Burkina Faso: Local consumption, an act of national sovereignty according to PM Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela
The head of the Burkinabe government, Dr. Apollinaire Joachimson Kyélèm de Tambèla, inaugurated the 4th edition of the «Month of local consumption» on Thursday, October 12, 2023, in Ouagadougou, stressing that «local consumption is an act of national sovereignty».
Under the theme «What strategies to stimulate the consumption of local goods and services in the WAEMU space»? this edition takes place from 12 to 14 October 2023, with the aim of encouraging the consumption of local products and thus promoting endogenous development. During the opening ceremony, the Prime Minister paid tribute to local industry players, from producers to distributors. He stressed the importance of relying on national resources in a context of challenges such as food security and economic development.
As part of a paradigm shift towards an endogenous development model, he urged making the production, processing and consumption of local products and services a priority, Stressing that this is the only way to achieve real economic independence. Aware of the richness of local products and services in Burkina Faso, the Prime Minister assured that the government is deploying initiatives to promote them.
It revealed that a budget of more than 483 billion CFA francs was allocated to institutional purchases of local products in 2017 in the first half of 2023.
In addition to the incentives, he mentioned the «Local Consumption» initiative, involving more than fifty shopping centers for the creation of shelves dedicated to local products. To encourage «made in Burkina», he announced the labelling of products such as Faso Dan Fani loincloth, Kôkô Dunda, shea butter, chicken bicycle and Saponé hat.
In terms of regulatory measures, the Prime Minister mentioned the decree favoring the generalized port of Faso Dan Fani and Kôkô Dunda, with a pilot phase in the cities of Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and Sabou for the 2023-2024 school year. However, he stressed that in order to concretize the call «Burkinabe consumption» the competition and the adhesion of all are essential, reminding Burkinabe that «local consumption is an act of national sovereignty».
