Decentralisation and citizen interest in local affairs management in Koudougou, Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the 1991 constitution enshrines decentralisation. Its objective is to promote local development and local democracy. However, citizens seem to have little interest in the management of local public affairs. Indeed, there is a problem of disinterest among city dwellers. This hinders the success of decentralisation. This article analyses city dwellers' interest in the management of the city of Koudougou. The methodological approach of this study is based on quantitative methods. To this end, primary and secondary data were collected from 396 households and from a literature review. The study reveals that city dwellers have varying degrees of interest in the management of local public affairs. Overall, 44% of new city dwellers take a keen interest in city life; 36.1% of city dwellers who have lived there for an intermediate length of time are concerned about the life of the municipal institution; and 29.3% of long-time city dwellers are interested in how the municipality functions. This low and variable level of interest among city dwellers in city management is influenced by socio-demographic and economic characteristics such as occupation, level of education, gender and age. An inclusion policy based on citizen engagement and effective communication will help to interest more citizens in the transformation of the municipality. The results of this study confirm the analytical theory of decentralisation, which advocates taking the local context into account.