🇧🇫Burkina FasoWest Africa
Burkina Faso mining students engage with 2024 EITI report on transparency and governance
via Lefaso.net3 min read
The Permanent Secretariat of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative EITI and the Association of Mining Students of Burkina Faso AEM-BF organized a debate in Ouagadougou on April 18, 2026, focusing on "Transparency and mining governance: lessons from the 2024 EITI report." The event brought together students from various public and private universities, including Aube Nouvelle University, Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, Thomas Sankara University, and Ouagadougou Private University. Didier Tapsoba, president of AEM-BF, emphasized that transparency and governance of natural resources are a shared responsibility, not solely for decision-makers or companies, especially for the youth who represent the country's future. He stated that as future engineers, researchers, and actors in the mining sector, understanding these issues now prepares them to act responsibly and with commitment. Tapsoba urged participants to ask questions to fully grasp the essence of the 2024 EITI report, which is Burkina Faso's sixteenth such report. Eric Zouré, Permanent Secretary of the EITI, commended AEM-BF's initiative as "patriotic," highlighting the strategic importance of the sector for Burkina Faso. He praised the students' willingness to create a space for citizen dialogue, demonstrating their maturity and sense of responsibility. Zouré noted that an engineer, economist, or financier who understands accountability issues will contribute to strengthening Burkina Faso's mining sector. Zouré als
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 10 countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Lefaso.net.
The Sablux Group is expanding its real estate footprint in Burkina Faso with the KASMA project and the announcement of a new development comprising over 1,300 homes. The KASMA project, spanning approximately 6,000 m², is a mixed-use development featuring residential buildings of 10 and 12 stories, alongside a 15-story office tower. Four months after construction began on the first 10-story building with 40 apartments, the foundation stone was laid for residential building A, which will have 39 apartments, and a 15-story professional-use building. A partnership agreement was signed with Coris Bank International to facilitate access to housing and make Sablux's offerings more accessible to buyers. Additionally, Sablux Group introduced a second major real estate project to build over 1,300 homes on a 5-hectare site. This program will be implemented in eight phases, with the first phase estimated to take between 36 and 46 months. Léopold Manga, Sablux's Director General, stated that these initiatives aim to actively transform the real estate landscape and support urban growth. Mikaïlou Sidibé, the Minister of Construction of the Homeland, noted that these projects align with the authorities' vision for vertical construction, urban densification, and building elevation. Gisèle Gumedzoe Ouédraogo, Director General of CBI, congratulated Sablux Burkina and emphasized CBI's commitment to supporting such initiatives beyond just financing. Sablux Burkina Faso, established in Ouagadougou
Burkina Faso's government is intensifying efforts to recover outstanding debts totaling 107,306,194,136 FCFA. This portfolio includes unpaid checks, bank debts, ordinary state debts, debts from state entities, and debts from court decisions in favor of the state. Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Rodrigue Bayala, revealed that at least 10,000 unpaid checks, valued at 33,986,872,718 FCFA as of March 31, 2026, are held by the State Judicial Agent AJE. These checks, originating from tax, customs, and treasury services nationwide, are linked to a "criminal association" that created fictitious companies, opened accounts, and produced checkbooks with the complicity of some public agents. The AJE also inherited a portfolio of bank debts from the Bureau de recouvrement des créances du Burkina BRCB, amounting to approximately 20,000,000,000 FCFA as of December 31, 2025. Other ordinary contentious debts, totaling 2,511,055,058 FCFA, include financial guarantees, overpayments to public agents, irregularities identified by control bodies, cash deficits, unjustified expenses, unpaid gambling hall royalties, unpaid rental invoices for the Ouaga 2000 International Conference Center, and penalties from decentralized financial systems and defaulting bidders. Debts from court decisions amount to 4,297,531,395 FCFA, while debts from state entities entrusted to the AJE total 46,510,734,965 FCFA. The state emphasizes that honoring commitments to the state is an obligation, not an option. Cons
Must ReadOn April 17, 2026, the General Staff of the Armies hosted the first ordinary meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of the Confederation of Sahel States CCEMC in Ouagadougou, under Burkinabe presidency. This information was released on the Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armies of Burkina Faso. Chaired by Brigadier General Moussa Diallo, this strategic meeting is part of the effort to implement and strengthen the AES unified force. It follows preparatory work conducted since April 7 by military experts and integrated staff officers. Concrete decisions were adopted to build a common, sovereign defense tailored to security challenges.
The UBA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the United Bank for Africa UBA Group, has officially launched the first National Essay Competition NEC in Burkina Faso. The competition is open to students in Seconde, Première, and Terminale classes from both public and private institutions, aiming to foster academic excellence, critical thinking, and civic expression. Applications are open from April 17 to May 8, 2026. Participants are invited to write a maximum 750-word handwritten essay on the theme: "Burkinabe schools facing digital transformation: should the national education strategy be rethought?" To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a recognized institution in Burkina Faso and be 18 years old or younger by December 30, 2026. Submissions, scanned as a single PDF file, can be made online via the UBA Burkina Faso website or by email to necburkina@ubagroup.com, with "Dissertation NEC" as the subject. Email submissions must include the applicant's full name, class, school, locality, date of birth, and phone number. Only the first 1,000 compliant applications will be reviewed. The top three winners will receive monetary prizes: 1,000,000 FCFA for first place, 750,000 FCFA for second place, and 500,000 FCFA for third place. Additionally, the eight finalists will each receive a certificate and a motorcycle. The institution with the most participants will be awarded a set of books and financial support. The UBA Foundation, active in 20 African countries, focuses on educati