: Unlike the three other towns, all of which are located in the hills, Pelengana is in the lowland. The river Niger passes through six villages in my municipality, and the riverbanks are cluttered with waste from runoff waters, killing fish resources and limiting fishing. The water table drops so much so that the river is regularly dry in March and April. Pelengana also has two protected forests in its territory, but deforestation is a real problem. There is a shortage of firewood in the intercommunal and this must be supplied from the neighbouring municipalities.

Mr Bakary Diarra, Mayor of rural municipality of Sakoiba: My municipality is the only one [in the group] that is not provided with electricity and water utilities (by Energie du Mali (EDM-SA) and the Société Malienne de la Gestion de l’Eau Potable (SEMAGEP)). Only the city hall and the health centre have electricity. For us the priority is to provide the school with electricity and increase the number of washhouses and latrines. 

Mr Modibo Traore, Mayor of rural municipality of Sébougou: My municipality is the smallest of the four, we are in a near-desert area, with no forest. We are located by the river, and one of our villages will soon disappear due to erosion. Many residents have already left. The river waters are also highly polluted by industries that discharge wastewater into it, in the absence of a treatment plant.

The Intercommunal of Balanzan will receive technical assistance and other support throughout the climate action plan process, including support to identify sources of finance for their projects. Through CoM SSA, signatories can access the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy network and innovate joint approaches for more efficient and integrated action in the fight against climate change in Africa.