Project management and technical assistance for road maintenance

Project description

Title: Project management and technical assistance for road maintenance in Burkina Faso
Commissioned by: Millennium Challenge Account Burkina Faso
Financier: Millennium Challenge Corporation
Country: Burkina Faso
Overall term: 2009 to 2014

Context

Agricultural production, particularly cotton production, is the biggest driver of Burkina Faso’s economy. Successful integration of farms into the network of national and international road links is essential for ensuring access to domestic and international markets; good connections also bring down transit time and costs. Improving the density and quality of the road network, as well as its sustainability, is therefore of central importance to the country’s economic development.

Objective

Maintenance of existing routes and investment in construction work to build and upgrade roads improves access to domestic and international markets. Income from agricultural sales within Burkina Faso and abroad increases.

Approach

The US foreign aid agency Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and its grant-awarding body, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), supports the Government of Burkina Faso – in particular the Ministry of Infrastructure and Road Development (Ministère des Infrastructures et du Désenclavement) – in its efforts to improve the country’s road network. The MCC/MCA has commissioned GIZ International Services (GIZ IS) to assist the running of its transport connections project.

The project comprises three components:

1. project management guidance for rehabilitation works and new construction on 540 kilometres of the road network (principal roads and rural roads)

On behalf of the MCA, GIZ IS is assuming project management responsibility during planning, tendering and execution of road construction work, which will entail:

  • control of the civil engineering companies carrying out studies and producing designs and plans for road construction and rehabilitation projects
  • support for commissioning parties during the award stage, and supervision of contractors during the construction phase
  • progress monitoring, contract management and documentation
  • quality assurance
  • supervision of the project’s financial management
  • development of monitoring and evaluation strategies.

Under components 2 and 3, GIZ IS will provide advice on capacity building and improving resources for road maintenance.

2. Technical assistance and capacity development for Government agencies engaged in road maintenance and management

  • The project will promote the development of required resources and capacities in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development. The main focus will be management and implementation of road maintenance, and on achieving better control of planning, programming, budgeting and financing.

3. A study into the introduction of an incentive-based road maintenance fund (Fonds Incitatif pour le financement de l’Entretien Périodique), including:

  • analysis of current financing methods for road maintenance
  • a report on establishing a second road fund for periodic maintenance (incentive matching fund).