Each year, thousands of households in the city of Ouagadougou are affected by flooding. These recurrent floods are the result of clogged drainage systems in the city. In view of the situation in recent years, the I-CHANGE project, through the West African Living Lab (LLWA), in collaboration with the Municipality of Ouagadougou, has organised sanitation days in the form of community service.
The purpose of this community service is to reduce flooding risks and improve citizens’ living conditions in the city of Ouagadougou through the cleaning of drainage canals along Bassawarga Avenue.
Speaking at the launch of the activity, Prof Kehinde Ogunjobi, representing the Executive Director of WASCAL, commended the I-CHANGE team for this important and laudable activity and appealed for behavioural change for a better management of waste. “I appeal to all, civil servants, individuals, associations, NGOs, civil societies, to combine efforts to encourage and sensitise citizens through such actions for a healthy and sustainable living environment” he said.
For the third vice-president of the special delegation of the Municipality of Ouagadougou, Mamounata Ouédraogo/Kiemtoré, the I-CHANGE Project comes exactly at the right time for it is within the context of the current governmental policy, the operation “mana mana” which requires that every ministry and Burkinabè citizens in general undertake sanitation activity. “Big thank you to WASCAL and the I-CHANGE project for this morning’s initiative. The municipality of Ouagadougou is committed to supporting any initiative that is in favour of the well-being of all Burkinabè. That is why we are standing with WASCAL this morning. I would like to seize this opportunity to launch an appeal to all Burkinabè to undertake citizen initiatives, like this one, so that we can together make our environment clean”, she said.
Well before the start of the work, the Director of Research of the Competence Centre handed over some materials comprising shovels, masks, rakes, etc. to the authorities of the Municipality of Ouagadougou.
