CHALLENGES

•Poverty
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, with per capita income of about $400 in 2007. More than 45% of its 14 million inhabitants live in poverty.

•Education
Burkina Faso has more than one million out-of-school children: Poverty prevents many from going to school. More than half (59%) have never been in school and may never enroll without additional incentives. On average, a child in Burkina Faso can expect 4 years of school, compared to 15 years in most high-income countries.

•Health
Malaria, diarrhea, respiratory infections and AIDS are the major killers of children in Burkina Faso and have lowered life expectancy and increased infant mortality and death rates. Nearly 38% of children are chronically malnourished. Life expectancy at birth is 48 years.

•Economic and Environmental
Burkina Faso’s economy is critically vulnerable to climatic conditions, soaring oil prices, lower world market prices for cotton, and lower currency exchange rates. Recurring droughts affect agricultural activities and the economy, and have caused soil degradation, desertification, and deforestation. Less than 10% of the country’s land area is cultivable without irrigation. The country also has to contend with the consequences of devastating floods, the latest of which took place in September 2007.

OPPORTUNITIES

•Economic Growth and Reduction of Poverty
Burkina Faso has maintained a real GDP growth rate of over 5% per year since 1994. The poverty rate decreased from 54% in 1998 to 45% in 2006.

•Education
The primary school enrollment rate increased from 42% in 2001 to 60% in 2006. By the 2006-07 school year, 78% of children were admitted to the first year of primary school. The number of students at the secondary level increased by 60%; the proportion of girls reached 40%, an important figure given the preference boys traditionally have received in schooling.

•Health
The infant mortality rate decreased from 107 per 1,000 live births in 1995 to 97 in 2003. Several important health indicators (wider vaccination coverage, improved prenatal care, lower child mortality) have improved in this decade. Child vaccination became free in 2002, as did prenatal care in 2003. HIV rates in urban areas have begun to decline, from over 6% in 1999 to about 4% in 2007.

•Economic Development
Burkina Faso is one of Africa’s number major exporters of prime-grade cotton. Along with developing its mineral resources, Burkina is improving its infrastructure (it has a comparatively good road network), constructing dams intended for irrigation (to deal with droughts that limit agricultural production) and hydroelectricity, making its agricultural and livestock sectors more productive, and stabilizing the supplies and prices of food grains—all positive components of a sustained economic development program.

•Political and Economic Stability
Burkina’s political stability over the past 15 years, along with a change to a more open, market-driven economy that builds local capacity, has lead to growth and reduced poverty, and helped the country to more effectively absorb aid. The government’s market-oriented economic reforms helped the country qualify for debt relief and the cancellation of outstanding debts to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank.

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