1. West Africa Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program (WA-WASH) (2011-2017) http://wawash.fiu.edu
Principal Investigator: Dr. Lakhdar Boukerrou
Director, International Program and Global Initiatives
Faculty Contact Information: lboukerr@fiu.edu | Tel: 305-348-5976
Department: Dean’s Office
Funding Agency: USAID
Partners: Winrock | RAIN | FIU | CARE | WSA | PROMACO | ANIMAS SUTURA | IRC | UNESCO-IHE | BPD |
From October 2011 to December 2017, Dr. Boukerrou served as the Chief of Party/Regional Director of the $24 million USAID WA-WASH Program in West Africa. As the Chief of Party/Regional Director, he oversaw activities in water, sanitation, food security, climate change, gender (Phase I – 2011-2015), and institutional and human capacity building (Phase II – 2016-2017). The efficient management and the sustainability strategy implemented by Dr. Boukerrou resulted in official recognition by the President of Burkina Faso for the success and the results reached by the USAID WA-WASH program. Because of its wide-ranging result framework, the USAID WA-WASH Projects involved 24 implementing partners, which Dr. Boukerrou managed in a very professional, efficient, and productive manner. As the Chief of Party, Dr. Boukerrou has brought on board a number of organizations to raise funds, which results in over 5.5 million dollars in matching funds or direct contributions to the USAID WA-WASH Programs. These contributions enhanced the program results and allowed the US taxpayers funding to go beyond the projected initial objectives.
Between 2012 and 2017, USAID WA-WASH trained over 300 interns from Africa and the United States and awarded 72 scholarships to masters’ students in five West African countries. The internships and scholarships for Burkina Faso students were co-funded by the National Lottery (a government organization) which contributed $750,000 to the Program. For reports related to this project click here and for presentations related to WA-WASH click here.
2. West Africa Water Quality Laboratory Capacity Building (2015-2018)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Lakhdar Boukerrou
Director, International Program and Global Initiatives
Faculty Contact Information: lboukerr@fiu.edu | Tel: 305-348-5976
Department: Dean’s Office
Funding Agency: USAID West Africa
Partners: USEPA | Battelle
In collaboration with USEPA, Dr. Boukerrou is managing a project to build the institutional and human capacity of a water quality laboratory in West Africa. The project is funded by USAID West Africa through a Participating Agency Program Agreement (PAPA) with USEPA. The goal of the program is to train water quality laboratory technicians and to develop the institutional capacity by helping develop standard operating procedures. The initial focus of this program is on the Ghana Water Company Ltd in Accra and its satellite labs around the country. In addition, the program has also focused on building the capacity of the African Water Association (AfWA) by training auditors to conduct audits of water utility companies’ quality labs in West Africa.