Burkina Faso/Decentralization in Burkina: The "Model Municipalities" project presented to stakeholders

The presidential initiative "Model Municipalities" was presented to decentralization stakeholders on Monday 28 June 2021 in Ouagadougou. This meeting aimed at presenting the initiative and collecting their opinions on its implementation to partners and main actors of decentralization.

Born of the will of the President of Faso, Roch Kaboré, the "Model Municipalities" Initiative aims to make local authorities efficient entities. Thus, 15 communes will be selected for the first pilot phase of the project. At the end of this pilot phase, the project will be duplicated in all the communes in Burkina Faso.

The Minister in charge of territorial administration and decentralization, Pengdwendé Clément Sawadogo, explained that this new dimension consists in giving a new lease of life to decentralization.

It is strategically to stimulate a healthy emulation between the communes...

"It isimportant to review our management models for local authorities by focusing on achieving results in order to aim for performance that reflects and meets the needs of the people. Itis strategically important to stimulate a healthy emulation between communes in order to transform them into efficient communes," he said.

He added that the President of Faso expects to give more dynamism to the communes.

"The Head of State, on the basis of the evaluation made so far of the implementation of decentralization and the life of local authorities, wants to put more emphasis on the performance and quality of the common action for the benefit of the people at the grassroots. At theend of the five-year term of the President of Faso, all the communes should justify their real capacity to make progress, significantly improve the life of citizens in terms of health, education, income, drinking water", the minister said.

Also, the president of the Association of Municipalities of Burkina Faso (AMBF), Armand Beouindé, welcomed the initiative. "Thisinitiative for the model municipality is a way of encouraging competition between municipalities and a certain model of development," he said .

Source: www.burkina24.com