Burkina Faso/Mining fund for local development: more than 7 billion FCFA for the Communes of Houndé and Soaw

The Mining Local Development Fund (FMDL) was created by the 2015 Mining Code and is an asset for the socio-economic development of Burkina Faso's Communes. While all regions and Communes in the country are beneficiaries, its distribution is made taking into account the presence of the mine in the region and in the Commune.

For example, the commune of Houndé, in the Hauts-Bassins region, which is home to a gold mine, has been able to collect more than 7 billion FCFA from the FMDL since 2019, and the commune of Soaw, in the Centre-Ouest region, which is not a mining town, 152 million FCFA. The FMDL is intended to finance projects included in local development plans (PCD) in the areas of health, education, water and sanitation.

The Commune of Houndé has received more than 7 billion FCFA since 2019. This sum has been used to build several infrastructures such as classrooms, administrative buildings and health centers. All these projects have significantly improved the quality and availability of healthcare and education in the Commune of Houndé.

In the Commune of Soaw, the 152 million FCFA received from the FMDL since 2019 have also been used to build infrastructure in the fields of health, education, water and sanitation: an administrative building at the CEG de Kolonkom, a pharmaceutical depot at the CSPS de Kolonkom, latrines at the CMA and boreholes.

While these Communes owe the financing of their infrastructure to the FMDL, the credit for the choice of projects and the quality control of the works lies with the Comités de dialogue et de veille citoyenne (CDVC), which were set up to ensure the proper use of public finances. As part of the implementation of the project "Pour un programme de renforcement de la participation citoyenne et la recevabilité dans la gestion des finances publiques", Oxfam Burkina, in collaboration with its partners CERA/FP, ORCADE and RECIBOG, wanted to ensure the effective management of the FMDL in the beneficiary Communes. This project, financed by the HEWLETT Foundation, contributes to strengthening dialogue and citizen watch, and has set up CDVCs in 3 Communes in Burkina Faso: Houndé (Hauts-Bassins), Soaw (Centre-Ouest) and Dédougou (Boucle du Mouhoun).

In Houndé, the CDVC is still keeping an eye on things, even after the infrastructure has been built. In Dankari, for example, a CSPS whose construction was completed in 2021 is still waiting to be put to use. The reasons for this delay vary from one person to another, but the Committee remains focused on its objective. "We can't build a building with the Local Development Mining Fund without being able to use it. Our wish is for this CSPS to function and for every village to benefit from a CSPS," proclaimed its president, Adama Traoré. Collaboration with the Municipal Council is good, as Special Delegation Chairman Souleymane Dianda acknowledges: "We're lucky to have such an active civil society. As we have nothing to hide, they are always involved in our activities, and their recommendations have enabled us to redirect our actions".

In the Commune of Soaw, Germain Nana and his comrades have turned the CDVC into a veritable tool of interpellation and suggestion between the local executive and the population.Concertation with health center management committees (COGES), meetings with market gardeners from the Soum dam, an accountability day with municipal councillors, awareness-raising on fiscal civic-mindedness... these are just some of the activities they have undertaken to improve local governance. This activism is to the liking of the Commune's top officials, as witnessed by the Vice-President of the Special Delegation, Abdoul Dramane Séni: "The CDVC has drawn a lot of our attention, especially to works that hadn't been carried out properly, and works have been touched up and corrected. We are pleased with such actions, which help to make quality works available to the public.... With them, we no longer lock ourselves away to think for the people, but the people propose their needs".

Source: www.leconomistedufaso.com/