World Bank Approves Almost $94 Million For Rural Sustainable Development In West Africa
February 21, 2013 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis 
Burkina Faso, West Africa. Photo courtesy of kinderpate.at/blog.
Where fertile land and clean water are scarce resources, the World Bank has approved $93.41 million to support the West African country of Burkina Faso in its rural development efforts and sustainable land and forestry management programs.
While the country might not be familiar to most people, it’s landlocked inside six neighboring countries that we do know well, which are: Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast.
Map of Burkina Faso. Image courtesy of aobf.solidairesdumonde.org.Madani M. Tall, World Bank County Director for Burkina Faso said that “the funds provided will benefit 13 regional communities, reaching over 302 rural communities and encourage participatory local development.”
Explaining the current conditions in the region, Emmanuel Nikiema, World Bank Task Team Leader, said, “Significant flooding followed by localized drought in recent years has negatively affected the agricultural harvest, leaving people with little affordable food to eat.”