Burkina Faso Government moves to reduce public holidays from 15 to 11
In a Council of Ministers meeting on September 11, 2025, the Burkina Faso government adopted a draft law aimed at reducing the number of public holidays from 15 to 11. According to a study by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, this decision is expected to recover nearly 17 billion CFA francs annually for the national budget.
Estimates indicate that each paid public holiday costs the state approximately 4.22 billion CFA francs.
The ministry calculated that lost working time represented over 67.5 billion CFA francs (117 million USD) for the year 2025.
By eliminating four public holidays, the government hopes to free up 16.88 billion CFA francs for the state budget.
The holidays being removed from the calendar are:
- January 3rd (commemoration of the popular uprising),
- August 5th (proclamation of independence),
- October 31st (Day of the Martyrs, marking the overthrow of Blaise Compaoré),
- And Easter Monday.
The draft law also introduces a new provision: days of commemoration and reflection will now be considered regular working days.
Specific work schedules for these days will be outlined in a joint communiqué from the ministers in charge of the Public Service and Labour.
Furthermore, the rule that made the day following a public holiday falling on a Sunday a paid day off has been abolished.
The draft law will be sent to the Transitional Legislative Assembly for reading, consideration, and adoption in the coming days.
Emile YEMPABE
