WASHINGTON, April 30, 2025 - The World Bank today approved the $216 million Sikasso-Korhogo-Bobo-Dioulasso (SKBo) Basin of Integration Project to strengthen the resilience of transport infrastructure to the challenges posed by climate change in the subregion.
The new operation will support the government’s efforts to improve road and rail connectivity in the subregion to support the development of value chains. It will also promote the basin of “integration and stability” concept by addressing the multidimensional challenges of climate change adaptation and mitigation, food and nutrition security, and fragility.
“The SKBo project is a major step forward in the government’s efforts to modernize transport infrastructure and make it more resilient. In particular, it will help improve the performance of the road and rail network, reduce service interruptions, and improve the quality of life of the beneficiary populations,” noted Hamoud Abdel Wedoud Kamil, World Bank Country Manager for Burkina Faso.
The project will help connect people to markets, increase trade, and improve access to opportunities through resilient, safe, and all-season roads. It will also strengthen road asset management capacity, with a particular focus on mainstreaming women into the sector.
According to Malaika Becoulet, World Bank Task Team Leader for the project, “The operation is based on an integrated territorial approach and draws lessons from operations under way in Burkina Faso, in particular the Emergency Territorial Development and Resilience Project (PUDTR) and the Lomé-Ouagadougou-Niamey Economic Corridor Project. The project will directly contribute to improving access to economic opportunities and services for communities in the Hauts-Bassins, Cascades, and Sud-Ouest regions, which have a combined estimated population of 3.9 million.”
