EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____________________________________________________________________ 6.16 In the area of health, Burkina Faso has improved its infrastructure at the level of primary health care. It has also improved the quality and use of health services. However, there is no comparable improvement in personnel. The budget allocated to the health sector has increased to 8.4% of the current budget, compared to 6.5% in 2002. It remains quite low compared to the needs and minimal standards of 10% fixed by the WHO and 15% prescribed by ECOWAS. 6.17 The overall results in the health sector are mixed. Remarkable progress has been made in vaccinating children and in HIV/AIDS control. The prevalence of HIV, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), fell from 6.5% in 2001 to 1.8% in 2005. However, there has been a lack of significant progress in maternal heath, family planning, and in the fight against communicable diseases. Indeed, communicable diseases remain accountable for more than 75% of deaths registered. 6.18 With regard to access to other basic services like drinking water, sanitation, energy, finance, markets, ICT, housing and land. • Considerable progress has been made in terms of access to drinking water, both in the rural and urban areas. Nevertheless, there are some persistent weaknesses. There are still considerable disparities between regions and within regions, and the levels of consumption are lower than the goal of 20 litres per day per person. In addition to improving access to drinking water, the authorities have introduced a remarkable water control strategy. It is intended to improve storage capacities with the help of water storage facilities for agricultural, cattle breeding and energy needs. This water control policy made it possible to have two farming seasons per year, to increase the incomes of farmers substantially, to develop ecological tourism and to improve energy supplies. • The situation is worrying in the sub-sector of sanitation, given the low coverage rate. The sub-sector cannot mobilise the necessary resources for its development. • With regard to energy, the density of electrification ranks with the lowest. The country has a low level of energy consumption compared to the other sub-Saharan African countries. • Various mechanisms have been introduced to improve access to credit. Access remains difficult, particularly for some population groups (the youth and women), and in the rural areas. • With regard to access to markets, a large proportion of rural farmers cannot sell their products because some production sites are isolated. • The reform of the ICT sector, initiated in 1998, helped to change the configuration of the sector and improved accessibility to its services. 25