Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.

This Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) is a nationwide multi-sectoral broadly aiming at (i) creating a dynamic of growth and accumulation of human capital leading to sustainable reductions in poverty and unemployment and to improvements in living conditions for all citizens; (ii) reinforcing the economic growth base, by pursuing and consolidating reforms in several key economic domains, such as public finances, public enterprise, promotion of the private sector, transportation (in the short term); (iii) envisaging measures that should open up rapid development in the services sector, generate strong growth, and create jobs (in the long term). The main objectives of the PRSP are as follows (i) to reduce the incidence of extreme poverty by 2015; (ii) to increase the average real GDP growth and reduce the inequalities in income distribution; (iii) to increase gross primary school enrollment; (iv) to reduce the infant mortality rate; (v) to reduce the infant-juvenile mortality rate; (vi) to reduce the maternal mortality rate; (vii) to stabilize the rate of prevalence of HIV by approximately 3 percent by 2015. The Strategy rests on four pillars (1) strengthen competitiveness and create conditions conducive to a strong and sustainable economic growth; (2) accelerate the development of human resources through the implementation of programs targeted to poverty areas and vulnerable populations; (3) reduce poverty, in particular with improving access to water and basic services for the poor; and (4) promote good political, local, economic, and financial governance.
To help eliminate hunger and malnutrition, the Strategy envisages (i) interventions in the agricultural sector including intensification, agricultural diversification, and water control; (ii) the creation of new revenue-generating activities for both the fishermen themselves and those involved in fish marketing, particularly women, such as help women improve fish treatment and distribution, encourage the introduction treatment and storage techniques, promote inexpensive refrigeration means, develop the distribution network by increasing the number of points of sale targeting the local market in order to promote fish consumption.
To make agriculture more productive and sustainable, the proposed interventions regard (i) the development of the productive sectors of agriculture, stock farming and fishing; (ii) the development of the agricultural know-how; (iii) the improvement of the national coverage of rural water points through the mobilization of surface water; (iv) the development of livestock sector, through increasing the supervision of animal diseases, the capacities building for veterinary services, equipping the veterinary laboratory and veterinary medicinal products; (v) the development of a stock raising support program concerning animal health, improvement of the paths, livestock census, awareness and popularization, and pastoral water supply.
Rural poverty can be tackled by (i) diversifying the rural activities; (ii) developing rural infrastructures; (iii) rehabilitating and building water points and waterworks networks and preserving the quality of water in the rural area and ensuring their sustainability; (iv) developing projects in the rural districts concerning agriculture, stockbreeding and fishing, promoting individual exploitations, increasing irrigation infrastructures and rural roads. In principle, the Strategy focuses on three principles (1) decentralization of programs and activities oriented to rural development; (2) community participation in program definition and management; (3) coordination and consultation between all the operators in order to optimize the impact of investments and planned actions.
To enhance more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the Strategy proposes to (i) promote the development of salt exports and improve its impact on jobs and regional development; (ii) encourage the institutionalization of micro-finance; (iii) develop a new method of local water management involving the rural actors and the development of private sector activities; (iv) promote an infrastructures development project for regional trade of livestock regarding the internal market (with livestock collection centers in rural areas) and export (concerning livestock population, sanitary control, harmonization of regulatory certification procedures); (v) establish international standards for fish exporting infrastructures by putting in place laboratories for health supervision.
The resilience of livelihoods to disasters will be increased by (i) modernizing and strengthening the public health system and significantly increasing access to health care, especially for the poor populations, and improving the quality of care and the fairness of the system; (ii) promoting land management and local development; (iii) ensuring access to drinking water for the poor; (iv) developing a system for prevention and disaster management; (v) managing information on the environment, disasters, famines and other calamities using ICT; (vi) promoting alternative sources of energy; (vii) improving the management of household and urban waste; (viii) defining and implement a coherent sanitation policy and improving the sanitation sector; (ix) improving the health conditions, living environment and reinforcing environmental protection in poor neighborhoods; (x) ensuring the conservation and sustainable utilization of species, inhabitants and ecosystems and improving the legal framework of environmental protection; (xi) improving the water supply system to remote cities.
As for Governance, the Strategy encourages to (i) promote good local governance and participatory development; (ii) establish a judicial system close to the citizen, ensuring equal access and equitable judgments for all, securing investors, and protecting property; (iii) bring the administration closer to the citizen, develop the capacities of the public sector and modernize the administration.