Aid and environment in Burkina Faso
Abstract
The main objective of the paper is to determine the actual aid flows that have an environmental focus in Burkina Faso. The environment literature highlights important environment issues in air, land and water, including deforestation, desertification, irreversible negative effects on biodiversity, and urbanization issues. It implies serious adverse consequences on wellbeing in developed countries, but also in developing countries in particular. The negative impact of climate change in Burkina Faso is particularly worrying because of the country’s dependence on subsistence agriculture, its high vulnerability to natural disasters, its lack of adequate healthcare and other adaptation/resilience capacities. Stakeholders, including Burkina Faso’s government and donors in environment and development areas, acknowledge the urgent need of facing these challenges efficiently, the first of which seems to be deciding how to finance the environment strategies. Of the €8 million needed per year, the government’s investment in environment is less than 1 per cent. The financing alternative could be aid, but donor support to the sector in Burkina Faso is considered insufficient. Furthermore, efficiency in environmental project implementation is more worrying.
Citation
Bambio, Y. Aid and environment in Burkina Faso. UNU-WIDER, Helsinki, Finland (2013) 28 pp. ISBN 978-92-9230-716-5 [WIDER Working Paper No. 2013/139]