In July 2008, the Millennium Challenge Corporation signed a five-year, $480.9 million compact with the Government of Burkina Faso aimed at reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth through strategic investments in four projects. The projects will increase investment in land and rural productivity through improved land tenure security and land management; expand the productive use of land in order to increase the volume and value of agricultural production in project zones; enhance access to markets through investments in road network; and increase primary school completion rates for girls. The compact in Burkina Faso entered into force (EIF) in July 2009, initiating the five-year timeline for project implementation.

For the most up-to-date information on implementation progress, please read the Quarterly Status Report.

The Project aims to expand the productive use of land in order to increase the volume and value of agricultural production in Project zones. In that regard, the Project is designed to increase rural incomes and employment and to enhance the competitiveness of the rural economies in the Sourou Valley and the Comoé Basin by addressing core constraints typical of rural Burkina Faso: poor water resource availability and management, weak beneficiary capacity; lack of access to information, markets, and inputs; and lack of access to credit.

Specific activities include:

• Provide water management and irrigation to ensure adequate water availability, water delivery, flood control and dam safety to support and protect investments in the Sourou Valley and the Comoé Basin;
• Diversify agriculture production by building on the delivery of water through support to on-farm production and related activities throughout the agricultural value chain;
• Improve access to rural finance to increase medium- and long-term credit in the four western regions of Sud-Ouest, Hauts Bassins, Cascades, and Boucle du Mouhoun.

The BRIGHT II Schools Project extends Burkina Faso’s successful MCC Threshold Program, which helped con­struct 132 schools consisting of three classrooms each (grades 1 through 3). The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will administer and manage the implementation of the BRIGHT II schools project.

Specific activities include:

• Construct additional boreholes and water catchment systems, as well as additional classrooms for grades 4 through 6, and kindergartens, including playgrounds and equipment;
• Provide daily meals during all nine months of the school year for an estimated 13,000 children.
• Fund a social mobilization campaign and an adult literacy and management of micro-projects activity

This project aims to increase investment in land and rural productivity through improved land tenure security and land management. Expected results include greater security of land rights and improved access to more efficient land
institutions, which together contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction in rural areas.

Specific activities include:

• Legal and Procedural Change and Communication, to support the Government of Burkina Faso’s efforts to develop and implement improved rural land legislation and other legal and procedural frameworks;
• Institutional Development and Capacity Building, to improve institutional capacity to deliver land services in rural area;
• Site-Specific Land Tenure Interventions, including participatory land use management planning and clarifying and securing land rights, to ensure that the institutional development and legal and procedural change activities yield their intended benefits across targeted municipalities and agricultural development zones.

This project is designed to: (a) improve access to agricultural markets by upgrading primary and rural road segments serving the Sourou Valley and the Comoé Basin; (b) reduce travel time to markets and reduce vehicle operating costs; and (c) ensure the sustainability of the road network by strengthening road maintenance.

Specific activities include:

• Development of primary roads, in particular three road segments in western Burkina Faso currently projected to total 271 kilometers;
• Improve rural roads seg­ments currently projected to total 151 kilometers located in three rural areas in the Comoé Basin of southwestern Burkina Faso;
• Capacity building and technical assistance to reinforce the effectiveness of existing government agen­cies and private sector institutions involved in road maintenance planning and implementation