Capacity needs assessment for regulators in water, sanitation and hygiene - how-to guide and tool

Cynthia Ramaholinirina, 6, with some of her classmates washing hands at the handwashing station of their Primary school of Mahavoky village, Belavabary commune, Moramanga district, Alaotra Mangoro region, Madagascar. May 2017.
Image: WaterAid/ Ernest Randriarimalala

In the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector, one of the key building blocks of a systems strengthening approach is regulation. It is important to support people who regulate the WASH sector by identifying any areas that need improvement for them to do their work effectively.  

The first step in supporting water sector regulators around the world is to do a capacity needs assessment to evaluate any gaps in terms of knowledge, skills, opportunities and other elements they need to do their jobs. On the basis of the capacity needs assessment, it is important to create a capacity development and performance improvement plan. The plan then becomes the basis of any further agreements on financing it by donors and governments to strengthen the regulator and improve its key performance areas.

This guideline and tool is intended to provide a detailed methodological approach for doing a capacity needs assessment for water sector regulators.