Burkina Faso: World Bank Approves $US47 Million To Improve Health Outcomes, Fight HIV/AIDS, And Boost Malaria Control Efforts

Contacts
In Washington: Aby Toure (202) 473 8302
akonate@worldbank.org

In Ouagadougou: Kadiatou Pate Toure (226) 50 49 6305
ktoure@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2006 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit[1] in the amount of US$47.7 million for a Health Sector Support and Multisectoral HIV/AIDS Project, which includes US$12 million to help fight malaria in the country. 

This project will support, along with other partners, the implementation of the 10-year national Health Development Plan and the current National AIDS Strategy. Among its objectives, it aims to improve quality and access to maternal and child health services, as well as treatment for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmissible infections. In addition, the project will contribute to mitigating the socio-economic consequences of the AIDS epidemic through improved coverage of social safety nets for orphans and vulnerable children, as well as improved coverage of community care and support.

“The Health Sector Support and Multisectoral HIV/AIDS project, by pooling its contribution to health and HIV/AIDS  along with other donors, will give Burkina the necessary flexibility to determine its priorities based on local disease burden while ensuring that key interventions – including for malaria, maternal and child health, nutrition, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment -- receive the necessary financing,” said Timothy Johnston, the World Bank Task Team Leader of the project.

Through the Health Sector Support and Multisectoral HIV/AIDS project, the World Bank is working with the Government of Burkina Faso to boost the malaria control efforts, with at least US$12 million dollars allocated for malaria prevention and treatment.  This makes Burkina Faso the fifth country to benefit from support under Bank’s Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa.  Malaria is the biggest killer of children in Burkina, yet only seven percent of children and pregnant women sleep under insecticide–treated bednets (ITNs), which could help reduce child deaths by as much as 30 percent. 

“We have a critical need for ITNs in the country. One of the key objectives of the Malaria Booster is to help close the malaria financing gap, so that we can get the ITNs out to the people that need them the most,” explained Ellen Goldstein, the World Bank Country Manager for Burkina Faso.

The Project will fund key commodities for malaria control to address the needs of some of the most vulnerable groups---such as children under five and pregnant women-- through procurement and distribution of over 1.5 million long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, bed net re-treatment kits, and Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). 

[1] The credit is provided on standard International Development Association (IDA) terms, with a commitment fee of 0.35 percent, a service charge of 0.75 percent over a 40 year period of maturity which includes a 10-year grace period.