Road Sector Reform: A Tale of Two Countries--(Part 2) Burkina Faso: Deliberate Evolution
Sam Mwamburi Mwale
The note is the second part of a series intended to share information about issues raised in various Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) reports, and it addresses Burkina Faso's recent institutional reforms, highlighting the deliberate inclusion of stakeholders in designing the evolving reform, in contrast to reforms in other countries. The note analyzes the road maintenance program, and the restructured Public Works Department, now with the responsibility for planning, and scheduling annual maintenance operations, and administering works performed by small- or medium-sized enterprises, though the control of the equipment pool has been relinquished to an autonomous corporation, the Societe de Location du Materiel (SLM), a commercial enterprise in all respects, except for its contract to maintain government holdings: both the Government, and private sector lease equipment from SLM at commercial rates, and its operational, and capital costs are covered by revenues from leasing out its own equipment. Moreover, SLM provides assistance to small- and medium-sized enterprises development, and, ensures accountability, by conducting extensive audits of all contracted works, both from the technical, and financial standpoint. Reforms have reduced the procurement timing, speeded up the payment process, obviously enhancing the efficiency of the public, and private sector road maintenance.