Burkina Faso/Implementation of the Weoog-Paani project: Results presented to stakeholders in the northern region
Begun in 2019, the scaling-up phase of the "Weoog-Paani" project comes to an end in May 2024. A workshop is being held this April 30, 2024 in Arbolé to present the results achieved by the project to stakeholders in the northern region, and to reflect on mechanisms for sustaining the gains made. Supported by the Tree Aid, SNV, UNCDF consortium, and financed by Sweden, Weoog-Paani has been implemented in 25 communes in the North, East, Centre-South and Centre-East regions. The main aim of the project is to strengthen the promotion of local governance of forest resources and non-timber forest products, with a view to achieving sustainable development goals.
In the Nord region, a total of ten communes have benefited from the implementation of Weoog-Paani project activities. In concrete terms, the project has promoted an environment conducive to local governance of forest resources, enhanced the regeneration, production and preservation potential of forest areas, and helped communities adapt to climate change.regeneration, production and preservation of forest areas, helping communities to adapt to climate change, and increasing stakeholders' incomes through the economic development of forest resources.
According to project coordinator Abdoulaye Gango, the project's activities have strengthened the capacities of local players in terms of local governance and decentralized management of forest resources. Communes and communities have also been helped to identify and demarcate forests, and eleven forest development and management plans have been drawn up. In addition, 139 forestry companies have been created and 13 nurseries have been set up, with over 852,000 seedlings planted.
In order to strengthen forest regeneration capacity, boulis have been set up, and more than 247,000 moringa, shea and baobab trees have been transplanted, with an average survival rate of 67%. 18 nutrient gardens for non-timber forest products, 4 water points and 331 access tracks have also been created in the forests.
"We have systems of communal technical advisors (CTCs) that enable communes to successfully carry out their forest governance actions. There are also committees organized into forest management groups to take charge of monitoring and strengthening forests. In addition to these committees, there are companies that enable the products extracted from these forests to be used to improve local incomes", added the project coordinator.
The Weoog-Paani project has been able to count on the support of traditional chiefs to enable it to be implemented in the communes. For the Tenkoalgd Naaba Karfo, representative of the Gomponsom chief, Weoog-Paani's activities have made it possible to preserve forests that were threatened with extinction, and at the same time improve the living conditions of the beneficiary populations. As guarantor of the tradition, he undertook to continue communicating with the local population, so that the forest preservation actions could continue.
The project received support from the Ministry of the Environment, for the supervision of activities carried out in the communes and with the beneficiaries. Harouna Ouédraogo, Regional Director for the Environment in the Nord region, praised the innovative nature of the project, as well as its achievements, despite a number of difficulties. These include the operationalization of the transfer of skills and resources, and the lengthy and costly process of registering forests. He expressed the hope that other phases of the project would help to meet the above-mentioned challenges.
The special delegations of the beneficiary communes have also made their contribution to the implementation of Weoog-Paani. According to the president of the Séguénéga special delegation, Ali Camara, communal authorities have played a facilitating role, helping groups to obtain certain documents such as land charters. They also supported the communal technical advisor in carrying out the project's activities. He was delighted with the implementation of the project, particularly in his commune, as it has enabled the regeneration of four forests and thus attéthe effects of climate change, build the capacity of forest management groups, who can now process non-timber forest products and improve their incomes. He invited the local population to continue their efforts to regreen the commune.
For the direct beneficiaries of the project, its added value to their lives is no longer in doubt. Francine Sawadogo, from Gourcy's communal coordination of the shea industry, confides that thanks to Weoog-Paani, she and her peers have been able to benefit from capacity-building on forest preservation and sustainable development.s on forest preservation and the processing of non-timber forest products (shea butter, shea butter-based soap and ointment, etc.).). In addition, she participates in national and international trade fairs and meetings to share experiences. Even though the project is coming to an end, Francine Sawadogo intends to continue applying the knowledge acquired under the project to improve her production activities.
With the end of bilateral cooperation between Burkina Faso and Sweden, the second scaling-up phase of the Weoog-Paani project cannot be deployed. However, this does not discourage those involved in the project, who see it as an opportunity to turn to other partners. As project coordinator Abdoulaye Gango explains, building the technical and material capacities of the players involved should ensure the sustainability of the project. During the closing workshop, participants will also reflect on how to propose endogenous sustainability strategies.
Source: lefaso.net/
