21/02/2019
On Monday 11 February 2019, the launch event of urban agriculture activities was held in Ouagadougou which also inaugurated the project “Innovative social enterprises and migrants participation for social inclusion in Burkina Faso“, co-financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and Maria Enrica Foundation. In recent months, the project had been presented in Koudougou and Tenkodogo, the capitals of the two regions, Central West and Central East, where the activities of support to agri-food companies and involvement of the Burkinabe diaspora in Italy are carried out.
The ceremony took place in the presence of the mayor of Ouagadougou Armand Béouindé and was opened with greetings from the public and traditional authorities of the Tanghin district, an area that is part of the so-called green belt of the capital where the event took place. The authorities stressed the importance of investing in agriculture also in the city, with particular attention to the most vulnerable subjects.
The representative of the Federation of Urban Horticulturists then spoke, recalling that there are thousands of members who practice horticultural activities in Ouagadougou and that there is still a lot of land available to be cultivated.
The word was then passed to Giovanni Sartor, Head of International Cooperation of Mani Tese, who declared how essential it is to invest in agriculture in the urban environment by promoting the agroecological transition and gave as an example the city of Milan, a project partner with which an exchange activity is scheduled, the second agricultural city in Italy that has established the southern Milan agricultural park and implements policies attentive to the consumption of local, healthy and quality food. With regard to this last aspect, Elena Scanferla, director of ACRA, project partner, also intervened, who briefly introduced the component of the intervention concerning the social enterprise Ké de burkinabé, which deals with promoting and marketing local, healthy and quality productions in the capital.
The word was then passed to the mayor of the city who, thanking Mani Tese and ACRA for their commitment to the project, briefly recalled the activities planned in Ouagadougou, including the cartographic study and the census of horticultural perimeters, support for women producers and the competition for young people in the field of new technologies. Finally, he recalled that the municipality has also committed resources to the activities, which are added to those made available by the project, in particular as regards the training of urban producers.
The mayor called to support him to officially launch the project Dr. Domenico Bruzzone, director of the AICS office in Ouagadougou, who recalled the solid friendship that binds Italy and Burkina Faso, also testified by the positive presence of thousands of Burkinabé in Italy, some of whom are involved in the project, and who praised this type of innovative interventions resulting from a broad partnership and a positive exchange of experiences.
Dr. Bruzzone and Mayor Béouindé, together with the other authorities present, officially launched the project by planting some seeds, as a sign of good wishes for its success, while Wendy Lenarduzzi, the Country Representative of Mani Tese in Burkina Faso, planted the first tree.
About the project
The three-year project “Innovative social enterprises and migrants participation for social inclusion in Burkina Faso” is in its first year and is carried out by Mani Tese in partnership with the ACRA Foundation, CeSPI, Chico Mendes, Ital-Watinoma Municipality of Milan, Municipality of Ouagadougou. Ass. Watinoma, FIAB (National Federation of Agri-food and Processing Industries of Burkina Faso) and FENAFERB (National Federation of Rural Women of Burkina Faso). The project is co-financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and Maria Enrica Foundation.
