Month: February 2026

ALG has successfully completed a high-stakes consultancy mandate commissioned by the World Bank and the Government of Burkina Faso. The assignment, focused on the critical fight against child malnutrition, has delivered a comprehensive roadmap to enhance Social and Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) across the country.

The completion of this project marks a pivotal step in the “Health Services Reinforcement Project” (HSRP) and the “Emergency Local Development and Resilience Project” (PUDTR), aimed at addressing the nutritional crisis in a context where 21.6% of children under five suffer from stunting.

A Response to a Critical National Need

The assignment was launched against a backdrop of urgent need. With only 23.9% of children aged 6–23 months receiving a minimum acceptable diet, the Government of Burkina Faso has been prioritizing the convergence of health and social protection services.

ALG’s mission was to evaluate the capacity of frontline workers—including facility-based agents and community workers—to deliver life-saving nutrition messages effectively. The ultimate goal of this work is to support the distribution of Small Quantity Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) to approximately 84,000 children.

Delivering on Complex Objectives

Navigating a challenging security context, ALG successfully executed the three-phase approach outlined in the project’s terms of reference:

1. National Mapping: ALG delivered a complete mapping of nutrition-related SBCC service providers across all sectors and regions of Burkina Faso. This included a detailed breakdown of delivery mechanisms and intervention areas.
2. Targeted Regional Assessment: In the priority regions of the East and Boucle du Mouhoun, the firm conducted an in-depth evaluation of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) of key community agents. This covered three vital sectors:
   • Social protection (social workers)
   • Health (community health workers)
   • Agriculture (agricultural extension agents).
3. Capacity and Gap Analysis: The team provided a clear analysis of the human resources, materials, and equipment currently available, while identifying critical gaps that have historically hindered the effective diffusion of nutrition messages.

Key Deliverables and Outcomes

To the satisfaction of the World Bank and national stakeholders, ALG submitted a robust package of deliverables essential for future policy planning:

• Comprehensive Final Report: A detailed document (available in French and English) summarizing the research methodology, data collection processes, and key findings regarding provider capacity.
• Strategic Database: A transparent compilation of raw data and interview notes to support evidence-based decision-making.
• Operational Protocols: High-quality qualitative instruments and safety protocols that ensured the security of research teams and participants during the data collection phase.

Impact on National Beneficiaries

The insights provided by ALG are set to drive the “convergence” strategy championed by the World Bank’s Social Protection and Jobs (SPJ) and Health, Nutrition, and Population (HNP) teams.

By identifying exactly where gaps in knowledge and equipment exist, the government can now better layer nutrition counseling onto existing social safety net transfers. This ensures that interventions like the monthly distribution of nutritional supplements are accompanied by effective behavioral change communication, maximizing their impact on child growth and development.

The successful completion of this assignment provides the evidence base needed to scale up interventions that will protect the developmental potential of Burkina Faso’s next generation.

ALG is proud to announce it has completed a comprehensive technical and financial audit for the Results-Based Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which is funded by the World Bank. Commissioned to assist the National Office of Water and Sanitation (ONEA), this audit plays an essential role in maintaining transparency and efficiency in key infrastructure projects within a region facing significant security and climate difficulties.

Context: The Importance of Water Management in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is currently home to around 2.06 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and is seeing a troubling drop in per capita water availability, now below critical levels. This reality highlights the pressing demand for stronger water resource management.

Audit Overview: Major Results and Methods

With funding from agreement N6255-BF, ALG assembled a specialized team—including water engineers, procurement experts, and financial auditors—to review activities across 23 urban centers and rural communes throughout Boucle du Mouhoun, Cascades, Hauts-Bassins, and Sud-Ouest.

The audit resulted in both Provisional and Final Technical and Financial Reports. Key outcomes included:

• Extensive Procurement Evaluation: ALG thoroughly examined every stage of the contracting process, from initial tenders to final awards, confirming adherence to economic, efficient, and transparent practices. They compared institutional frameworks with the public service procurement code for greater insight.
• Infrastructure Validation: The team rigorously checked technical studies and inspected water and sanitation facilities on-site, verifying that they conformed to project requirements and cost targets.
• Financial Review: The auditors ensured project funds were used exclusively as intended, carefully examining transactions and accounting records for compliance with accepted principles—directly tackling the need for better financial oversight.

Client Response: Outcomes and Progress

The World Bank Team commended the audit’s thoroughness and useful recommendations. Rather than just pointing out issues, ALG offered guidance for strengthening institutional capacity.

• Improving Financial Oversight: After uncovering more than CFAF 32 billion in unsupported commitments in an earlier review, the audit clarified ONEA’s financial management, providing a foundation for reliable future tracking and use of funds.
• Practical Recommendations: Beyond identifying compliance problems, ALG suggested ways to improve internal procedures at ONEA, aiming to strengthen contract management systems and information reliability for future water projects.
• Assisting Vulnerable Communities: By verifying how efficiently investments are made, the audit helps ensure continued water access for the 78.3 percent who depend on these services, especially in rural zones where coverage has been lacking.

This collaboration marked a step forward for transparency and resilience in Burkina Faso’s water sector, helping guarantee that development resources benefit the people who need them most.

ALG has completed the assignment: “Technical and research services to undertake a review of decentralized polices and legal framework of the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs and The Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities (GALGA); and develop institutional policies for GALGA”. The assignment was entrusted by UNDP.

Overall Objective

This consultancy seeks to review the existing legal and policy frameworks of the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs, and to develop finance, administrative, communication and visibility policies for GALGA. The review of these legal and policy frameworks and the development of the above policies will enhance the institutional capacity of these institutions to discharge their statutory duties and bring them on par with others in the region.

Specific Objectives

With support from the EU-UNDP GREAT initiative, a local consultancy firm will be hired to review the legal and institutional policy frameworks and develop communication, financial, and other strategic policy documents to enhance the performance of (MoLRGRA & GALGA).

The policy review will focus on legal and policy frameworks. The firm will work mostly with the MoLRGRA & GALGA and engage other strategic government institutions, private sector, civil society organizations, development partners, and review existing literature and best practices in the region.

Specifically, the firm will undertake the following tasks:

a. Conduct an inclusive policy review and update the decentralization framework, line ministries, and local authorities’ institutional policies, namely the revision of the Local Governance Act of 2002, and update the Local Government Finance and Audit Act of 2014 and the Constitution of GALGA.

b. Develop administrative, finance, human resources, communication and visibility Policies, and strategies for GALGA.