Burkina Faso: The AfDB stays determined to support the transition
The AfDB Group is committed to help Burkina Faso to achieve its development and strategic plan. The Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachimson Kyelem de Tambela received a delegation from the African Development Bank (AfDB) in an audience on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
The purpose of the meeting was for the bank to gather the guidance of the Head of Government in order to better support Burkina Faso.
In these difficult times that Burkina Faso is going through, the country can rely on the support of the AfDB Group.
The Deputy Director General-West of the AfDB, Dr. Joseph Martial Ribeiro, reiterated this support during a meeting with Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachimson Kyelem de Tambela on Wednesday, May 23, 2023.
«We bring a message of support and friendship from our President, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, to the authorities of the Transition. We are aware of all the efforts they are making to overcome various challenges. The AfDB has always been by Burkina Faso’s side, and we will continue our commitment within the framework of the Action Plan for Stabilization and Development. For us, Burkina Faso is a key country in the sub-region», stated Dr. Joseph Martial Ribeiro, Deputy Director General-West of the AfDB.
He added that the delegation he leads is on a mission of dialogue in our country, and a high-level meeting between the Government of Burkina Faso and the AfDB took place on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Ouagadougou.
During this working session between the AfDB and the sectoral ministries of the Burkinabe Government, he declared that they discussed and harmonized the new priorities of the Transition defined through the Action Plan for Stabilization and Development (PA-SD) 2023-2025, with the Bank’s work program for the same period.
According to him, to date, the active portfolio of the AfDB in Burkina Faso includes twenty-one (21) development projects and programs with a total amount of approximately 500 billion CFA francs.
The AfDB is involved in various development sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture, energy, environment, water supply and sanitation, and humanitarian action
Furthermore, he informed about the upcoming 58th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the AfDB Group, which will take place from May 22 to 26, 2023, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
In this regard, he expressed his desire to gather the guidance of the Head of Government to better support our country.
In this regard, the Head of Government stated that the AfDB is well aware of the challenges our country faces.
According to him, “despite the presence of the AfDB by our side, our country has not truly made progress in terms of development”.
He sees this as a failure on the part of the AfDB, which is a development Bank.
He then presented to his guests the vision of the Transition, which focuses on two objectives: short-term projects and basic development projects.
« What matters to us is the development of Burkina Faso. We will lay the foundations for this development», he explained.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the AfDB should invest significantly in communication routes, particularly in road and railway infrastructure.
« Before health and education, there is the road. When I say that, some people are surprised, but the road is the main driver of development. Schools and health centers built without access roads do not have a real impact on the population. We also emphasize regional integration projects in terms of communication routes, such as the construction of the Bobo-Sikasso-Bamako-Conakry railway, the Lomé-Ouagadougou railway, and so on», affirmed the Head of Government.
He also recommended that the AfDB change its strategies regarding its interventions for a given period.
« We must ensure that our countries emerge from poverty. The AfDB can carry out the essential part of its interventions, which means significant investments in a specific area. For example, it can declare 2024 as the year of Burkina Faso and invest heavily there, and then move on to another country in 2025», he expressed his wish.
During this meeting, the two parties also discussed other topics.
Regarding the creation of jobs for young people and the mobilization of resources from diasporas (both the diaspora of other countries residing in Burkina Faso and the Burkinabe diaspora abroad), Mr. Ribeiro indicated that the AfDB is fully committed to these issues and will take them into account in its projects.
H.Nelchael
