Construction of Rural Tracks using the Labour-Intensive Method (HIMO)

Since 2017, the Regional Council of the Centre-West of Burkina Faso has been implementing the construction and maintenance of rural tracks using the HIMO method, which prioritises intensive use of local labour. With 143 km of tracks built across 8 municipalities and a total investment of over 2.5 billion FCFA, the practice stands out for reserving 75% of jobs for rural women, many of them heads of household. This model addresses territorial isolation, female economic empowerment, and participatory governance simultaneously, and has been institutionalised at national level in Burkina Faso's National HIMO Strategy 2022–2026. A systemic, gender-responsive approach to tackling rural poverty.