Armand Roland Pierre Béouindé: Always on the move!
The mayors of large cities are characterized by the fact that they manage multiple challenges related to the complexity of their city. Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, is no exception to this reality. At the helm of the city since June 18, 2016 for a 5-year term, Armand Roland Pierre Béouindé shows proactiveness and initiative to make the Burkinabe capital ” the most welcoming, the most charming, and most prosperous city there is”, as mentioned in his inaugural speech.
Among the projects launched by the local councilor and his team is the “Grand Ouaga” project. This is an inter-municipal project that aims to create the conditions for socio-economic development for the benefit of the citizens of the eight (8) municipalities involved. The project also aims to improve agricultural productivity by promoting the green economy and strengthening urban economic growth by promoting cotton in the territories of Grand Ouaga, as well as governance and urban planning. The project is supported by international partners including the European Union and UN Habitat. Last March, during the visit to Burkina of the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Ms. Maimounah Moh Sharif, the mayor of Ouagadougou seized the opportunity to highlight the issues of urbanization of spontaneous settlements, the problems of urban security, land, management of household waste, and the role of women in urban development, especially at the level of IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) sites.
All these themes are in line with his 2016-2021 mandate program “Ouaga21, living together, free together”. This program is based on three priority areas: urban mobility, urban safety, and urban environment.
Another initiative implemented by the municipality of Ouaga is the computerization of the tax collection system. The process was launched in October 2020 to allow the city to broaden its tax base. “Ouagadougou is a large open-air market. Shops are located on every street corner. It is manually difficult to identify all these traders. This leads to significant discrepancies between budget forecasts and actuals. The potential of the city of Ouagadougou is about 50 billion per year. Today, we are not even able to collect a billion, for the simple reason that we do not control the number of taxpayers, or the spaces occupied“, explains Armand Pierre Béouindé.
The 23rd mayor of the capital since 1956 and the 6th elected since the country gained independence in 1960 is also president of the Association of Municipalities of Burkina Faso (AMBF). The advocacy mission with the central government is a major focus of the association. On June 23, 2021, the president of the AMBF, Armand Roland Pierre Béouindé led a delegation of the AMBF to an audience with the President of the Republic of Faso around the question of the sustainability of the Competition for Excellence in Local Governance (COPEGOL).
This is an initiative promoted by the government of Burkina Faso with the support of the World Bank with the aim of creating emulation between municipalities (rural and urban) and especially of promoting good innovative practices of local governance that can be duplicated in all municipalities.
In his process of managing the city of Ouaga and the AMBF, Mr. Béouindé is involved on a regular basis in the work of the international organizations of local elected officials. He is notably a member of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa, a member of the board of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF) and vice-president for the Africa region of the world organization UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments). Being very active in the various meetings of bodies and other activities organized in favor of local authorities, Mayor Béouindé gives pride of place to communication in order to keep his fellow citizens as informed as possible.
In order to not miss out on the initiatives led by the municipality of Ouagadougou and the AMBF, consult their Facebook pages here and here .
Express Bio
Family Name: BÉOUINDÉ
First names: Armand Roland Pierre
Date of birth: November 10, 1962
Location: KAYA
Nationality: Burkinabe
Family status: Married, father of 4 children.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Mr. Armand Roland Pierre BÉOUINDÉ is a manager by training and has acquired twenty years of experience in the management and administration of companies (IT Services Company, Graphic Industries, Consulting and Communication). Shareholder and Director of several companies and member of several associations, clubs, trade unions, and other organizations. Mr. BÉOUINDÉ is Knight of the National Order. Mr. BÉOUINDÉ is the Managing Director of the GRAPHI IMPRIM SARL company.
Political career
1983-1987: Active participation in the advent of the revolution of August 4, 1983 as a member of the ULC / R
2010: Joined the CDP
2012: Election to the Political Bureau of the CDP
4 January 2014: Resignation from the CDP with 75 other senior executives, including Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, Salif Diallo, and Simon Compaoré.
January 25, 2014: Founding member of the MPP, elected to the National Executive Board, 2nd Secretary for Information and Communication. He fiercely opposed the law aimed at amending Article 37 of the Constitution of Burkina Faso with the sole objective of allowing President Blaise Compaoré to remove the presidential term limit. Mr. Béouindé actively participated in all CFOP demonstrations on the front line, always alongside President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and other opposition leaders.
May 22, 2016: Elected municipal councilor for sector 54 of district 12 of Ouagadougou.
June 18, 2016: Elected Central Mayor of the municipality of Ouagadougou
Sources: