EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____________________________________________________________________ and the traditional mode of socioeconomic organisation. Consequently, the state should be more innovative and promote strategies dictated by its specific needs in order make the IS a partner in the implementation of economic policies. 7.5 Modernising the state. Modernising the state and society is no doubt one of the major challenges in the battle for an emerging Burkina Faso by 2025. Indeed, to meet the challenge, the institutions, administrative machinery and the economic and social environments need to be transformed considerably. A National Policy on Good Governance (PNBG) was adopted in August 2005. Its establishment suggested that a global, integrated and systemic approach, based on democratic principles, was being introduced into the drive towards development. The challenge is to determine what types of reforms should be introduced to establish synergy between political stability and democracy on the one hand, and development and economic prosperity on the other. Another equally important issue is the flexibility and institutional capacity of the Burkinabe state to effect these reforms from the perspective of endogenous development. 7.6 The best option is to develop a model of a viable and sustainable society that will transcend the concerns of the elite only and cater for the daily needs and welfare of the masses as well. Leaders need to have clear vision; national resources need to be used transparently and efficiently; the accounts of the state, NGOs and associations need to be surrendered systematically; and the fierce battle against corruption should be continued to guarantee that the state and society will be ‘modernised’. 7.7 Success will also depend on the approaches used for conducting the reforms, the relevance of the procedures adopted, ownership of the reforms and the rigour with which they are monitored and evaluated. It presupposes that a communication strategy exists and that it is characterised by the development of the capacity for listening and critical dialogue, consultation, transparent exchanges and joint decision-making. These are processes through which the state becomes a partner of civil society and of all the other stakeholders. These are the commitments needed to realise the vision of “an integrated nation, a nation of progress and justice, which is consolidating its respect on the international scene” reflected in the “Burkina Faso 2025” ideal. 7.8 Corruption. Studies show that corruption in Burkina Faso is spreading and affects all areas of governance. Reports on the prevalence of corruption in the different sectors of socioeconomic life, published every year since 2000 by the National Anti-Corruption Network (RENLAC), show that the magnitude of this scourge is increasing. The UNDP published a national report on human development in Burkina Faso in 2003. Its topic was ‘Corruption and Human Development’. It analyses the different facets of corruption in Burkina and confirms the gloomy picture of this scourge. The state has tried to accept its responsibilities in the light of the situation. 28