Ouagadougou: The province of Namentenga launched a five-day workshop dedicated to the development of a provincial contingency plan, under the aegis of the High Commissioner, Adama Conseiga, to better manage natural disasters. High Commissioner Adama Conseiga, who is also the President of the Provincial Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (COPROSUR), emphasized that this plan will serve as an essential strategic tool for anticipating, coordinating, and responding effectively to emergency situations in the province.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the workshop aims to equip the province of Namentenga with an operational document that identifies and prioritizes major risks, aiming to significantly reduce the impact of disasters on populations, especially the most vulnerable. Over the course of five days, COPROSUR members will receive training on disaster risk reduction concepts, crisis management cycles, and rapid multisectoral assessment mechanisms.
The workshop involves both group work and plenary sessions, which are designed to facilitate the collection and analysis of data necessary for formulating the plan. Organizers stated that the information gathered during these sessions will be used to draft the provincial contingency plan, which will later be submitted for validation, followed by efforts to mobilize funding for its implementation.
The High Commissioner urged participants to fully engage with the tools and knowledge provided to create a relevant document tailored to local realities. This initiative is part of the "Promotion of resilience and socio-economic integration of vulnerable groups (Teeltaaba)" project, supported by the Permanent Secretariat of CONASUR, the NGO WHH, and the Zood Noma Association for Development (AZND), with funding from German cooperation.
The Teeltaaba project is active in several localities in Namentenga and Kouritenga, where it contributes to community resilience, particularly through the development of communal contingency plans in the communes of Dargo and Boulsa. Through these efforts, provincial authorities aim to better prepare communities for the risks associated with natural disasters and security crises by enhancing local capacities for anticipation and response.