ESAWAS conducted its first online course under its flagship WSS Regulation Training Centre launched in March 2024. The course titled ‘Regulating Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS)’ was delivered as a four-week training from October 22 to November 13, 2024, by five expert trainers. Designed for water and sanitation regulators and sector professionals, the course drew about 30 participants from Africa, Europe, and Asia, demonstrating the global need for knowledge and experiences in Citywide Inclusive Sanitation regulation
CWIS has emerged as a strategic response to sanitation challenges, aiming to provide safe, equitable, and sustainable sanitation services to all residents by combining sewered and non-sewered solutions to achieve universal access to sanitation services. With only 57% of the global population and 31% of the African population currently accessing safely managed sanitation services, countries were urged to adopt CWIS to address the persistent gaps in service delivery, particularly in informal settlements and low-income urban areas.
Based on practical learnings from early-adopter countries, the training was designed to provide the fundamental knowledge required for the development and implementation of CWIS service regulation, and promote the adoption of effective practices The course modules covered the following:
- Basics of sanitation services and Citywide Inclusive Sanitation – the characteristics of sanitation services and CWIS as an approach to respond to sanitation challenges and accelerate the progress towards safe and inclusive sanitation.
- Basics of Regulation and Citywide Inclusive Sanitation services – the regulatory framework for CWIS – covering the enabling environment, instruments and mechanisms for CWIS regulating
- Sanitation Service Delivery Models and Technologies – understanding the characteristics of sewered and non-sewered sanitation and different service delivery models including pro-poor approaches and solutions
- Tariff setting and financing mechanisms for CWIS – Challenges in sanitation sector financing, tariff structure, innovative financing mechanisms in practice, and the role of regulator in enhancing access to finances for CWIS implementation.
- Integrity in CWIS Regulation – Integrity mechanisms to address integrity risks in CWIS regulation and service provision, discussing the application of TAPA (Transparency, Accountability, Participation, and Anti-Corruption) framework for regulating with integrity (within the regulatory institutions) and for integrity (among service providers and users) along the sanitation service chain. This module was delivered by the Water Integrity Network (WIN)
At the end of the training participants were able to understand Citywide Inclusive Sanitation as a public service; the enabling environment for CWIS implementation; and the design of regulatory frameworks for sewered and non-sewered sanitation service provision.
Instituting inclusive sanitation regulation can serve as a key driver to sector organization and service improvements. Effective regulation plays a critical role in improving WSS service delivery by ensuring that government policy is implemented and service providers are accountable and supported in delivering efficient, affordable, reliable and quality services under professionalised arrangements. This training marks another milestone in building the capacity of sector actors to deliver sustainable sanitation solutions that leave no one behind.
Look out for ESAWAS training opportunities on https://www.esawas.org/training
