IRC’s journey of strategic influence in Burkina Faso (2015–2020)

Published on: 25/11/2024

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A promising start

In 2015, Burkina Faso stood at the cusp of transformation. The ousting of President Blaise Compaoré after a popular uprising gave rise to new democratic aspirations. Amid the political fervour, one issue came to the forefront: access to clean water and sanitation. Despite its enshrinement as a human right by the United Nations in 2010, water services in Burkina Faso remained vastly underfunded and inequitable. Only 2% of the national budget was allocated to the sector, leaving rural communities to bear the brunt of poor-quality services at exorbitant costs.

IRC Burkina Faso, in collaboration with its local partners, identified this gap as an opportunity to effect change. Launching the campaign “Je vote pour celui qui me promet de l’eau” (“I vote for the one who promises me water”), IRC mobilised the masses, using innovative tools like cartoons, radio debates, and grassroots discussions to demand concrete water access plans from political candidates. This campaign proved instrumental in framing water as a central issue in the 2015 elections.

The Kaboré presidency: High hopes

Roch Marc Christian Kaboré emerged victorious in the 2015 elections, with his pledge for "zero water-fetching burden" (zéro corvée d'eau) resonating deeply with voters. His administration started strong by establishing a Ministry of Water and Sanitation. This institutional move symbolized a political commitment to water governance reform and was a significant win for advocacy groups like IRC.

Furthermore, Kaboré’s administration aligned its goals with international frameworks, adopting Sustainable Development Goal 6 and committing to ambitious national targets. The government pledged to increase water access from 71% in 2015 to 79% by 2020 and sanitation from 18% to 34%​.

The reality: Lofty promises, limited progress

Despite these early strides, the progress fell short of expectations. By the end of 2019, the water access rate had reached 75.4%, and sanitation access lagged at 24.6%, both missing the 2020 targets. Structural inefficiencies, including fragmented responsibilities among institutions and weak coordination, hindered progress. For instance, while the vision of "zéro corvée d'eau" captured public imagination, it lacked operational clarity, reducing its implementation to infrastructure-focused measures that ignored service continuity and quality​.

The challenges of governance extended to financial commitments. Budgetary allocations to the sector remained inadequate, reflecting a broader trend of political promises not aligning with resource mobilisation. While advocacy efforts successfully pushed for institutional reforms, systemic inefficiencies and competing political priorities diluted their impact​.

Lessons learned

The experience of IRC and its local partners during this period provides crucial lessons for water governance professionals and advocates:

1. Capitalise on Political Transitions: IRC’s timing of its 2015 campaign amidst political upheaval maximised its influence. Transitional periods offer windows for pushing systemic reforms and reshaping agendas.
2. Demand Accountability: While advocacy led to constitutional recognition of water rights and sectoral reforms, ongoing monitoring is critical. Accountability mechanisms, such as citizen scorecards or parliamentary reviews, need to be integral to any advocacy campaign.
3. Integrate Quality into Metrics: The focus on access alone undermined broader goals of service quality and continuity. Effective governance must address the entire spectrum of service delivery, from infrastructure to maintenance and affordability.
4. Build Robust Coalitions: IRC’s success was amplified by partnerships spanning civil society, international donors, and local communities. Advocacy is most impactful when backed by a united front.

Moving forward

The Burkinabè experience underlines the complexity of turning political promises into sustainable outcomes. While the establishment of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation marked a step forward, governance challenges remain a significant barrier. Future advocacy should emphasize capacity building, financial resource allocation, and transparent mechanisms to track and report progress​.

For water governance professionals, Burkina Faso’s journey from 2015 to 2020 serves as a cautionary tale: ambitious visions require equally ambitious execution strategies. The power of advocacy lies not just in shaping agendas but in ensuring that the systems to deliver on those agendas are robust and resilient.

As the fight for universal water access continues, this experience should inspire a renewed focus on accountability, equity, and innovation. The promise of "zéro corvée d'eau" remains unfulfilled—but the lessons learned may yet pave the way for its realisation.