Burkina Faso: A new project to promote inclusive and resilient governance

On Thursday, June 30, 2022, the Inclusive Governance for Resilience (IGR) project was launched in Ouagadougou. The project is funded by USAID for a period of five years.

On July 26, 2021, Creative Associates International and its implementing partner, Lutheran World Relief, began implementation of the Inclusive Governance for Resilience (IGR) project.

Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the tune of more than 11 billion CFA francs over five years (2021-2026), the project aims toThe project aims to help local governance in Burkina Faso move from a transactional system of supply and demand to a system of shared responsibility for building resilience. Specifically, it aims to build the capacity of the Burkina Faso government, particularly at the local level, to efficiently and effectively deliver services that meet the needs of its communities.

The project also aims to build the capacity of civil society organizations, citizens, and local and community-based organizations to articulate and advocate for their needs and to communicate effectively with their communities.The project also aims to build the capacity of civil society organizations, citizens, local and community organizations to express and advocate for their needs and communicate constructively with government officials, and to create regular forums for productive dialogue between citizens and the state.

It will be implemented in 19 communes and four regions of Burkina Faso: the North, the Centre-North, the Sahel and the East.

Concretely on the ground, the project will work at the community level in partnership with local organizations to co-create and implement communal roadmaps for resilience. These communal roadmaps will include specific interventions that broaden the thinking of local actors on how to address complex social challenges and problem sets through collective action.

They will also improve the functionality of local governments through strengthened administrative, organizational, and technical capacities and increased own revenues. And finally, the interventions will foster systems of accountability through specific community mechanisms for citizen participation, advocacy and oversight.

"A state cannot be stable without effective and inclusive participation that builds respect and support among its citizens. I am proud to say that the IGR project best embraces what democracy and governance is all about: the voice of the citizens. IGR ensures that governance is local, that it listens, and that citizens are empowered to create change. The fundamental rights of citizens are the glue to manage and prevent conflict, stimulate economic growth, and protect human dignity. Countries with democratic freedoms are more equitable, peaceful, and stable," said Alyson McFarland, USAID country representative at the project launch ceremony.

The technical advisor to the Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Security, Allahidi Diallo, emphasized that the objectives of the IGR project fit perfectly with the government's ambition to make decentralization a reality.He stressed that the objectives of the RMI project are perfectly in line with the government's ambition to make decentralization a crucible and a major lever for driving inclusive and participatory initiatives for economic and social development. This is why he assures the government's support for a successful implementation of the project.

For the record, the IGR project is a component of USAID's Rise
II program, which contributes to the U.S. government's goal of building resilience to climate change.The IGR project is a component of USAID's Rise II program, which contributes to the U.S. government's goal of strengthening the resilience of Burkina Faso's most vulnerable populations to climate shocks and other natural disasters and lifting them out of poverty.

Source: lefaso.net/