Common use of Background and Consultative Process Clause in Contracts

Background and Consultative Process. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in Africa’s Sahel region, bordering Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Togo and with a population of approximately 15.26 million people. Burkina Faso is predominantly a rural country, with 95 percent of the poor residing in rural areas. It also is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 176 out of 177 countries surveyed by the United Nations Development Program’s 2007 Human Development Index. In an effort to address constraints to investment, Burkina Faso has undertaken several broad macroeconomic reforms since the mid-1990s, including market-oriented reforms, decentralization of power from the central government to local governments, adoption of a new labor code and business climate improvements. Despite these reforms and moderate economic growth, Burkina Faso continues to face severe constraints to reducing poverty. In connection with the proposal submitted to MCC, the Government conducted a robust consultative process in May and June of 2006, building on the success and lessons learned from the process used to prepare its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The Government also engaged the media to inform the public about the proposal for Millennium Challenge Account assistance with a series of press releases, television interviews and press conferences. Consultations took place in all thirteen regions of the country and included representatives of civil society, the private sector, traditional authorities, farmers’ and women’s groups and local government officials. Of the 3,115 participants, 87 percent came from civil society, and 18 percent were women. Overwhelmingly, input focused on improving the rural economy including ways to secure land tenure, intensify and modernize agricultural production, and improve the road network. The Program is designed specifically to address these constraints.