According to Amadou Diallo (START Network), having good forecasts is not sufficient. You need the communities on board. During his presentation on the experience of the ARC Replica project in Senegal, Amadou Diallo mentions three barriers to anticipatory action they experienced when introducing disaster risk financing for early action:

• (1) the conservative mindset – stakeholders are not used to start acting when they don’t see the danger or the gravity yet. Amadou and team in their programme had all the funds secured and the structure in place, but when they were about to start implementation they felt some resistance coming from the teams in the field and also the communities, who were a bit reluctant to start early actions because they were not used to do it and they did not see anything yet, that showed them ‘the situation is serious and we need to act now’. Amadou: “The change in mindset is crucial”.
  
  
• (2) Cultural beliefs that inhibit people from projecting a negative future and people are reluctant to address these future risks. Amadou: “It is common in some cultural beliefs in Africa that people do not want to project a negative future. So often when we try to talk with them on contingency plans, so what we could do in six months or in one year, if a flood happens or a drought, it is difficult to have people participate, because they tend to refuse to think that way.”
  
  
• (3) The costs and technical expertise needed for putting in place disaster risk financing systems are another key barrier. Says Amadou: “Lot of governments have the political will, but lack financial resources and on some occasions technical expertise. We need to see to what extent we can support those governments so they can put in place the institutional infrastructures needed”. The project is implemented in partnership by the Start Network, the Government of Senegal and African Risk Capacity, funded by German government (BMZ through KfW). Six Start Network members are involved in implementation: Catholic Relief Services, Action against Hunger, Oxfam, World Vision, Plan International. This year, after the payout of the financing mechanism, the programme could assist 270 000 people.