Landscape Analysis: Country Assessment in Burkina Faso
The country assessment in Burkina Faso took place on 12-16 May 2008.
Aims and objectives
The aim was to review and outline strengths and weaknesses of nutrition systems in the country, to identify activities that needed to be prioritized and to make recommendations for how to strengthen commitment and capacity in order to act at scale. It was also expected that the assessment would provide concrete inputs to the Strategic Plan for Nutrition.
Country assessment team
The assessment team was led by the Ministry of Health through the Direction de la nutrition, with representatives from UNICEF, UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN), WHO and Helen Keller International (HKI).
Methodology and study sites
The team conducted a total of 66 interviews with stakeholders at national level in Ouagadougo and with programme managers and service providers in the North, East and Centre-East Regions. The field locations were selected based on nutrition situation and availability of services and partners.
Findings
The assessment found a strong commitment to fight undernutrition and scale up nutrition interventions at all levels. However, this had not been translated into action and several operational weaknesses still needed to be addressed. Despite significant progress in nutrition services over a couple of years, a rapid scale-up was still elusive especially due to poor human resources and a lack of coordination at the community level.
Consensus meeting and recommendations
A stakeholder consensus meeting was held on 16 May 2008 with 52 representatives from the Ministry of Health and other line ministries that are members of the National Council for Nutrition Coordination (Conseil National de Concertation en Nutrition), regional level health directors, UN agencies, bilateral agencies, NGOs and research institutions. Participants at the meeting agreed on 38 specific recommendations regarding national level coordination, resource mobilisation and capacity development, as well as commitment, capacity, IEC and management and information systems at sub-national level.
Follow-up action
Based on the recommendations from the Landscape Analysis country assessment, all thirteen regions have created Regional Nutrition Councils and developed Regional Nutrition Action Plans, and thematic groups have been established at national level under the National Council for Nutrition Coordination. Shortly after the assessment during the period of rising food and fuel price crisis of 2008-2009, UNICEF and other development partners provided additional funds to implement some of the Landscape Analysis recommendations to alleviate the impact of the crisis. Many of the recommendations from the Landscape Analysis are also reiterated in more recent initiatives, such as the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Feuille de Route.
Further information and links
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Recommendations from the Landscape Analysis country assessment in Burkina Faso
pdf, 526kb -
Final report of the Landscape Analysis country assessment in Burkina Faso
pdf, 861kb -
- “Towards Nutrition MDGs in Burkina Faso: Will Capacity to Act Follow the Commitment?” Tapsoba S et al. 2009. SCN News 37.
pdf, 251kb - Nutrition Landscape Information System (NLIS) country profile for Burkina Faso
- Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) country page on Burkina Faso
