AfriFOODLinks in Ouagadougou: healthier and safe street food, school meals, and food markets

Challenges

In Ouagadougou, more than 90% of people eat at least one meal outside the home each day. However, the food sold in schools, markets and on the streets often fails to meet basic hygiene and nutritional standards. School canteens often lack kitchens and serve repetitive, carbohydrate-rich meals.

Street food vendors, many of whom are women with limited training, face unsafe working conditions and unclear hygiene regulations. Poor infrastructure for storing fresh produce in markets can lead to food waste, lower incomes for vendors, and health risks for consumers. These interconnected issues make it difficult for residents, especially the most vulnerable, to access healthy, safe and affordable food.

Addressing these issues would require strategies tailored to local needs, available resources and existing constraints; and there is when Rikolto and partners come in!

Our approach

Through AfriFOODLinks, we are co-leading Working Package 3 alongside SHONA. This package focuses on promoting inclusive and circular food entrepreneurship and innovation. In Ouagadougou, this translates into the following activities:

1. Transforming Street Food: Rikolto is facilitating consultations with the city hygiene department, national agencies, restaurateurs, vendors, and civil society organisations, with the aim of co-designing the 'Restaurant Gold' model. This experimental model aims to set a standard for safe, nutritious and well-managed street restaurants. Planned activities include training sessions for vendors (mostly women), subsidising hygiene equipment, and supporting the revision of the public hygiene code.
2. Improving School Food Environments: In collaboration with schools, local authorities and parent associations, Rikolto is contributing to a pilot project designed to enhance the school food environment. This is being carried out in Nongmikma A and B schools. This involves assessing canteen facilities, diversifying menus, providing hygiene and nutrition training, and creating murals to encourage healthy eating. A proposal for a municipal food council is also under discussion. Rikolto supports coordination, multi-actor dialogue and ongoing monitoring. Other schools, including Barakel, Somgandé A and C, and Saint Dominique, have participated in capacity-building sessions.
3. Upgrading Fresh Produce Markets: At Naabi Yaar market, Rikolto is collaborating with the local authorities and vendor groups to trial improved stall infrastructure and reinforce hygiene, storage and waste management practices among vendors. Murals are part of the awareness-raising effort. The pilot's objectives are to reduce produce losses, improve food quality, and enhance the livelihoods of market vendors.
4. Support the growth of enterprises led by women and young people that focus on adopting circular business models: In collaboration with the Urban Economic Development Agency (ADEU), Rikolto will be organising a hackathon. The aim is to educate participants on circularity, inclusivity, nutrition awareness, the 'farm to fork' approach, and the city of Ouagadougou's expectations regarding healthy, sustainable and nutritious diets. Through this, efforts are being made to support them in developing and consolidating their project ideas.

What had we achieved so far?

• Four schools in Ouagadougou have completed diagnostic assessments to identify barriers to healthy eating, paving the way for the full GoodFood@School programme to begin. As part of the AfriFOODlinks project, these four schools, along with a fifth, participated in capacity-building sessions on hygiene and cooking practices. Work is underway at Nongmikma A and B to provide the schools with kitchens and refectories for pupils.
• In collaboration with the Urban Economic Development Agency (ADEU), Rikolto organised a hackathon in 2024. A total of 100 business promoters participated in the competition, with 50 entrepreneurs being selected to take part in an incubation process.
• The project has also initiated improvements to the infrastructure of informal food vendors. Stalls are being built for vendors at the Naabi Yaar market, while mobile counters are being developed for street vendors at Ouagadougou’s central market.
• At city level, a food system assessment and a series of multi-stakeholder dialogues have helped to define a shared vision for a more inclusive and sustainable urban food system. In parallel, a working group of financing stakeholders has developed three financing models aimed at supporting inclusive food enterprises in the city.

Expected results

We hope to achieve the following results through these initiatives:

1. Identifying and assessing the key barriers and obstacles to financing food businesses.
2. A support programme is implemented for 100 young people and women leading circular and inclusive food businesses.
3. Four financial models are co-created with banks, financial institutions and entrepreneurs to address financing needs.
4. Fourthly, a tailored coaching programme is delivered to two businesses to support the adoption of circular economic practices. A bespoke coaching programme is delivered to two businesses to encourage the adoption of circular economic practices.
5. Successful business cases are documented to inform future initiatives and share knowledge.