EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____________________________________________________________________ population lives in rural areas. The population growth rate in the capital, Ouagadougou, is nearly 5% (4.86%, to be precise). In other towns it is 3.4%, while it is 2.63% in the rural areas. This shows that the towns, especially the capital, drain a large proportion of the revenue from the rural areas. A major challenge facing the government is to reverse the trend to ensure the equitable distribution of resources, especially investments. 7.15 With regard to the industrial policy for planning land use, the most obvious route is to increase the value of agricultural produce. The SNAT should enable Burkina Faso to reconfigure the national space carefully and to position its industries appropriately so as to develop the diverse nature of the growth centres. 7.16 Training, skills enhancement and insertion of young people. According to the 2006 census, more than half of the population of Burkina Faso, estimated at 13,750,258, was below the age of 20 in 2006, and nearly 70% was 35 or younger. The Ministry of Youth and Employment 1 noted that this population “should be taken into account in all development projects and programmes”. However, the challenges to be met for the youth of Burkina Faso are enormous: (i) employment, as 70% of the unemployed in Burkina Faso are below the age of 35 years; (ii) unemployment is primarily an urban phenomenon in Burkina Faso – however, it is also a major challenge in rural areas, where about 40% of young people are underemployed; (iii) the education system in Burkina Faso does not provide for the needs of the labour market adequately; and (iv) young people often work under precarious working conditions. 7.17 The government created a framework for dialogue and reflection to deal with this situation in 2005. The National Youth Forum brings together the head of state and representatives of the youth every year to discuss key developmental issues such as entrepreneurship, access to credit and vocational training. In addition, a new National Policy on Education and Technical and Vocational Training (EFTP) has been adopted. Its main strategies reflect the recommendations of the youth forum: (i) to develop the sectors that improve local economic potential; (ii) to adopt an appropriate status for training establishments and centres; (iii) to create functional links between the different educational levels and to establish equivalent qualifications for the different types of training; (iv) to extend the categories of teachers in the EFTP subsector; and (v) to use teachers rationally and efficiently. The action plans will be implemented between 2009 and 2015. 7.18 The initiative of the president of Burkina Faso to hold an annual forum with young people and to listen to the future forces of the nation is commendable. It helps to associate the youth with making decisions on policies that can open opportunities for them, and to envisage partnerships for their implementation. 1 Document prepared by the Ministry of Youth and Employment entitled National Youth Forum. Third edition. Theme: Promoting Civism and Patriotism of the Youth for a Sustainable and Participative Development. Page 3. 30