From World Expo to Humanitarian Hub

In 2015, Monaco’s Pavilion at the Milan World Expo was dismantled, shipped, and reassembled in Loumbila, Burkina Faso, to become the heart of a 6.5-hectare sustainable training and hospitality complex for the Burkina Faso Red Cross. This bold initiative, jointly led by the Monaco and Burkina Faso Red Cross, has become one of the most ambitious humanitarian infrastructure projects in the region.

From the very beginning, before the pavilion even left Milan, I played a central role in fundraising, partnership development, communications, and project management. I worked to secure the engagement of numerous partners, from the Governments of Monaco and Burkina Faso to foundations, corporate and private sponsors, technical experts, and Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies. I also ensured high visibility through regular reporting, media coverage, and innovative communications tools, including a 360° virtual tour and an immersive 3D experience showcased at the 2019 Red Cross and Red Crescent International Conference in Geneva, in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

On 12 January 2018, the centre was inaugurated in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II and H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco, alongside President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré of Burkina Faso and his wife Sika Bella Kaboré. This ceremony marked the launch of a building, but also a new model for adaptive reuse and sustainable humanitarian infrastructure.

A Centre with Multiple Missions

The Loumbila Centre is now a regional reference point for humanitarian training. It delivers:

• Red Cross/Red Crescent training in first aid, aquatic rescue, and operational preparedness for West African National Societies and partners.

• Community integration training, such as swimming lessons to reduce drowning risks, and agroecology, marketing, and microcredit courses to improve livelihoods.

• Professional training in hospitality and catering, offering a practical learning environment that connects participants directly to job opportunities.

Innovation & Partnerships

The project’s success is rooted in strong partnerships — from technical collaborators and donor foundations to institutional allies. My role involved building and maintaining these alliances, aligning interests, and ensuring that the centre’s operations integrated humanitarian purpose with economic viability.

With a fully equipped hotel, bungalows, a semi-Olympic swimming pool, and event spaces, the centre operates as a social enterprise. Its hospitality revenues provide sustainable funding for the Burkina Faso Red Cross to address urgent humanitarian needs in a country ranked among the lowest in the Human Development Index and facing recurring crises.

In addition, a smaller, complementary project in agroecology and microcredit, led by the Burkina Faso Red Cross, got a Climate Red TV micro-grant. This IFRC Solferino Academy initiative spotlights climate-smart, community-led solutions, and the grant added extra momentum to the centre’s environmental and food security work.

Impact at a Glance

• ~10,000 people trained since opening in 2019

• Operational resilience despite political instability, insecurity, and COVID-19

• 100% Red Cross-led ownership and management, with local community integration at its core