The Use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) by a Local Authority: the Case of the Koudougou Bus Station in Burkina Faso

Abstract

In Burkina Faso, public-private partnerships (PPP) have been favoured by political actors for some years now. This investment model is put forward by the government as an alternative source of financing for infrastructure and public services.In Koudougou municipality, located in the west-central region of the country, a management model for a bus station involving public and private actors has been set up. This is a first for this municipality, which co-financed the realization of this infrastructure with the support of the Swiss Cooperation. To ensure the station’s full functionality, the town hall invited transport companies to invest in the station to set up a base for their activities there. Private companies responded to this management offer with varying degrees of success.This article is based on the study of this case, with the aim of identifying the difficulties encountered and the risks related to the PPP management processes for the various actors, in particular the operational and financial risks, and the legal and political risks. Based on the achievements and limitations observed in Koudougou, the article suggests several lessons for improving the management of a collective infrastructure involving a PPP.

Keywords

• enterprises
• public private partnership (PPP)
• bilateral cooperation
• decentralisation