Meeting decentralisation needs

As decentralisation gathers pace in several countries of French-speaking West Africa, there is a real opportunity for local people to enjoy the benefits of woodless construction to build the infrastructure their community - town or village - will need in future.

The skills of builders trained in woodless construction can now be fully exploited to build -

• Town halls ("Mairies")
• Classrooms
• Clinics
• Public Meeting Rooms
• Offices
• Cereal Banks
• Warehouses

Using local Woodless Construction skills is -

• Providing work for builders trained in woodless construction techniques
• Helping the local economy to grow - local brick makers, water transporters, women potters making clay gutters and floor tiles etc.
• Using local materials, instead of imported materials which drain financial resources without contributing to the local economy

In late 2006, DW collaborated with the Burkina Faso government and Danida to develop a programme to build new town halls ("Mairies") in several parts of Burkina Faso, and assisted with the tendering and selection process.
Several new municipalities in Burkina Faso have also approached DW directly wishing to use local woodless construction builders and the woodless construction team in Ouagadougou, Djibo et Gorom Gorom.