I bring extensive international experience in the planning, management and operations of municipal services, with a portfolio spanning urban sanitation, wastewater management, integrated urban development, and institutional capacity building.
I have worked with cities, national governments, and international partners on policy development, project preparation, and implementation, including advisory and coordination roles for donor-funded programmes in Europe, Asia, and post-conflict contexts. My work combines strategic oversight with hands-on technical assistance, linking infrastructure delivery, governance reform, and participatory planning to improve urban services and resilience.
2024 - 2026
2024 - 2025 - GIZ / EUD Armenia
As a short-term consultant, I was responsible for the planning and appraising a new GIZ–European Union–funded project on municipal water management in the Lake Sevan Basin, contributing to the project’s strategic orientation and alignment with national reforms, EU environmental priorities, and other donor initiatives.
My role focused on shaping the project logic and outputs, with an emphasis on integrated water resource management, municipal wastewater services, climate resilience, and institutional capacity development at national and local levels.
2015 - 2017
2015- 2017 - GIZ India
As cluster coordinator of the GIZ urban portfolio in India, I supervised the implementation of the Support to the National Urban Sanitation Policy (SNUSP II) programme, addressing critical sanitation and wastewater management deficits in rapidly growing Indian cities.
The project supported national, state, and municipal partners in translating sanitation policy into actionable strategies, standards, and city-wide sanitation plans. Using a three-tier approach linking policy, scaling, and local implementation, it strengthened institutional capacities and delivered evidence-based solutions for wastewater, faecal sludge, solid waste management, and gender-sensitive sanitation facilities.
2016 - 2017
2016 - 2017 - GIZ
Conceptualisation of a new technical cooperation project complementary to the Indian Smart Cities Mission, focusing on promoting and sustainable urban transport in the cities of Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore and Cochi.
2014
2014 - GFA Consulting Group GmbH
KfW German Financial Cooperation
Preparation of "Guidelines for Commissioning and Managing Feasibility Studies" for District Planners in Rwanda on how to plan typical municipal capital investment projects of local authorities in Rwanda.
Municipal services covered included markets, roads, schools, health care facilities, water supply, etc.
The guidelines were tested in a one-week training for Rwandan District Planners and staff of the Rwanda Local Administrative Entities Development Agency - LODA
2009
2009 - GTZ
Recurrent backstopping support to the multilateral regional program launched by ADB, and the governments of Germany and Sweden in 2007 that assists medium-sized Asian cities (with 250.000 – 5 million inhabitants) to access to financing for urban infrastructure investment programmes and projects (commissioned by the German contribution to CDIA)
2001 - 2004
2001 - 2004 German Technical Cooperation
Overall coordination and conceptual backstopping of the implementation of a technical cooperation project aiming at improving municipal services provision by Serbian local governments
The project covered basic services like water supply, sanitation, and waste management, but also housing, municipal finance and capacity building for local governments.
© Frank Samol 2023