Message from the Chief Representative

Welcome to the homepage of JICA Burkina Faso Branch. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in the Sahel, south of the Sahara Desert. It is a historic country that has prospered through Sahara trade since ancient times as a node connecting six countries in West Africa. It is also the headquarters of the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMOA), which plays an important role in economically cohesively and stabilizing the Sahel region. The country's name ``Burkina Faso'' means ``land of virtuous people'' and is also known as ``land of united peoples.'' The name of this country embodies the hope that people of various ethnicities and religions will come together as one and move towards the development of this country. The people are hard-working, calm, and value order and courtesy, making it a very attractive country.

According to the Human Development Index published annually by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Burkina Faso is ranked as one of the least developed countries out of approximately 190 countries around the world. The background to this is not only harsh weather conditions that are not necessarily suitable for agriculture, such as low rainfall and frequent droughts, but also economic activity has stagnated in recent years due to terrorist activities carried out by armed groups that threaten regional security. As a result of these impacts, it is said that more than 2 million internally displaced people have occurred in Burkina Faso, and ensuring "peace and stability" is recognized as a major challenge facing this country. Under these circumstances, JICA will steadily continue its cooperation in the three areas that it has developed so far, with the aim of stabilizing the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso, and will also provide support for the new issue of "peace and stability."

We will continue to focus on

1. Agricultural development

Despite the harsh natural environment, Burkina Faso is an agricultural country where approximately 80% of the population engages in agriculture and livestock farming. We aim to stabilize food production and improve food security while improving nutrition through agriculture. We also aim to revitalize the economy by adding value to agricultural products as a key industry.

2. Improving the quality of education

Burkina Faso's population has increased by more than 30% in 10 years, and improving access to and quality of basic education, especially primary and secondary education, has become a major issue. Human resource development is important as it is the foundation of national development, and we will strive to strengthen the educational system and improve the educational environment.

3. Promoting regional economic integration

As a landlocked country, Burkina Faso's economic ties with other countries in the region in areas such as logistics and energy are a matter of life and death. Wide-area infrastructure, including transportation and energy, is the cornerstone of economic development, and we will continue to develop it in cooperation with neighboring countries.

4. Peace and stability

Support for the approximately 2 million internally displaced persons is being promoted with the participation of the central government, local governments, and the people of Burkina Faso (using the national volunteer system), as well as in collaboration with international organizations, so that the people can live their daily lives with peace of mind. We aim to restore a society where people can enjoy their time.

Japan is one of the rare countries with the experience of overcoming post-war devastation and achieving development. Based on this experience, JICA has reached out to Burkina Faso to steadily overcome the difficult challenges it faces one by one while maintaining a high degree of pride in its own society and culture. We would like to contribute to peace in the international community.

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Resident Representative
KOBAYASHI Takemichi