Establishing a consultative group to review key aspects of intended reforms is quite key for progress. Such a consultative group should be broad based and comprise representatives of essential stakeholders, including associations of municipalities, associations of utility companies, the Ministry of Finance, the central Statistical Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, FMCG organizations, and one or two key citizen organizations/NGOs. Such a consultative group should be viewed as a permanent establishment and provide an ongoing platform for sector consultations.
CDCs and CDAs in the Nigerian term represent association of municipalities and they are typically strong proponents of local needs and key counterparts to the State government on issues of waste management. Important decisions in the sector are rarely carried out unless key stakeholders have been consulted and their endorsement has been secured. Other stakeholders are equally important for the process of negotiating complex implementation schemes requiring the consent of industries, National Governments, and municipalities.
By contrast, most West African States studied in the process of writing this article, do not carry out sufficient consultations with sector stakeholders. Indeed, such consultations are often deemed unnecessary; however, top-down decisions involving little or no prior consultation often bring institutional and public opposition while the power of committed stakeholders remains untapped.