Technology Applicability Framework (TAF)
The WASHTech project (2011-2013) involves local partners in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Uganda to introduce a robust Technology Applicability Framework (TAF) that will assess the potential of new innovative technologies which may be used at the decentralised level. The TAF helps the user decide if a WASH technology is sustainable and applicable – or not – in the specific context of the user. The framework also indicates risks and supportive factors that may affect the technology introduction process in the user’s context.
The TAF examines key criteria such as: how the technology performs, whether buyers and users are interested in the technology (i.e. the market), whether the technology can be applied widely, what support is required from government and private sector institutions, and how sustainable the technology is over time.
The life cycle costs of a technology is one criteria used to assess technologies.
The TAF is currently being tested together with sector stakeholders in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Uganda.
Key Documents
- Skat, 2011. Review of Framework for Technology Assessment. WASHTech Deliverable 3.1. The Hague, The Netherlands: WASHTech c/o IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and Sankt Gallen. Skat.
- Cranfield University et al.,. 2012. Synthesis report on stakeholder baseline studies on technology selection process and the stakeholders’ attitudes (WASHTech Deliverable 7.1). The Hague, The Netherlands: WASHTech c/o IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and Cranfield: Cranfield University.
