Burkina Faso: Prime Minister Dr. Appollinaire Joachimson Kyélèm de Tambèla launches the presidential initiative

The Prime Minister, Dr. Apollinaire Joachimson Kyélèm de Tambèla, has launched the presidential initiative called « Referral-Opportunities-Insertion » in the 302 rural communes of Burkina Faso at the National Agricultural Training School in Matourkou, Bobo-Dioulasso municipality, Hauts-Bassins region. This initiative aims to combat the idleness of young people living in rural areas and, consequently, their recruitment by groups promoting violent extremism and radicalization.

Young people living in rural areas face specific problems such as limited access to public services, low professional qualifications, low levels of education, difficult access to means of production, inadequate service offerings that do not meet their needs, and more.

Furthermore, poor administrative practices, preconceived ideas, and misinformation have created a sense of distrust between rural citizens and the public administration.

Recognizing the magnitude of this situation, the Government, under the leadership of the Transition President and Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has established a framework called the « Referral-Opportunities-Insertion » presidential initiative to provide relevant, accessible, and effective support for young people living in rural areas.

During the launch of this initiative, Prime Minister Dr. Apollinaire Joachimson Kyélèm de Tambèla emphasized that it aims at increasing the visibility and accessibility of socio-economic integration opportunities for young people living in rural areas and, most importantly, to promote local mentoring for them.

« More specifically, by 2025, we aim to have an information and awareness-raising, guidance, training, and support system in place that caters to the specific needs of each young person in each of the 302 rural communes in Burkina Faso. Each commune will establish a unit led by an insertion opportunity referent, supported by individuals from civil society to address the needs of young people aged 15 to 35», he explained.

He further added that implementing such a framework will « better guide young people towards healthy and fulfilling activities» that promote their empowerment, rebuild a new perception of the state in the minds of every young person regardless of their location, strengthen the transfer of skills to local authorities in the fields of sports, youth, vocational training, and employment, and provide a local intermediary, a conduit for all public services that offer solutions tailored to the needs of young people.

« This framework is not only a necessity but an urgent measure to appropriately combat idleness, temptation, and the risk of young people being recruited by groups promoting violent extremism and radicalization. It provides a new opportunity to give hope to the youth because despair is the starting point of any drift. This initiative undoubtedly constitutes the vanguard of the future disarmament strategy that will be inevitable after the reconquest of the entire territory. For the young people who have engaged or allowed themselves to be led down the wrong path, we must now think about their integration. For the young people who have committed themselves to defend the nation, we must consider their reconversion», stated the Prime Minister.

Addressing the presidents of the special delegations of the communes, whom he referred to as the «primary interlocutors of the youth in their respective localities», the Prime Minister emphasized that the success of this initiative depends on their « full » ownership of the concept.

He urged them to take all the necessary measures to make this framework an instrument for promoting the well-being of young people living in rural areas.

The Prime Minister also encouraged young people living in rural areas to fully benefit from this initiative by strengthening collaboration with their respective mentors and becoming indispensable actors in the development of their localities and advocates for peace.

For its part, he reiterated his government’s commitment to support this « salutary » initiative for young people living in rural areas.

As a prelude, a workshop was held on the presentation of the « Referral-Opportunities-Insertion » initiative, organized around the central theme: « Providing new prospects for professional integration to young people living in rural areas for sustainable socio-economic recovery in the context of the security crisis in Burkina Faso. »

To this end, two panels were held on the opportunities for youth integration in rural areas and on peace culture, citizenship, and coexistence, benefiting the youth.

At the end of this workshop, the presidents of the special delegations of rural municipalities recommended the allocation of a portion of the Mining Fund for the Development of Territorial Communities to the functioning of rural municipal services, as well as the establishment of an effective monitoring and evaluation system for the actions of the Referents-Opportunities-Insertion in rural municipalities.

The representatives of young people living in rural areas committed to informing, raising awareness, and mobilizing other young people to take ownership of the « Referent-Opportunities-Insertion » initiative, and to actively participate in the implementation and monitoring and evaluation of the actions of the Referents-Opportunities -Insertion in different rural municipalities.

Furthermore, they sent a motion of support to the President of the Transition for his foresight and commitment to the endogenous development of our country.

They also sent a motion of support to the Prime Minister and his Government for their promptness in the operationalization process of this presidential initiative.

Yannick H.