Burkina Faso’s Central Plateau Region faces a serious housing challenge driven by rapid population growth and deforestation. Traditional roofing materials such as wood and straw have become scarce and costly, pushing many families to rely on more expensive imported construction materials with a high carbon footprint. At the same time, extreme heat, heavy winds and flooding increasingly threaten conventional buildings, leaving rural households in need of more durable and climate-resilient solutions. 

This IKI Small Grants project addressed these issues by promoting the Nubian Vault, a low-tech bioclimatic construction technique made entirely from raw earth, including the vaulted roof. The method offers strong thermal insulation, long durability, and avoids the use of wood. To ensure access for low-income families, the project introduced a co-financing model: households received financial incentives covering about 20% of construction costs and in return contributed the remaining share through unskilled labour and locally sourced materials. The project also built a local market for this technique by training new masons, strengthening community-based implementation units, and raising awareness among rural households. 

The project’s impact is visible across the region. A total of 37 Nubian Vault buildings were constructed, directly benefiting 289 people, including twelve women-headed households. Training efforts were extensive, including academic courses, long-format technical sessions and hands-on construction training benefiting 150 trainees. Environmentally, the construction phase, by reducing reliance on wood, avoided significant CO₂ emissions, with substantial long-term reduction potential over the building’s lifetime. Beyond these figures, the project strengthened local employment, created the basis for a regional Nubian Vault market, improved project governance through digital data collection and introduced a complaints management mechanism for more effective program implementation.