Burkina Faso/Water and sanitation : Official start-up of two new projects

Two projects financed by the European Union in the water and sanitation sector were officially launched this Friday, May 17, 2024, during a ceremony in the commune of Réo.

"Making the right to water and sanitation a reality in Burkina Faso is a decades-old quest, as much for the people as for the authorities and development partners". This is the conviction of Jean Bosco Bazié, Executive President of the NGO Eau vive internationale.

For this reason, two projects have been launched to provide a response in the water and sanitation sector. These are the Projet renforcement de l'opérationnalisation de la GIRE (PRO-GIRE) in four sub-watersheds within the remit of the Agence de l'eau du Mouhoun (AEM), and the Partenariat pour le développement des services d'eau potable et assainissement dans la région du Centre-ouest.

The first project aims to contribute to better management of water resources in the AEM's area of competence, involving 20 communes in the Centre-Ouest, Hauts-Bassins and Boucle du Mouhoun regions, over a 48-month period.

The second project aims to guarantee drinking water and sanitation for all by 2030 in the Centre-West region of Burkina Faso. The main beneficiaries are local populations, internally displaced persons (IDPs), schools and health centers.

Compatibility with national objectives

Both projects will be implemented by consortia of NGOs. These are IRC, OXFAM, Help and Eau vive internationale. According to Jean Bosco Bazié, representative of the NGO consortia, these two projects will directly affect some 80,000 people in the three regions. "This major financial commitment by the European Union supports the determination of Burkina Faso's highest authorities to pursue efforts to achieve the MDGs in the field of water and sanitation," he notified.

The representative of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, technical advisor Alassane Sori, pointed out that these two projects are fully in line with the national "water battle" initiative led by his department on the instructions of the Head of State. He urged "all stakeholders to adopt a spirit of collaboration and partnership to ensure the success" of the projects.

Donor conviction

The European Union (EU) is funding these two projects to the tune of 4.2 billion CFA francs over the period 2024-2027. Present at the joint launch ceremony, EU Ambassador to Burkina Faso Daniel Aristi Gaztelumendi expressed his satisfaction with the implementation of the two projects. "It will be carried out in conjunction with the deconcentrated technical departments concerned by the planned actions. This, I am convinced, will contribute to the sustainability of the actions", he asserted.

It should be noted that the official launch of these two projects comes on the eve of the 10th World Water Forum, to be held from May 18 to 25, 2024 in Bani, Indonesia. Three weeks ago (April 22-24, 2024), Burkina Faso held its National Water and Sanitation Forum.

Source: lefaso.net/