Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso, which means "Land of Incorruptible People", is one of the poorest countries in Africa. Difficult economic conditions, made worse by severe intermittent droughts, have provoked considerable migration from rural to urban areas within Burkina Faso and to neighbouring countries. Climate change in Burkina Faso goes hand in hand with urbanisation, as the climate is often drier in rural areas. This has had a major impact on the country, with an urban growth rate of almost six per cent. Ouagadougou, the capital, is characterised by poor access to basic urban services, such as housing, employment and security. About 65 per cent of the urban population in Burkina Faso resides in slums. This illustrates the urgent need for housing and infrastructure.
A national housing and urban development policy has been developed by the State under the Constitution. Burkina Faso continues working on the urban strategy to align national, local and community urban development and housing efforts. The Constitution secures the right of all to adequate housing and the citywide integration of excluded neighbourhoods through specific measures under the Planning and Construction Code. In collaboration with Cities Alliance, Burkina Faso continues to work on the urban strategy to align national, local and community urban development and housing efforts. The country also launched an innovative land reform initiative. One of the outcomes of this reform was ensured secure tenure for all Ouagadougou residents.
With a budget of USD 600,000, the projects being implemented as part of Phase 3 of PSUP in Burkina Faso focus on urban improvement works in the slums of Bissighin. The improvements to rainwater drainage and the requalification of an abandoned bancotiére (soil quarry) are two concrete examples of how the projects improve the resilience of the area. The establishment of a neighbourhood committee and community projects such as the lighting of a health centre and the establishment of socio-educative infrastructure demonstrate the central position of the community in the program. The government is committed to a review of the national urban development policy, and therefore the country is organizing a National Urban Forum under the leadership of the Head of State. Informal settlements were made one of its key priorities and therefore a special session will be dedicated to PSUP during this important event. This reveals the high political commitment and government will to apply and scale up the approaches of PSUP. The program drove the government to assign an additional USD 3 million to the up-scaling of the slum upgrading efforts through the ‘Cities without Slums’ initiative.