Promoting Climate Change Adaptation in a Context of Multiple Crises in Burkina Faso: The Role of Civil Servants (PROMACS)

This project studies the intersections between the climatic crisis, the escalating security crisis and the (chronic) health crisis in Burkina Faso.

The PROMACS project examines ethnographically how civil servants in three key ministries work to 'keep the wheels running' and how they understand their own roles in policy promotion and implementation in the current context of multiple crises.

An important outcome of this project is the provision of in-depth understanding of how civil servants working in the 'core of the state' understand the challenges and potentialities for the enhancement of sustainable development in Burkina Faso and how focus and coordination of CCA initiatives can be strengthened in a context of multiple crises.

Capacity strengthening both in relation to junior and senior scholars and in relation to involved research participants is an essential component of this project.

Project objectives

The overall aim of his project is to examine how civil servants understand their roles and make the state apparatus working during times of multiple crises and to explore potentialities for the promotion of CCA and sustainable development in a context where the climate crisis intersects especially with the security and health crises.

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Specific objectives:

To examine how civil servants in key ministries understand their roles as bureaucrats and as citizens and how they navigate during multiple crises.
To provide in-depth understanding of formal and informal norms and practices within the state bureaucracy during critical times.
To identify potentialities for the promotion of climate change adaptation in complex situations of plural crises.
To improve research capacity at core research institutions in Burkina Faso and strengthen capacity and knowledge sharing among stakeholders

Capacity building

Capacity strengthening both in relation to junior and senior scholars and in relation to our research participants is an essential component of this project. We will recruit a total of four PhD fellows (three Burkinabe and one Danish), two postdocs (Burkinabe) and three to five Master students. Building on experiences and insights from our previous collaborative projects, this project will include a very systematic approach to the PhD training and more leadership responsibilities will be delegated to the senior scholars in Burkina Faso.

Selected publications

Podcasts

27th of November 2024: Helle Samuelsen was interviewed in the podcast series 'Genstart' on DR Lyd. In this episode Helle spoke about the Russian connections to Burkina Faso. Listen to the podcast on DR Lyd's website.

Publications

Epidemics in unstable places: Anthropological perspectives on health security in West Africa, Samuelsen, H. & Paré Toé, L., 2024, The Routledge Handbook on Anthropology and Global Health. Masvawure, T. B. & Foley, E. E. (eds.). New York: Routledge, p. 394-406 (this chapter builds partly on data from the EMERGING EPIDEMICS project)

Partners

Primary partners:

Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) (Contact: Associate Prof. Helle Samuelsen),
Groupe de recherche sur les initiatives locales (GRIL) at the University Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou (Contact : Prof. Gabin Korbeogo)
Sya Innovation Center (SIC)/Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS) (Contact: senior researcher Lea Pare Toe)

Secondary partner:

LAIOS-LAP Ècole des Hautes Études en sciences Sociales (CNRS-EHESS) (Contact : Prof. Jean Bernard Ouedraogo)

Researchers

Name	Title	Phone	E-mail
Helle Bundgaard	Associate Professor	+4535323483	E-mail
Helle Samuelsen	Associate Professor	+4535327877	E-mail

Funded by:

Promoting Climate Change Adaptation in a Context of Multiple Crises in Burkina Faso: The Role of Civil Servants (PROMACS) has received a five year funding from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark

Project: Promoting Climate Change Adaptation in a Context of Multiple Crises in Burkina Faso: The Role of Civil Servants (PROMACS)
Period: 2024 - 2029

Contact

Helle Samuelsen
Associate professor
Department of Anthropology
Telephone: +45 35 32 78 77 or
+ 45 28 15 52 33
Email: H.Samuelsen@anthro.ku.dk

External members:

Name	Title
Gabin Korbeogo	Professor, GRIL, University Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Lea Paré Toé	Senior researcher, SIC/IRSS Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Abdoul Karim Saidou	Senior lecturer, University Thomas Sankara, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Jean-Bernard Ouedraogo	Professor, EHESS, Paris, France
Stevie Yameogo	PhD student, GRIL, University Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Harouna Zoungrana	PhD student, GRIL, University Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Mathias Konkobo	PhD student, GRIL, University Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso