28 •
The Lion King
• July - September 2015
The Burkinabe
economy
experienced high
levels of growth
over the last few
years
Photo by Eric Montfort
Photo by Ollivier Girard for CIFOR
A trader selling food in a market in Burkina Faso. Agriculture is a major source of livelihood for about
90% of the population.
Gold mine in Tamiougou in Burkina Faso. Gold is one of the country’s key exports.
Country Focus
| Burkina Faso
ECONOMY
Burkina Faso is a poor, landlocked
country that depends on adequate
rainfall. About 90% of the population
is engaged in subsistence agriculture
and cotton is the main cash crop. The
country has few natural resources and
a weak industrial base. Cotton and
gold are key exports.
Since 1998, Burkina Faso has begun to
privatize state-owned enterprises and
in 2004 revised its investment code to
attract foreign investment. As a result,
the country has seen an upswing in
gold exploration, production, and
export. The Burkinabe economy expe-
rienced high levels of growth over
the last few years but growth is highly
dependent on swings in gold and cot-
ton prices.
In 2013 Burkina Faso experienced a
number of public protests over the cost
of living, corruption, and other socio-
economic issues. To defuse tensions,
the government has offered higher
housing bonuses, reduced income
taxes, and price controls. Turmoil in
neighbouring Mali, unreliable energy
supplies, and poor transportation links
pose longer-term challenges.
The Transitional
Government
There was a recent regime change
and political transition in Burkina Faso.
After mass demonstrations, Blaise
Compaoré was forced to resign as
president on October 31, 2014. His res-
ignation was preceded by his attempt
to change the constitution to enable
him run a fifth consecutive term in
office. It was also typical of the current
wave of mass protest struggles taking
place in other African countries.
Given this institutional vacuum, the
active forces of the nation requested
the army to manage the process and
facilitate the transition of power to
civilians, till the organizing of free and
fair elections scheduled for November
2015. Lieutenant Colonel Yacouba
ZIDA was appointed transition Head
of state by the army after taking the
power from the hands of the Chief of
Army Staff, Honoré Nabere.
Some ECOWAS top Presidents came
to Burkina Faso to discuss with all
stakeholders and gave the Military
an ultimatum to hand over power to
Civilians. The Transitional charter was
eventually put in place to pave a way
for the setting up of a transitional gov-
ernment headed by Michel Kafando.
The main objective of the transitional
Government was to ensure that trans-
parent elections are held.
On 16 September 2015, members of
the elite presidential guard stormed
the cabinet room seizing the interim
president, prime minister and others
in an attempted coup. Subsequent
protests led to the killing of about 10
people and injury of about a 100. The
regular army also moved to the capi-
tal to engage the elite forces, who
were given an ultimatum to disarm.
A quick intervention by West African
leaders led to a peaceful resolution
of the crisis and the reinstatement of
the transitional government and the
minister on September 23, 2015.
