At a big stage in Milan in October, attended by people from around the world working towards sustainable urban food systems, the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, was the only African city to win an award. The recognition was in the "Food Supply and Distribution" category. This article takes a closer look at how two small, but innovative market upgrades achieved international visibility.
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At the 10th Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Global Forum in Milan, the city received an award for two pilot projects: the introduction of mobile counters for street vendors at the Rood–Woko Market, and modernised stalls designed for women vegetable vendors at the Nabii Yaar Market. This year, 347 practices were submitted by 173 cities. Ouagadougou was one of only six winners.
Supported by Rikolto and local partners, and the EU-funded AfriFOODLinks programme coordinated by ICLEI Africa, the pilots are part of a wider municipal effort to transform the way food is sold, processed and accessed in a city where the majority of residents still depend on local or traditional food markets.
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Like many growing African cities, Ouagadougou faces challenges in its food system, including issues related to food safety and quality. As most people buy their food from local markets and yaars (small neighbourhood markets where people buy daily food), there is a lack of adequate infrastructure to serve as food stalls, which has a negative impact on the hygiene of fruits and vegetables and promotes losses. These shortcomings also lead to lower vendor revenue, increased waste, and greenhouse gas emissions.
To address these challenges in a practical and inclusive way, the city and its partners started a structured process of improvement, facilitated by the AfriFOODlinks programme.
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In 2023, the project team led the identification of the City's priorities on urban food systems. This work provided an opportunity to review the issues, understand the existing laws, programmes and challenges affecting the city's food system. A working group was then set up, consisting of the municipal technical services, the municipal police and the partner organisations with the coordination of Rikolto. The municipality and project partners organised consultations and market diagnostic sessions. Vendors, municipal staff, researchers and civil society organisations went together through different markets to identify hygiene issues, missing equipment and the main sources of food loss.
Their findings were presented on a multi-stakeholder platform (a forum where vendors, farmers, organisations and the city make decisions together), which helped everyone agree on the priorities to be addressed. The process was coordinated by Rikolto and facilitated by the Urban Economic Development Agency (ADEU), the municipal agency that manages the city's commercial facilities, with the support of the members of the working group (denominated AfriFOODlinks Ouaga consortium).
Read the State of the City Food Systems Report for Ouagadougou, which was elaborated within the framework of the AfriFOODLinks project.
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Rikolto coordinated the co-design of the pilot project, bringing together partners, organising participatory evaluations and providing technical advice, while ensuring that the municipality and local organisations remained in the lead. Partners such as DTA/IRSAT (National Centre for Research on Food and Technology), LCB (Burkina Faso's Consumers' League), ACRA and ABNORM (the National Agency for Standards and Quality) contributed their expertise in food safety and market standards.
Importantly, technical vocational training centres and agri-food value chain associations were also involved in this phase. They participated in the consultations and shared practical perspectives on training needs, food handling practices, and the daily realities of suppliers, helping to ensure that market improvements meet real-world conditions on the ground.
After the diagnosis, the project turned to training and awareness-raising activities, helping street food vendors improve food quality and adopt safer practices.
In 2025, based on the priorities identified, the municipality tested two pilot projects in the fresh produce markets. These practices included new mobile counters for street food vendors in Rood–Woko and improved vegetable stalls in Nabii Yaar. In a very short time, these improvements have strengthened ties with local farmers in the Green Belt (the area around the city where many local farmers grow vegetables), making it easier for urban consumers to source fresh produce.
The city has monitored progress with regular visits and feedback from vendors and customers.
An award ceremony was organised by the partners in the City Hall. At this event, the municipality and its partners, Rikolto, ACRA and Mani Tese, signed a memorandum of understanding to support the city's territorial food plan. As part of the occasion, AfriFOODlinks partners, city hall officials and representatives of markets and yaars across the city gathered.
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"I thank everyone who helped us receive this award. It pays tribute to the city of Ouagadougou because it is the only African city among many others to have received an award,"
The modernised facilities, which include 74 stalls for the benefit of women fruit and vegetable vendors at the Naabi Yaar market, 18 mobile counters and a washing tub for the street food vendors of the Rood Woko market, are expected to benefit 50,000 residents. A sustainability and retention plan has been designed to promote the long-term viability of the pilots.
"This award for the municipality is a step, but the path to sustainable food governance has only just begun. It will already continue to develop the territorial food plan for the greater Ouagadougou region. Let's continue to build resilient and nourishing cities together! Bernadette Ouattara, Regional Director of the Good Food for Cities programme in Rikolto.
Contributors: Selene Casanova, International Communications at Rikolto - Haoruna MAIGA, Coordinator of the AfriFOODLinks project for Rikolto in West Africa.
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