USAID Office of Food for Peace Burkina Faso Bellmon ... - CiteSeerX

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WFP has 14 warehouses located throughout their areas of operation, including three main
warehouses in Ouagadougou, Dori and Fada N’Gourma. Total national WFP storage capacity
amounts to more than 15,000 MT. The Government of Burkina Faso (GOBF) has its own
warehouses located throughout the country where it pre-positions emergency food stocks for
release during food shocks. Their total capacity available for food aid warehousing is 84,400
MT. For more information about warehouse space for food aid, see Annex 6.
For other findings related to distribution commodity storage and shelf-life based on an on-site
visit to the Title II food warehouse in Ouagadougou, see Annex 6.
3.3 INLAND TRANSPORTATION
Lomé has access routes that reportedly cost less than operations through Abidjan. Lomé can
provide up to 4,000 MT of transport capacity per week if needed. Transport costs are linked to
total kilometers and prevailing petroleum prices. Lomé has an arrangement by which trucks
from neighboring countries (e.g., Nigeria) can be used to transport goods to Burkina Faso when
Burkinabé and national trucks are unavailable. Truck companies in Ouagadougou work under a
contract with the Title II Awardees’ freight forwarder for cross-border operations between Port
Lomé and Burkina Faso. There are several forwarding agents in Burkina Faso.
One recent change that may have a significant impact on inland transportation costs took effect
on June 1, 2009. This regulation states that all axle loads must not exceed 11.5 MT per single
axle and four meters in height above the road surface. In the past, truckers would overload
trucks with as much cargo and goods as possible in order to transport more and thereby yield
greater per kilometer revenue. This dangerous practice resulted in frequent break downs due to
excessive payload. This axle load regulation complies with l’Union Economique et Monétaire
Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) Regulation 2005, which states that Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) members should adopt common standards and procedures for
control of the gauge, the weight, and the axle load of every vehicle. This new regulation is
expected to result in price hikes of nearly 100 percent for goods transported within ECOWAS.
In 2008, CRS used local transporters to move 7,698 MT of distribution food aid commodities to
more than 1,580 schools in eight provinces. In FY2009, fewer commodities will be delivered to
fewer schools and provinces as part of CRS’s phase-out strategy. During the life of the Title II
Development Assistance Program (DAP), however, the Ministry of Education has and continues
to work closely with CRS to organize the transportation tender for areas located in remote areas
with poor roads. Within Burkina Faso, there are many informal transport companies with a small
fleet of vehicles that will bid on and provide transport for payloads of varying sizes and
distances. Primary factors in transportation costs within Burkina Faso are distance and
prevailing gas prices. To ensure accountability of the Title II distribution commodities, CRS uses
a system that tracks food aid commodities during each phase of transport from the port to final
distribution point. During transport, any commodity loss because of damage or shortages are
recorded and reported to USAID and claims are filed with transport providers as needed.
BEST ANALYSIS – BURKINA FASO 9