Senior staff of the partner organisation in Mali - the National Agency for the Management of Wastewater Treatment Plants of Mali (ANGESEM)- came together in February 2025 for a leadership workshop through the Blue Deal partnership.
During three days, the ANGESEM staff defined step-by-step the core values of ANGESEM. Paula Dobbelaar (DWA Rivierenland) and Caroline Figueres supported this workshop as part of the Mali partnership. The workshop also resulted in drafting a managerial charter aiming at strengthening governance and enhancing ANGESEM’s organisational culture.
Boost for laboratory activities Blue Deal Mali
The year 2025 has started off successfully for the Blue Deal Mali partnership. In January, a working visit to ANGESEM took place by a team from water authority Hunze and Aa’s, led by Geert-Jan ten Brink, the president of the water authority.
The main objective was to improve the operations of the water laboratory. Since the Mali partnership focuses on improving wastewater treatment for the city of Bamako, the ANGESEM laboratory plays a crucial role in better monitoring and enforcement of water quality.
Robert Boonstra, head of the Hunze and Aa’s laboratory, and chemical physical analyst Manon Schaap, worked together with the highly enthusiastic colleagues from ANGESEM during the visit to improve water analyses, protocols, database usage, and on better reporting of laboratory results.
The visit strengthened relationships with the embassy, the Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development, and ANGESEM’s management. All parties are pleased that the Blue Deal restarted in 2024. This happened despite Mali’s challenging geopolitical situation, which makes cooperation difficult. Collaboration with SNV, which has a large local office, has shown that the partnership is safely and effectively structured. Therefore, the partnership is very meaningful and relevant.
