Mahamadou Bonkoungou, CEO of the EBOMAF Group: "Koudougou-Dédougou is first a challenge to me"

One year after the start of the planning and construction work on the Koudougou-Dédougou axis, the Burkinabè Prime Minister, Luc Adolphe Tiao, visited the construction site on Friday 10 June 2011 to assess his progress. Between the satisfaction expressed by the Head of Government and the enormity of the rest of the tasks to be carried out, the President-General (PDG), Mahamadou Bonkoungou, of the EBOMAF Group, the successful contractor, shows his optimism to meet, once again, this great challenge of opening up the national attic.

Sidwaya (S.): The construction of the Koudougou-Dédougou road is a major project of opening up many bridges to be built. What are the major difficulties encountered by your company in carrying out the work?

Mahamadou Bonkoungou (M.B.): The major difficulties facing the yard remain the supply of aggregates. Everything is sometimes imported away from the section. The sand comes from Bobo-Dioulasso and the crushed gravel of Kombissiri thirty (30) kilometers south of Ouagadougou. There is also the classified forest of Tiogo which prevents any collection of laterity over a distance of about twenty (20) kilometers. These are realities ignored by many people. And yet, these are essential factors. Apart from these obstacles, the determination of the technicians and the workers makes it possible to overcome, however little, the work is going well according to the timing set by the company.

S. : A large number of sewerage works are on the Koudougou-Dédougou road. What is their status? What is being done in the cities crossed?

M.B.: The sanitation works are very well advanced. Evacuation channels are also planned at the level of the conurbations crossed. The face of the city of Dédougou has changed. It is already ahead of the various networks set up under the Project. This is a reassuring finding from every point of view. As the work progresses, all the necessary works in the agglomerations will be carried out properly. The project pays particular attention to these localities involved in the development and construction of this track. The Koudougou-Dédougou axis alone requires one hundred and fifty-three (153) sanitation works. In this specific area, EBOMAF has a real expertise that reassures and forges, in large part, its reputation.

S.: The question of disbursement of funds is raised, each time, by the road market bidders. What exactly is it since you also raised it?

M.B.: As the Prime Minister himself has so well explained, the problem of disbursements lies in procedures. There is nothing to say about the state budget. The first disbursement took place and payment of another statement is expected shortly. However, some delays in resource mobilization are surprising in more than one way. One of the donors, the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum-Producing Countries) Fund, has, to date, still not paid its start-up advance for this road project to which it has subscribed. The damage is real because beyond the start date, the count takes effect.

These are considerations to be taken into account when assessing the performance of road works. What both seem to be losing sight of, in many cases, before the state and its partners agree to unblock resources properly, sometimes market contractors try to make huge financial sacrifices and put projects on track until disbursement procedures succeed. These efforts are made without band or drum. But they are, unfortunately, misunderstood when they insist on the issue of disbursement. This can be explained by the fact that they are often out of breath in their willingness to pre-finance. This is a reality that can be a bottleneck in the operation of the site. And the field visit of a personality like that of the head of government offers the opportunity to speak about it frankly so that concerted solutions can be found in the interests of all.

S.: In addition to these difficulties, are there any other phenomena that could influence compliance with the deadline for completion?

M.B.: A period of thirty (30) months has been set for the implementation of the project. At EBOMAF, we are calm and consider that the time allotted is largely sufficient to develop and build the Koudougou-Dédougou road according to the standards prescribed in the specifications. Human, technical and material means exist and are being set in motion, night and day, to achieve this development objective, which passes through this vital road for the country. The deadline will be respected. There is no concern at this level. This is a challenge for which we pray, constantly, and want to win on time.

S.: What is your comment on the concerns of some who believe that building bridges will be the first puzzle on this project?

M.B.: EBOMAF has extensive experience in art works, which even go beyond national borders. To date, the bridges to be built on the stretch have a construction rate of between 45 and 50% in the province of Boulkiemdé and Mouhoun. On this level, fears dissipate over time that the construction site carries out in serenity. If the Burkinabe trust each other, they will be able to draw from their depths a savoir-faire to play in the court of the greats at international level. EBOMAF is proof that their country is truly home to competitive companies, capable of leading and succeeding any work in the field of construction. We must now convince ourselves and encourage those who invest in it to promote national expertise.

S.: As a son of the Boucle du Mouhoun region, isn't this work a kind of challenge to you?

M.B.: In any case, the award of this important contract to my company is a challenge. It is also a duty. For since the dawn of time, I have borrowed this section to go to the capital and vice versa. If there is someone who is looking forward to the success and the end of the work, it is me. No one can tell me about the current traffic difficulties on this section and show me the importance of its modernisation. If God wanted this mission to be entrusted to me, he could accomplish his will so as to deny the adage that "No one is a prophet at home." This road is mine first. It's a challenge of mine. I will therefore put all my heart and my filiation to the land of the Mouhoun Loop so that the bitumen of the Koudougou-Dédougou road will actually be carried out within the time limits and standards envisaged. It's not a promise. It is the expression of a faith for which I can rely on the blessings of the daughters and sons of the region to hold this bet admirably.

Interview by Eugène PATOIN