West Africa Governance & Economic Sustainability in Extractive Areas (WAGES)

Areas of Expertise

  • Economic development
  • Gender Equality

Means of Action

  • Volunteer cooperation
  • Development
Country Country

Burkina Faso (Tuy and Balé Provinces), Ghana (Wassa East and Prestea Huni-Valley Districts) and Guinea (Prefecture of Boké)

Length Length

April 2016 to March 2022

Beneficiaries Beneficiaries

19,000 people (45% women) are directly involved in the project

Partners Partners

This project is carried out in a consortium with WUSC.

Budget Budget

CAD 22 million (Global Affairs Canada)

West Africa is a region endowed with significant mineral resources, attracting many investments since the mid-2000s. What could have been a catalyst for inclusive economic and social development has, in the past, been mostly synonymous with a “resource curse” for the countries of the region. The national and local governments face many challenges (bad governance, corruption, inequality, or armed conflict), which means that a tiny minority of the population and a handful of large companies are the main beneficiaries of these revenues.

In order to break this vicious circle, the WAGES project is being implemented in three regions marked by the presence of extractive industries in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Guinea. 

By collaborating with local and national governments, mining companies, and organizations from the private sector and civil society, the project aims to ensure the participation of local communities (especially women and youth) in the governance of natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sustainable development of these areas.

Improved Local Governance

The WAGES project works with local governments to strengthen their capacity to collaborate with community leaders, women and youth in order to better plan and support
the implementation of local development initiatives. A participatory development management approach will provide a better foundation for the use of resources coming from mining funds for local development.

These same authorities are also supported in adopting more rigorous and transparent management methods that are better aligned with the communities’ interests. The influence of women, youth and local communities in these processes is also increased, thanks to the organization of discussion groups, community meetings and radio broadcasts. Dialogue between the various local development actors is supported in order to build an inclusive and sustainable vision benefiting as many people as possible. Concretely, this implies reviewing the development plans of local governments to ensure that the concerns of women and youth are taken into account when executing the mining funds for development, among other things.

Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth

In order to sustainably improve the economic opportunities of women and youth, the project aims to both strengthen their skills and guarantee them serious professional opportunities. To achieve this, the participants are offered quality technical and entrepreneurial training inked to real employment or entrepreneurship opportunities. Entrepreneurs receive specialized mentoring through the strengthened local support services and business  incubators that are created. They are therefore better able to carry out market studies, develop their business plan, seek funding and launch their businesses. To improve funding, opportunities for small grants are being tested as a way to inspire municipalities to offer these types of services through the management of their mining funds for development.

Community credit saving mechanisms are also implemented within women’s groups to stimulate the development of income-generating activities. In addition, municipalities are supported as they draw up inclusive development strategies in the most promising economic sectors. At the same time, awareness-raising work is carried out with businesses and families to fight against the stereotypes that prevent women and young women from accessing non-traditional jobs. Finally, to ensure its sustainability, the project promotes a green and circular economy. The use of compost and organic amendment is thus privileged for all supported farming enterprises. Projects for the recovery of organic waste and the creation of biodigestors are being developed by local entrepreneurs.

Knowledge Sharing

The WAGES project promotes the sharing of best practices and lessons learned in inclusive sustainable development in order to influence policies and the way revenues from the extractive sector are administered in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Guinea. Communicating this knowledge is intended as a way to feed into existing multi-stakeholder discussions in order to maximize socioeconomic benefits for women, youth and all people living in those areas where extractive industries are present. This component aims to ensure that the project’s approaches and results can inspire similar initiatives beyond the regions where the project is implemented, whether in the three countries currently targeted or in other Western African countries.

Project Figures

4,800 community representatives, particularly women and youth, informed and trained on inclusive governance and accountability
 

19 local development plans developed or strengthened to better respond to the needs and interests of women and youth

 
5,920 women and youth introduced to entrepreneurship and business development

  
3,850 women and youth technically trained for employment
 

1,000 start-ups supported to be formalized and/or access financing

Thank you to our partners

In consortium with :

West Africa Governance & Economic Sustainability in Extractive Areas (WAGES)

With the financial support of :

West Africa Governance & Economic Sustainability in Extractive Areas (WAGES)
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