GCA Supports Climate-Resilient Transport Infrastructure in Burkina Faso’s SKBo Region
R
otterdam, the Netherlands, 6 May 2025 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today announced its partnership with the World Bank Group under the African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) to enhance climate resilience in the newly approved Burkina Faso SKBo Basin of Integration Project. With a total investment of US$216 million, the project will strengthen multimodal transport infrastructure and boost regional trade, food security, and rural development across the cross-border zone encompassing Sikasso (Mali), Korhogo (Côte d’Ivoire), and Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso).
Burkina Faso’s SKBo region, home to key agricultural and trade corridors, is increasingly vulnerable to climate shocks, with flooding, landslides, and extreme heat threatening critical transport networks. The region’s rural population, dependent on agriculture for livelihoods and food supply, faces rising insecurity as extreme weather events shrink access to markets and basic services.
Through its technical support, GCA is embedding climate adaptation across the full project cycle including:
- High-resolution climate risk and vulnerability assessments identifying infrastructure hotspots;
- Prioritized adaptation options that contribute to increase climate resilience of the transport assets, services, and served communities —such as upgraded bitumen, 100-year flood-resistant culverts, nature-based solutions for erosion reduction and climate-responsive maintenance — and prioritized through stakeholder consultations and cost-benefit analysis;
- Integration of climate resilience into engineering design and operations;
- Capacity-building for climate-informed infrastructure planning.
“In a region where 75% of the population depends on agriculture, climate-resilient infrastructure is not a luxury—it is a lifeline,” said Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. “This project exemplifies how integrating adaptation into transport systems can secure trade, food, and livelihoods while reinforcing peace and stability in fragile regions.”
GCA’s support has influenced the integration of adaptation measures across 115 km of roadworks on the RN11 corridor (Banfora–Sidéradougou–Ouo) and improvements to the Ouagadougou–Bobo–Côte d’Ivoire railway. The climate stress test revealed that without intervention, climate disruptions under a high-emissions scenario (RCP 8.5) could reduce road accessibility by up to 90% during peak flooding events, cutting off access to markets for staple and cash crops such as cotton, mango, maize, and rice.
Adaptation measures selected for implementation are expected to more than double the resilience of key road segments and reduce the long-term economic impacts of climate shocks. GCA’s support also includes the development of nature-based solutions to control erosion, reduce runoff, and improve water retention around infrastructure, particularly in flood-prone zones.
The project, financed by the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group, is expected to benefit over 3.9 million people, including 500,000 farming households, women-led enterprises, and youth groups in the region. The adaptation-driven upgrades will also support Burkina Faso’s ambition to develop a Special Economic Zone in the SKBo basin, advancing food security, trade integration, and sustainable development.
Notes to Editors
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works to climate-proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent.
Founded in 2018, GCA embodies innovation in its approach to climate adaptation as well as in its physical presence. It operates from the largest floating office in the world, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. GCA has a worldwide network of regional offices in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Beijing, China. The Center will open a new office in Nairobi, Kenya in 2025.
