Carole, you are the country representative for the new Geres office in Burkina. Could you please tell us in a few words how you reached that point?

C-D – I grew up in a farming, winegrowing environment in the beautiful region of Champagne. I went on to study industrial management and more specifically the organization and management of production. It was in that world I spent seven years working in France. Then an opportunity to change career presented itself and I grasped it, launching myself into the. humanitarian field, using logistics as my entry point.

After working for many years in the emergency sector, I gradually turned towards development. This year, I’m celebrating my “coming-of-age”, as I have clocked up 18 years working for NGOs abroad, in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

What was Geres objective in setting up in Burkina Faso?

C-D – Geres ran its first operations in Burkina Faso at the end of the 1980s, carrying out various projects there. More recently, technical assistance was provided to a major project, in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, including a Green Business Zone, where we were able to contribute our expertise. In parallel, the Wood Energy Sahel project was designed for three countries: Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

Geres is already established in Mali, but did not have a permanent presence in Burkina Faso, where the need for climate solidarity is keenly felt but so far unmet. Geres will run the Wood Energy Sahel project from Ouagadougou.

We are also aiming to develop new relevant projects in this landlocked region of the Sahel, where the degradation of some forests is gaining pace, particularly as a result of demographic pressure and poverty.

Can you tell us about the programme and why it has been rolled out in Burkina Faso?

C-D – The Wood Energy Sahel project has a four-year timeframe, drawing on €4 million funding from AFD and FFEM (French Global Environment Facility) for the three consortium partners: Hystra (Hybrid Strategies Consulting), the project lead; Entrepreneurs du Monde; and Geres. This project aims to make it easier for people in the major urban centres of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to access cooking energy.

The project will help to slow down the degradation of forests on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, Bamako and Niamey and build the capacity of private operators in the sector, as well as institutional structures at different levels, in line with national domestic energy strategies. Wood energy is the main fuel for more than 80% of households, because it is cheap and alternatives are often unavailable (electricity, gas, etc.).

This project arose largely due to the realization that the transition from wood energy to alternatives (LPG, agricultural residues, etc.) is currently too slow to stem the degradation of forest cover in the three countries, which is happening at one of the fastest rates in the world.

The project is innovative in that it takes account of household aspirations, product availability and financial accessibility. A larger proportion of the population will be made aware of the clean, efficient cooking options available in their home towns and be able more easily to obtain cooking appliances suited to their needs and financial capacity.

The project will also reduce the impact on the environment, the costs of cooking energy, the harmful effects of smoke on health and the safety risks involved in gathering wood.

What is Geres role in this programme?

C-D – Through this project, we are working directly in the three countries: in Mali from our offices in Bamako and Ségou, and in Burkina Faso and Niger from our office in Ouagadougou.

Geres has overall responsibility for Pillar I, which consists of establishing a “Wood Energy in the Sahel platform” to produce knowledge and content for stakeholders on the Clean, Efficient Cooking (CEC) supply chain in the region. Geres will mobilize technical assistance to meet the project-related needs of key players in the sector.

In addition, Geres will implement a public awareness strategy to encourage the dissemination of CEC equipment. Finally, Geres has a cross-cutting role in the project as regards monitoring and evaluation, gender and institutional communication.

How do you see this office in five years time (development of the teams, number of employees, partnerships and so on)?

C-D – The Burkina Faso office, which has only just started up, seeks to develop local partnerships to put its projects on a firmer and more sustainable footing, focusing on the five key areas of Geres expertise, but more specifically on energy access, controlling energy demand and rolling out renewable energies. Geres operational team, to which a project manager has recently been added, will then be better equipped to move towards geographical and thematic expansion and maximize its activities.

Next key stages in the programme?

C-D – Geres will now be able to contribute more effectively to data collection and market research, as well as identify and bring together the various players in the Clean, Efficient Cooking sector, not only manufacturers and distributors but also national authorities or alliances.