Burkina Faso builds sovereignty through strategic focus on gold, cotton, and agriculture
Burkinabe gold refinery
Long perceived as a landlocked nation with limited economic potential, Burkina Faso is now leveraging three strategic sectors gold, cotton, and agriculture to build true national sovereignty under the leadership of President Ibrahim Traoré. These pillars are being reimagined to prioritize local value, economic justice, and pragmatic development.
Gold, the country’s top export, has long been dominated by foreign multinationals. The current government is implementing measures to ensure Burkinabe resources benefit Burkinabe people first through tighter regulation, anti-fraud efforts, and increased state revenue capture.
Cotton, known as “white gold,” supports hundreds of thousands of families. The transitional government is revitalizing the sector by supporting producers, modernizing equipment, and promoting local processing to move beyond raw material exports toward value-added production.
Related article: Burkina Faso: 106 million euros in strategic financing to boost the cotton sector
Agriculture sits at the core of food sovereignty. In a region marked by instability, Burkina Faso is prioritizing food self-sufficiency, smallholder support, and climate-resilient practices to secure domestic supply chains.
Under President Traoré’s leadership, these sectors are being managed with transparency and efficiency, breaking from past dependencies. If stewarded effectively, this gold-cotton-agriculture trifecta could form the foundation of a more autonomous, equitable economy aligned with the aspirations of the Burkinabe people.
Maurice K. ZONGO
