DEDOUGOU-KOUDOUGOU ROUTE : The end of the calvary in 30 months

The Prime Minister, Tertius Zongo, launched the construction of the Dédougou-Koudougou road on Saturday 29 May 2010 in Dédougou. The ceremony took place in the presence of prominent personalities including the President of the National Assembly, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.

Long demanded by the inhabitants of the city of Bankuy, the bitumen of the Dédougou-Koudougou section will in principle be a reality in 30 months. Indeed, the start of the construction of the section of the national road N°14, 130 km long, took place on Saturday 29 May in Dédougou. If everything goes as planned, it is a promise of the Head of State that will be fulfilled to the great happiness of the people of the regions of the Mouhoun Loop and the West Centre. This road will consist of a surface-coated, two-layered floor covering a width of 7 m, with 1.50 m in the countryside, and 8 m with 2 m in agglomeration. The works include the resumption of three bridges: the bridges on the Nazinon, on the Mouhoun and on Karuka and the construction of 35 km of tracks for the access ramps.

They also include related developments such as the construction of 2 toll stations, the planting of 5,000 trees, the construction of 13,500 linear metres of fences for schools and clinics.

With a delay of 30 months, the work will be carried out by the EBOMAF SA/KARA ESTABLISHMENT group of enterprises for an amount of 28,960,448,600 CFA HTHD. Monitoring and supervision are entrusted to the CINCAT International SA/TECHNI CONSULT study bureaus for an amount of 888 413 800 CFA HTHD for a period of 32 months. The Dudougou-Koudougou axis is of crucial importance because it will allow people to move easily and facilitate the transport of products from the attic of Burkina Faso to other localities, said the Mayor of Dédougou, Valentin Konaté and the representative of the transporters of Dédougou, Moussa Diakité.

Siaka Prosper Traoré, the governor of the Mouhoun Loop region, also had the same trumpet as his predecessors. For him, the great mobilization of the inhabitants of Bankuy at the launch ceremony, reflects their joy, but also their hope that this launch will be the starting point for the total liberation of their region in order to enable it to begin its development. He said that it was a time when he was forbidden to make a speech on the question of the Dédougou-Koudougou section, in the face of impatience, scepticism of the people and especially in the face of aggressiveness of certain words. According to the donor representative, Hasan Alattas, Director General of the Technical Department, Head of Delegation of the Saudi Development Fund, the bitumening of the Dédougou-Kudougou axis is of crucial importance as it will unblock both regions.

He hoped that the joint project they had co-financed could make a significant contribution to the development of Burkina Faso. For its part, the Minister of Infrastructure and De-enclavement, Seydou Kaboré, argued that the launch of the 40-year-old Dédougou-Koudougou-axis bitumen project puts an end to the many episodes of questioning and doubt. For him, once he has been hit, the road will lead to the optimal exploitation of the immense potential of the region, an increase in the volume of socio-economic activities, in a word, to participate in the fight against poverty.

Thanks to the support of the partners, the work thus started, he said, will soon link the last capital of the region to Ouagadougou. The Minister of Infrastructure has entrusted that in the next few months, will follow the bitumen of the road Dédougou-Nouna-Djibasso and the start-up of the project Dédougou-Tougan-Ouahigouya-Thiou border of Mali. He drew the attention of the two groups of companies and study offices to ensure that the project was carried out in accordance with the rules of the art and within the prescribed time limit.

The Prime Minister, Tertius Zongo, after giving the top start of the work, said that the dossier of this road is one of the priority issues entrusted to him by the Head of State. It is believed that the cost of TTC works amounts to CFAF 40 billion, consisting solely of loans to be repaid by the present and future generation. The Prime Minister said he was satisfied with the support of donors. He said that every effort will be made to ensure that the work is carried out quickly and, above all, in accordance with the rules of art to enable people to improve their living conditions in a sustainable manner. The Head of Government asked the people of Dédougou to mobilize to ensure that the work was carried out well.

Dabadi ZOUMBARA

The Country of Monday 31 May 2010