EU, French support for rural development

The EU and France have agreed to fund rural development projects in Burkina Faso under separate agreements with the West African country. Five provinces in western Burkina Faso - Bale, Banwa, Houet, Mohoun and Tuy - are to benefit from a five-year project under which the EU is to provide 10.01 million euro (US $9.89 million) to promote rural empowerment and economic activity for local development, strengthen the delivery of social services and encourage sustainable management of natural resources. The agreement was signed by Yves Jorlin, EU representive, and Burkina's finance minister, Jean Baptiste Compaore. Its general objective "is to fight poverty in these areas through sustainable development promotion and disparities reduction," a joint communique issued on Thursday in the capital, Ouagadougou, said. France has offered Burkina Faso about US $5.63 million for sustainable development and poverty reduction projects in villages in the western areas of Bobo Dioulasso and Banfora. Areas covered include cattle rearing, child and maternal mortality, and HIV/AIDS. Under an agreement signed on Thursday by Compaore and French Ambassador Maurice Portiche, just under US $1.3 million is to be allocated to develop the culture sector, including building and equipping museums, rehabilitating historical sites, and supporting choreography, craft and other cultural activities.