Burkina Faso: Bobo Dioulasso – The first APEC-Backed factory will soon emerge
The first fruits of the Community Entrepreneurship through Popular Shareholding Program (APEC) will soon become visible. In a statement released on its official page on Tuesday, September 19th, the Presidency of Burkina Faso announced the construction of a tomato processing factory in Bobo-Dioulasso, the country’s second-largest city located in the Hauts-Bassins region.
Launched last June by the Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the Community Entrepreneurship Program aims to be a tool for Burkina’s development by its own people, through direct participation in the country’s major projects.
Three months after its establishment, Burkinabés will soon see the first results of the initiative.
This involves the upcoming construction of an agri-food factory, specializing in tomato processing, in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina’s economic capital.
The groundbreaking ceremony for this factory is scheduled for Saturday, September 23, 2023, according to the Presidency of Burkina Faso, which also notes that this project, «led by the Agency for the Promotion of Community Entrepreneurship (APEC)», reflects the implementation of the presidential program dedicated to popular shareholding.
In just three months, over 60,000 Burkinabés have subscribed to the program with APEC, raising nearly 2.5 billion CFA francs, as reported by the Presidency of Burkina Faso.
This demonstrates the interest generated by the initiative among the population, which embraces the vision of the Head of State for indigenous development.
APEC was established in February 2023, with its primary mission being to mobilize popular savings for the financing of community enterprises through popular shareholding.
Its ultimate goal is to raise 100 billion CFA francs to finance the implementation of an initial package of four (04) projects.
These projects include: mechanization and agricultural intensification, the establishment of two (02) tomato processing (Bobo Dioulasso and Tenkodogo), the establishment of a procurement center for the marketing of local products, and the creation of a semi-mechanized gold mining unit.
Olivier TOE
