Building Water Utility Capacities Through WOPs: The ADB Experience

Yolanda GomezADB-WOPs

30 May 2013

Purpose of 5th Symposium

Outline of Presentation

• Introduction on the ADB-WOPs

• Key Actors

• Steps in WOPs

• ADBs Involvement

• WOPs Models and Approaches

• Factors of Success

• Lessons Learned and Way Forward

ADB-WOPs

• Started in 2007• Throughout Asia and the Pacific, water operators need much improvement• Need for a new approach

ADB-WOPs•Twinning of water operators, promoting peer-to-peer learning (practitioner driven capacity building)

• Twinning offers an ideal mix of exposure and OJT

What is Twinning About?• It involves a mentor, one or more recipients, and a facilitator• Mentor utilities are willing to share best practice for free (they don’t charge staff time)• Recipient utilities are willing to replicate these best practices through piloting• Facilitator (i.e. ADB) provides coordination and funding support to the twinning partners

Five Steps in Twinning

• Identification - identification & profiling• Introduction – match twinning partners• Establishment – initiate the twinning• Implementation – carry out WOPs activities• Expansion – support replication & scale-up

Achievements to date

• Completed 20 twinning partnerships• 18 on going• Another 29 being targeted• NRW management as top priority focus• Increased focus on water quality, asset management, energy efficiencies, sanitation

WOPs models and approaches• One mentor-one recipient• One mentor- multiple recipients• Utility to utility twinning partnership

WOPs Success Factors• Readiness of the recipient to learn and invest in replication of best practices• Focus on 1-2 tangible, realistic outcomes• Continued engagement in between visits• Seeing is believing• Champion within recipient organizations

WOPs Success Factors• Highly experienced mentor staff• Access to financing and follow up support for expansion

Some lessons learned• Need to develop new and innovative models to address needs of recipient utilities•All twinning to be closely tied to on-going or pipeline ADB activities•Need to maintain contact even after the twinning partnership•Use of state of art technology to enhance continued engagement during the partnership

Some lessons learned• Global recognition of value of involving practitioners in capacity building• Practical insights results in more effective improvements• To facilitate replication of best practice, twinning should be supplemented by training and development of knowledge products

Purpose of 5th Symposium

Thank you for your attention.