Sandbontenga: The municipalities of Boussouma and Soubega are relying on a framework for dialogue to strengthen peace and endogenous development. The sons and daughters of the communes of Boussouma and Soubeiga, in the province of Sandbontenga, took an important step on Saturday in promoting local development with the establishment of communal consultation frameworks for resource persons, intended to unite energies around social cohesion, peace and endogenous development.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the initiative, led by local residents, aims to create inclusive spaces for dialogue and concerted action to address the security, social and economic challenges facing the province of Sandbontenga. The installation ceremony of the municipal office in Boussouma took place on Saturday, March 28, 2025, in the presence of administrative, customary and religious authorities, as well as many community leaders and residents, who came to show their support for this collective dynamic.
MP Moussa Sawadogo explained that this framework represents a genuine lever for social transformation. "It is a space for dialogue that should allow people to overcome divisions and work together for the development of their community," he stated. He emphasized the framework's capacity to foster sustained citizen mobilization, based on concrete actions, urging the population to cultivate unity and fully engage in community initiatives, which he considers essential for building lasting peace.
The provincial coordinator of the Sandbontenga resource person consultation framework, Isma«l Sawadogo, highlighted the primary responsibility of the locality's sons and daughters in their own development. He stated, "No one will develop Boussouma for us. We must pool our efforts, skills and resources to drive endogenous development." He also stressed that these consultation frameworks are strategic instruments for preventing conflicts, strengthening solidarity, and restoring trust between communities, in a national context marked by security challenges.
In Soubeiga, local actors have initiated a similar dynamic, identifying several priority areas for intervention, including the promotion of social cohesion, citizen mobilization, support for agricultural activities to strengthen food self-sufficiency, as well as sanitation and reforestation actions. Allassane Ou©draogo, president of the Soubeiga municipal office, indicated that his team intends to emphasize raising public awareness. "We want to strengthen the spirit of solidarity and collective responsibility so that every citizen feels involved in the development of their municipality," he stated.
Administrative and traditional authorities in both localities welcomed the initiative, noting that it strengthens existing efforts toward social cohesion. They highlighted the need to promote an inclusive framework that fosters dialogue and understanding, as political and social divisions have historically undermined community action. A local official expressed satisfaction with the establishment of the framework, viewing it as a means for the people to organize themselves to meet development challenges.
Traditional chiefs called for the sacred union of the sons and daughters of Boussouma and Soubeiga, urging them to make factors of division a distant memory and to consolidate social peace. They also invited the population to support the national authorities' vision for grassroots development by embracing a dynamic of responsibility and civic engagement.
Mr. Sawadogo emphasized that the establishment of these consultation frameworks, which should extend to all villages of the communes of Boussouma and Soubeiga, marks the beginning of a new era of participatory local governance. He stated that the framework aims to foster ongoing dialogue between different social components and to be an essential tool for preventing tensions, strengthening community resilience, and promoting sustainable development based on local resources.
The initiators hope that this dynamic will contribute to consolidating peace, strengthening social cohesion, and sustainably improving the living conditions of the populations of Boussouma and Soubeiga.