Published on: 26/02/2013
Sector stakeholders were delighted when the new government of Burkina Faso announced the creation of the Ministère de l’Eau, des Aménagements Hydrauliques et de l’Assainissement (Ministry of Water, Hydraulic Planning and Sanitation) in January 2013 [1]. Mrs. Mamounata Belem/Ouédraogo, who heads the new ministry, has a challenging job ahead. According to news site LeFaso.et [2], currently only 1% of the rural population has access to sanitation, while the coverage rate at the national level is 3% (these figures are lower than the 2012 WHO/UNICEF-JMP estimates: 6% and 17%, respectively [3]). It will be impossible for Burkina Faso to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) sanitation targets of 54% coverage for rural sanitation and 57% for urban sanitation in 2015. Even access to safe water, which has a much higher coverage rate, is still way below the targeted level.
[1] Gouvernement du Burkina Faso: La composition du gouvernement Luc Adolphe Tiao II, 4 Jan 2013. Available below.
[2] Grégoire B. Bazie, Un ministère plein pour l’eau et l’assainissement : une option judicieuse et pleine de sens, LeFaso.net, 08 Jan 2013 Available below
[3] WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, 2012. Estimates for the use of improved sanitation facilities : Burkina Faso.
Related news: IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre opens its second office in Africa, IRC, 02 Oct 2012
