Strategic and planning support to rural roads in Burkina Faso

The Government of Burkina Faso has declared the improvement of rural transport as being a privileged means in its socio-economic development and poverty reduction agenda. In 2002, SDC started the PrEst programme aiming at, in a decennial perspective, the existence in the region of a locally managed and sustainable network of rural earth roads. Within an action research approach, the programme acts as a catalyst for innovative methods (e.g. labour-based technology) and as facilitator. Skat has been mandated in regular intervals to perform appraisal missions, develop operational planning documents, assure the strategic follow-up of the programme and to backstopp the implementer's team.

Implemented by Helvetas, PrEst phase 1 (June 2002– Sept. 2004) has put in place the enabling mechanisms and was able to test the approach during the first realisations. The intervention strategy in phase 2 (Oct. 2004 - March 2008) focused then on the transfer of competencies and safeguarding of the investments whilst new realisations (200 km) and maintenance of the roads were regarded as training tools. Seen the topicality and the pertinence of the programme the current phase 3 (April 2008 - March 2011) capitalizes on the achievements and experiences of the past in search for a scaling up of the approache and mechanisms.