EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____________________________________________________________________ 7.9 With regard to the legal framework of the fight against corruption, Burkina Faso has adhered to, signed or ratified various regional and international instruments on the prevention and fight against corruption. It has also adopted internal institutional, legal and political measures to try to eradicate the scourge. At the institutional level, in addition to the internal and external control bodies on budget management, the government has created a specific institution, the HACLC. However, the persistence of this problem, and the impunity with which it is perpetrated, testifies to the inefficiency of these bodies. A new policy was adopted in February 2008 and the ASCE, endowed with extensive powers, established. They are aimed at strengthening the existing mechanisms. 7.10 The magnitude of corruption in Burkina Faso constitutes a danger to civil peace and concord. It also hampers the smooth development and sustainable prosperity of the country. Consequently, the fight against corruption is a battle that concerns all components of the nation: the government, civil society and the private sector. They should strive to achieve consensus to implement a sustained and concerted strategy in this area. 7.11 Land use planning. Constructing the ‘Burkina Faso of tomorrow’ by 2025 requires careful consideration of the country’s potential and of its projected future. In this context, the issue of land use planning should address and meet certain challenges: (i) high population growth; (ii) persistent pressure on arable lands, which are subjected to intense degradation because of cotton cultivation; (iii) external and internal isolation; (iv) under-urbanisation, with the urban population comprising only 20.5% of the total in 1996 and 22.6% in 2006; (v) the land issue, with the difficulties associated with implementing Agricultural and Land Reorganisation (RAF); (vi) pitfalls of the decentralisation/deconcentration process; (viii) the proliferation of projects undertaken using donor agencies; and (ix) the burden of the historical nature of the economic environment and the national territory. 7.12 The Burkinabe authorities are aware of these problems and conducted the “Etude du Schéma National d’Aménagement du Territoire du Burkina Faso” in June 2007. Its main objective was to search for regional balance and economic efficiency from the perspective of sustainable development. It is also adjusted economic growth to be consistent with the ecological and human capital of each region. The master plan and regional plans, as defined by the authorities, strive to address these issues by taking into account the potential of each region. 7.13 The main issue here is agricultural development. This raises the problem of irrigation and the control of water. Burkina Faso has considerable underground water potential. It represents great wealth that is not really exploited. Other matters, like the land issue, managing perimeters and marketing products, should also be considered. 7.14 Urbanisation is a key issue in land use planning. The urban population represents only 20% of the total population, and more than 70% of the 29