🇧🇫Burkina FasoWest Africa
EU Ambassador Philippe Bronchain discusses long-standing relations with Burkina Faso and future cooperation
via Lefaso.net12 min read
European Union Ambassador Philippe Bronchain visited Lefaso.net in Ouagadougou on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, where he met with the editorial director, Désiré Théophane Sawadogo, and editor-in-chief, Samuel Somda. The visit aimed to understand the media's operations and foster direct exchanges. Discussions covered current topics, including Europe Day, celebrated annually on May 9, and the strong, deeply rooted relations between the EU and Burkina Faso. Ambassador Bronchain stated that the visit's objective was to learn about the media's work, meet journalists, and engage in dialogue, especially since Lefaso.net is a pioneer in online press. He emphasized the EU's commitment to press freedom as a fundamental aspect of democracy and freedom of expression. He also explained that Europe Day commemorates Robert Schuman's 1950 declaration proposing the European Coal and Steel Community ECSC, a precursor to the European Economic Community EEC, established in 1957 by six countries: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, and Italy. For this year's Europe Day celebrations, the EU embassy raised the flags of all 27 member states on May 4. Upcoming activities include visiting EU-funded projects on May 6, 2026, such as a primary school in Bassinko, the Tanghin canal, and the Ouagadougou green belt market garden. The Ambassador will also meet with students from the Thomas Sankara University's Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences. Regarding EU-Burkina Faso relations, Ambassador Bro
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Officials from Burkina Faso's Ministry of Agriculture, representatives from BRAKINA, technical partners, and producers reviewed a project aimed at improving the health quality of maize produced in the country. This pilot operation, initiated during the previous agricultural season, is a partnership between the Directorate General of Plant Production DGPV and BRAKINA. Its goal is to increase maize productivity and significantly reduce aflatoxin levels in local production. Aflatoxins are toxic substances produced by microscopic fungi that grow on poorly preserved cereals and pose health risks to consumers. Françoise Naon Zoungrana, a special advisor representing the Minister of Agriculture, emphasized maize's strategic importance in Burkina Faso's agricultural and food system, noting it is the second most important cereal after sorghum. She highlighted challenges such as soil degradation, climate change, pest attacks, and aflatoxin contamination, positioning the DGPV-BRAKINA partnership as a suitable response to improve the health quality of Burkinabe maize. The initiative aims to enhance both productivity and health quality, with BRAKINA praised for its "civic and patriotic" commitment to sustainable maize development. Project officials detailed actions from the 2025-2026 campaign, which saw 600 hectares cultivated with financial support from BRAKINA. Beneficiary producers received improved seeds Semax 5, Bondofa, Komsaya, fertilizers NPK, urea, phytosanitary products, Aflasaf
Dakar, Senegal, will host the first edition of the West African Economic Press International Forum FIPE-UEMOA from June 24 to 26, 2026. This high-level regional meeting will focus on major economic issues in the sub-region. Under the theme "Innovating for the Economic Future of West Africa," the event will be held under the patronage of the UEMOA Commission President. It aims to establish a strategic dialogue framework among media, regional institutions, public decision-makers, and economic actors. The event is organized by the UEMOA Media Platform in partnership with the UEMOA Commission and several regional financial institutions, including BCEAO, BOAD, and BIDC. The forum intends to foster collective reflection on ongoing economic transformations in West Africa. Through this initiative, organizers seek to strengthen the role of economic media in disseminating strategic and reliable information to support regional development. Over three days, Dakar will bring together specialized journalists, government officials, representatives of community institutions, development banks, private sector actors, agricultural stakeholders, and entrepreneurs from African technological ecosystems. The objective is to create a regional platform capable of stimulating experience sharing, encouraging investments, and promoting economic integration in the West African space. Discussions will cover several major priorities for the sub-region, including economic policies and investment dynamics,
Must ReadIbrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly, former president of Côte d'Ivoire's Independent Electoral Commission, has been appointed as the new president of the Council of State following the dissolution of the CEI. This presidential decree places him at the head of the country's highest administrative court. While his new role no longer involves organizing elections, he will now be responsible for examining disputes related to regional and municipal elections and ruling on potential litigations. This swift transition from an electoral body, whose work had drawn "reservations and criticisms" according to the government spokesperson, to a judicial body arbitrating electoral disputes, has sparked debate regarding institutional neutrality and the independence of electoral organizations in Côte d'Ivoire. Ivorian political scientist and essayist Geoffroy Julien Kouao noted that the CEI may not have met democratic expectations due to numerous dysfunctions, especially during the presidential election, but also acknowledged the President's discretionary power in appointments. Kouao suggests it may be time to reconsider the method of appointing leaders of supreme courts. He stated that the objectivity and neutrality of the Council of State in managing electoral disputes will be observed during the 2028 municipal elections. While major opposition parties have not officially reacted, the COJEP, led by former Youth Minister Blé Goudé, welcomed the CEI's dissolution, viewing it as a step towards establi
Must ReadDr. Bougouma Edith Christiane, a certified expert in quality, health, and HSE management, and a strategist in quality culture and organizational transformation, proposes that true African sovereignty can be achieved through structuring, aligning, and transforming organizations. Drawing inspiration from traditional African textiles like Faso Dan Fani and Koko Dunda, she argues that quality should be viewed not merely as a control tool, but as a strategic culture that enhances performance, coherence, and autonomy within African organizations. Dr. Christiane highlights that quality often operates in the background, essential yet unrecognized in strategies. She uses the metaphor of weaving to illustrate how quality acts as the "invisible threads" that ensure the coherence and strength of an organization. By adopting a quality-focused language in business, organizations can identify losses, accurately measure risks, and establish coherence as a guiding principle. This approach allows Africa to develop its own demanding, creative, and sovereign performance models, rather than simply replicating imported ones. The article presents examples where quality managers' warnings about storage defects in an agri-food company and raw material conservation in a pharmaceutical industry were initially ignored, leading to significant financial losses and risks to patient safety. These cases demonstrate that quality is a function of vision, anticipation, and strategic protection, not just control