Kongoussi
Encyclopedia
Kongoussi is a city located in Bam
Province in central Burkina Faso
, one of the world's poorest countries. It has a population of 18,400 and it is the Provincial capital. Mooré, the language of the Mossi people, is spoken along with French, common among those who have attended school or spent time further afield.
Kongoussi has deep roots in Mossi history and social relations - certain small Mossi chiefdoms were located in this area (for example at Sabce), although not based in the town itself. Kongoussi benefits from a lakeside location, which is rare in the African Sahel. It therefore received attention from French administrators and before that from the Catholic Church. France had little real impact on the local population but did establish an outpost, promoted cotton production, and built roads. The lake, Lac du Bam
is part of the upper reaches of the southward-flowing Volta system, and its presence permits year-round lakeshore cultivation in an otherwise arid climate. Townspeople have irrigated plots close to the lake shore, but the preence of standing water means the malaria risk is high. Aside from tropical fruits, green beans are produced here, usually supplying the winter market in Paris when flights form Ouagadougou permit this. There is a major road in Kongoussi that runs north to Bourzanga
and beyond, and a paved road from the center of town down to the capital city of Ouagadougou
, which lies 125 kilometres (77.7 mi) to the south. There are dirt roads and tracks connecting to outlying villages, and on an east-west axis.
Kongoussi has lagged behind nearby towns (like Kaya
) in terms of its economic development and infrastructure. While government buildings house the regional outposts of several ministries and organisations (their employees have regular salaries) the majority of the urban population run small businesses or are traders. Kongoussi is in many respects typical of provincial Burkina Faso: limited electricity and piped water supply, dusty dirt roads, and many market stalls and small businesses supplying the townspeople and the rural hinterland. It has a small hospital, a large Catholic mission on the eastern shores of the Lac du Bam, a small number of rudimentary hotels, primary and secondary schools, a cinema and a large market. Access to internet became possible in about 2000, and there is mobile phone service. A few bars, hotels and the cinema provide the nightlife.
In the late 1980s, after devastating droughts began to wane, the town started to attract interest from international development organisations, the largest of which was PATECORE, funded by the German aid agency GTZ and concentrating on soil conservation in 240 outlying villages. Plan International also has an office there Kongoussi is well enough connected to Ouagadougou to have a good level of contact with the aid sector.
Bam (province)
Bam is one of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso. It is in Centre-Nord Region and the capital of Bam is Kongoussi. In 2006 it had a population of 277092. It is a rural province with 252,509 of its residents living in the countryside; only 24,583 live in urban areas...
Province in central Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, one of the world's poorest countries. It has a population of 18,400 and it is the Provincial capital. Mooré, the language of the Mossi people, is spoken along with French, common among those who have attended school or spent time further afield.
Kongoussi has deep roots in Mossi history and social relations - certain small Mossi chiefdoms were located in this area (for example at Sabce), although not based in the town itself. Kongoussi benefits from a lakeside location, which is rare in the African Sahel. It therefore received attention from French administrators and before that from the Catholic Church. France had little real impact on the local population but did establish an outpost, promoted cotton production, and built roads. The lake, Lac du Bam
Lake Bam
Lake Bam is located near the town of Kongoussi, in Burkina Faso. The lake is slowly drying up putting the nearby village's agriculture, fish stocks and cattle watering at risk....
is part of the upper reaches of the southward-flowing Volta system, and its presence permits year-round lakeshore cultivation in an otherwise arid climate. Townspeople have irrigated plots close to the lake shore, but the preence of standing water means the malaria risk is high. Aside from tropical fruits, green beans are produced here, usually supplying the winter market in Paris when flights form Ouagadougou permit this. There is a major road in Kongoussi that runs north to Bourzanga
Bourzanga
Bourzanga is a town in the Bourzanga Department of Bam Province in northern Burkina Faso. It is the capital of the Bourzanga Department and has a population of 7,088. The town contains an ancient necropolis that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on April 9, 1996, due to its...
and beyond, and a paved road from the center of town down to the capital city of Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais...
, which lies 125 kilometres (77.7 mi) to the south. There are dirt roads and tracks connecting to outlying villages, and on an east-west axis.
Kongoussi has lagged behind nearby towns (like Kaya
Kaya, Burkina Faso
Kaya is the eighth largest city in Burkina Faso, lying north east of Ouagadougou, to which it is connected by railway. It is a centre for weaving and tanning....
) in terms of its economic development and infrastructure. While government buildings house the regional outposts of several ministries and organisations (their employees have regular salaries) the majority of the urban population run small businesses or are traders. Kongoussi is in many respects typical of provincial Burkina Faso: limited electricity and piped water supply, dusty dirt roads, and many market stalls and small businesses supplying the townspeople and the rural hinterland. It has a small hospital, a large Catholic mission on the eastern shores of the Lac du Bam, a small number of rudimentary hotels, primary and secondary schools, a cinema and a large market. Access to internet became possible in about 2000, and there is mobile phone service. A few bars, hotels and the cinema provide the nightlife.
In the late 1980s, after devastating droughts began to wane, the town started to attract interest from international development organisations, the largest of which was PATECORE, funded by the German aid agency GTZ and concentrating on soil conservation in 240 outlying villages. Plan International also has an office there Kongoussi is well enough connected to Ouagadougou to have a good level of contact with the aid sector.