Land and Mining Management supported and strengthened in Burkina Faso
The World Bank approved $150 million from the International Development Association (IDA) for Burkina Faso’s Support to Land and Mining Management Strengthening Project, which is aimed at improving land and mining services, strengthening land tenure security in selected municipalities, and fostering inclusive benefits sharing from mining operations.
“This new operation will support the development and good governance of the land and mining sectors, which should lead to the promotion of rural development and urban planning, increased transparency, and greater citizen participation in the management and administration of these two sectors. The project falls within the World Bank’s program of activities and is in line with the goals of conflict prevention, poverty reduction, and shared prosperity,” said Maimouna Mbow Fam, World Bank Country Manager for Burkina Faso.
Boubacar Bocoum, the project’s Task Team Leader at the World Bank, indicated that “the project is expected to modernize and ensure the digital transformation of Burkina Faso’s administration, mainly for the benefit of public and private stakeholders, citizens, and users, with special attention being paid to the empowerment of women in the context of climate change.”
In addition to improvement of the services provided by the land and mining authorities, the project objective is to register land rights in the municipalities selected and foster inclusive sharing of the benefits from the mining sector. The project will support improvement of the regulatory and institutional framework, enhance the efficiency of both the services provided and management, and strengthen the security of the information produced by the two sectors, while developing and modernizing the infrastructure, methodologies, and institutions responsible for mining and land management. The development of land planning tools and the promotion of initiatives for the development of mining communities and alternative sources of income generation will promote social and economic inclusion.
While the population of Burkina Faso as a whole will benefit from improvement of the land and mining sector’s services and institutions as a result of fewer land disputes and improved mining operations, the main beneficiaries of the outcomes linked to the project’s land activities will be the individual and joint holders of land rights (at least 30% of whom are women) in the periurban, rural, and urban areas, as well as the mining goods and services providers and the local communities in mining areas. The Ministries of Finance, Mining, and Environment as well as the communes will be the primary institutional beneficiaries.
The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low- to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa.
Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.6 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $21 billion over the last three years, with about 61% going to Africa.
