Burkina Faso: Land management, a historic decree for greater transparency in public utility projects
In a move aimed at enhancing accountability and clarity in the management of state assets, the Burkinabe government has taken a decisive step forward with the adoption of a new decree. This implementing text for Law No. 015-2025/ALT of October 21, 2025, concerning the Agrarian and Land Reorganization (RAF), establishes a clearer and more rigorous legal framework for the mobilization of land intended for projects of general and public interest.
Long perceived as opaque, the procedures for land acquisition by the state are now marked out by clear rules that put an end to arbitrariness.
This decree innovates by establishing a genuine culture of transparency through several major advances.
Firstly, it completely clarifies the procedure for withdrawing right of use for reasons of public utility.
 Henceforth, all steps are explicit, guaranteeing citizens full visibility into the processes that may lead to the transfer of their property for the benefit of the community.
The expansion of the scope of this withdrawal constitutes a major social advance. The decree now includes any holder of a right of use, whether or not it is materialized by a formal land title.
This profoundly equitable provision ensures that de facto occupants or customary rights holders are no longer ignored.
By recognizing their rights, even informal ones, the state demonstrates a social transparency that secures the most vulnerable populations facing major development projects.
On a procedural level, the decree lifts the veil on emergency mechanisms for involuntary transfer.
It precisely determines the steps and deadlines to be followed, thus eliminating the gray areas that could exist in administrative urgency.
This chronological precision is a guarantee against rash decisions and abuses, offering all stakeholders a predictable and binding timeline.
Finally, the modalities for taking possession of property within this emergency framework are explicitly clarified.
By defining how the state takes possession of a property, the decree strictly regulates this critical phase so that it takes place with respect for the rights of owners and holders of real rights.
The adoption of this decree does not merely implement a law; it establishes a new ecosystem of trust.
By highlighting each step of the land mobilization procedures, from notification to compensation, including legal deadlines, Burkina Faso demonstrates its desire to manage public affairs with exemplary transparency.
This text is a powerful tool for reconciling the general interest, which requires the construction of infrastructure, with the legitimate rights of individuals, in a dialogue now governed by clarity and legal predictability.
Maurice K.ZONGO
