Background
Poverty and vulnerability are widespread in Burkina Faso. Nearly 43 percent of the country¡¯s population lives below the national poverty line (EHCVM 2020-2021), making households particularly vulnerable to climate shocks. The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, accompanied by restrictions on mobility, contributed to the deterioration of households¡¯ food and nutrition security. Since 2015, insecurity has led to significant population displacement across the country, with more than 2 million people internally displaced.
Climate shocks affect a significant share of the population, with significant impacts on their resilience. Based on the most recent Cadre Harmonis¨¦ results (October 2023¨CAugust 2024), almost 3 million people, representing 13% of the country¡¯s population, were identified as requiring urgent assistance during the lean season. This group includes almost 500,000 children under the age of five, representing 16.2% of the total number of children under five in Burkina Faso (data from the 2019 population census). The affected populations are primarily located in the East, Sahel, North, North Center, Boucle du Mouhoun, and East Center regions.
The Government is strengthening the country¡¯s ASP system, despite the complex security situation. Reforms include the elaboration of a National Social Protection Strategy (2024-2028) and the creation of the National Program for the Economic Empowerment of Poor and Vulnerable Households (PAMPV) to operationalize the national strategy¡¯s objectives in a cohesive, sustainable, and scalable manner. The strategy explicitly includes key ASP instruments and programs, such the social registry (Registre Social Unique), regular and shock-responsive safety nets, programs focused on economic inclusion for the poor and vulnerable, and operational synergies between development and humanitarian interventions.
SASPP Activities
SASPP's activities in Burkina Faso were anchored in the Social Safety Net Project, locally known as "Burkina-Naong-Sa Ya". Implemented over a ten-year period between 2014 and 2024, the project's objective was to lay the foundations for an adaptive safety net system and increase access to social safety nets for poor and vulnerable households. It also provided a platform for sustained technical and operational engagement with government counterparts and developments partners.
Social Safety Net project:
Project duration: 2014 ¨C June 2024
Financing:
- Initial financing of $50 million from IDA in FY14
The project achieved significant results, despite the gradual deterioration of the security situation since 2016, including:
- Almost 1,300,000 direct beneficiaries from 209,000 households in nine out of thirteen regions received social assistance (of which 763,714 people benefited from monetary transfers in response to shocks). Among these:
o 77% of the beneficiaries belonged to the poorest 40% of the population
o 54% of the beneficiaries were women
- The participation of over 21,000 women in economic inclusion activities.
- The registration of over 270,000 households in the social registry by June 2025.
- A national framework for social safety nets was established through the development and adoption of the PAMPV, enabling government-led coordination of interventions and marking a major milestone in the ASP national system.
- National expertise was strengthened in the design and implementation of social safety nets.
- Information and management systems were integrated to enhance coordination and efficiency.
- A national call center was established to manage complaints and improve accountability in service delivery.
In addition to the project, SASPP supports technical assistance and capacity building to the government on a series of elements. In coordination with key partners, SASPP has supported ASP systems, including by facilitating technical assistance for the continued roll-out of the social registry after project closing.
As a result, building on the 277,000 households registered with support from SASPP, the European Union and WFP support brought the total number of poor households included in the registry to 344,400 as of June 2025. Work has also been initiated to support interoperability between different databases, including those of the Social Registry, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the Unique Identifier System being developed with the support of a World Bank-funded project (WURI project). Technical assistance has also contributed to strengthening the shock-response mechanisms and the design of programs aimed at boosting economic inclusion and productivity of the poorest. Building on the continued technical assistance and dialogue during FY25, the Burkinabe government has expressed interest in World Bank support for the preparation of a new operation to support the implementation of the PAMPV.
Last Updated: Jul 28, 2025