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Date: 11 February 2004

Michel Sebego waters his crops in Pella village, near the capital Ougadougou. He hopes that there will be a market for them after harvest. photo: Christian Aid/ Louise Orton
'Hundreds of schools and health centres have been built, but most people can't afford the fees. They are still using basic equipment and methods for farming, and their main priority is to have food to eat.'

Poverty reduction policies are a failure in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is one of the few countries to have been granted debt relief, but it is hard to see the benefits in the country, classed as the third poorest in the world by the United Nations.

Nearly 90 per cent of the population work in the agricultural sector, mainly in rudimentary farming, but often there is not enough food produced and malnutrition is rife. Many villages have no primary education or health services. One in ten babies die before their first birthday, and life expectancy is just 46.

Christian Aid partner the National Institute of Economic and Social Development (INADES) believes that all the policies to reduce poverty have so far failed. In its recent study, it concludes that the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), drawn up by international finance institutions and the government (with the supposed input of local organisations, including non-governmental organisations), has serious flaws.

Two of the major priorities identified in the PRSP are education and health. Honoré de Millogo, director of INADES, says that while these are important issues, most people do not have the money to see the doctor or send their children to school. He explains: 'Hundreds of schools and health centres have been built, but most people can't afford the fees. They are still using basic equipment and methods for farming, and their main priority is to have food to eat.'

Unfair terms

Farmers' incomes are also affected by low prices on the world market and unfair terms of trade, such as the subsidies for US cotton producers. 'Africa is marginalised when it comes to international trade, but this is a key factor for its development. This has not been taken into account in the PRSP,' says Mr Millogo.

The privatisation of state-run industries was a condition for debt relief in the PRSP. To date, 26 companies have been privatised and 16 liquidated. INADES reports that this has increased poverty, because companies were privatised quickly and no measures were taken to compensate for any negative effects.

Flex Faso, a fruit and vegetable export company, used to provide a market for thousands of farmers, but since its privatisation business has dwindled. Now it just sells a small amount of produce in the country's capital. Many farmers were unable to find other buyers and were forced to sell their goods at knockdown prices.

INADES believes that the PRSP has not really addressed the underlying causes of poverty because the very people living with it, the rural poor, have not been adequately consulted.

INADES has set up a coalition whose members represent a wide cross-section of the Burkinabè population. 'We have to make sure that the voices of people at the grassroots are heard. We need to have a strong united voice so that the government listens to us and reflects our demands in their policy.'