Burkina Faso

Canada's Commitment
Results
Country Profile

Canada's Commitment

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has a long history of cooperation with Burkina Faso. Cooperation in the field began in 1965 when the governments of Canada and Burkina Faso agreed "to contribute to poverty reduction through the development of the human resources and productive potential of Burkina Faso."

This mandate is found within the CIDA Programming Framework, which also outlines how projects and programs in Burkina Faso are focussed on two key sectors: basic education and local economic development. In addition, through CIDA's regional activities in West Africa, Burkina Faso also benefits from support in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, and in monitoring the spread of HIV/AIDS. Democratic development remains a crosscutting theme.

CIDA activities in Burkina Faso are focussed on promoting good government and improving the environment. In addition to bilateral activities, CIDA also supports the international cooperation efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. The Industrial Cooperation Program is focussed on helping the Canadian private sector develop partnerships and work with the private sector abroad. Canadian institutions and NGOs work more in the areas of education, health and microfinance.

CIDA has adopted a program approach in which international donors pool their resources to support priorities and plans of the respective local governments.

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Results

Thanks to the Burkina Faso Ten-year Basic Education Development Plan Support Program, basic education has become more accessible. The CIDA program supporting the Plan has helped to increase the number of classrooms throughout Burkina Faso, from 19,252 in 2001-2002 to 24,403 in 2004-2005. The number of teachers also rose by 34 percent from 2001 to 2005. This program is in line with long-term sector support, coordinated with that of Burkina Faso's other technical and financial partners, in a program-based approach.

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Country Profile

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country with over 13 million people. Burkina Faso is one of the world's poorest countries; in 2005, it ranked 175^th out of 177 on the United Nations Human Development Index. The latest analyses show that 46.4 percent of the population lives under the poverty line. Economic growth rates are positive, however, and many reforms have been implemented since 1991. Yet social indicators are slow to improve.

Economically, Burkina Faso faces a difficult domestic and international environment, marked by falling cotton prices and devaluation of the dollar. Nonetheless, Burkina Faso's economy grew by an annual average of 5 percent from 1994 to 2004 and by 7.5 percent in 2005. This performance is not enough to put the country firmly on the road to prosperity, but it has enabled Burkina Faso to halt its downward spiral and put itself on a positive path. This suggests that the people will gradually improve their social and economic conditions and reduce their current level of poverty.

Burkina Faso has embarked successfully on a democratization process. This is in spite of complex open conflicts that plague the sub-region, especially in Côte d'Ivoire, where Burkina Faso has major strategic interests. The democratic process is generally well underway, despite a few glitches such as the 'Zongo affair'. These blips unfortunately give foreigners a negative impression of Burkina Faso. Politically, though, elections are generally calm and by universal suffrage, thanks to continually increasing voter turnout. This shows Burkina Faso's attachment to the democratic openness it acquired in 1991.