Burkina Faso Economy
Background Notes
These publications include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty. The Notes are updated/revised by the Office of Electronic Information and Publications of the Bureau of Public Affairs as they are received from the Department's regional bureaus and are added to the database of the Department of State website you are now using. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
There is a limited, and expensive, selection of ready-to-wear clothing and shoes available in the local economy. As a result, most families order clothes and shoes from catalogs (traditional and internet). Some Americans have had great success with local tailors reproducing clothes by looking at pictures; local tailoring rates are reasonable and the quality is good. A good selection of local (including colorful batiks) and imported fabrics is available. Patterns are not available, however, and the supply of sewing notions — thread, buttons, zippers, and trims — is limited, so bring them. ... [Read More]
Country Commercial Guide
Appendix B: Domestic Economy ... Burkina’s macro economy is slowly responding toreforms, although the average Burkinabe has probably not seen his/her purchasing powerincrease. The IMF has overseen a structural adjustment program in Burkina since 1991. InJanuary 1994, the CFAF was devalued by 50%. The effects were mostly positive. The averageinflation rate fell dramatically from 27% in 1994 to 7.8% in 1995 and remained steady at8% in 1996. The GDP grew from 1.2% in 1994 to 4.8% in 1995, rising by 5% in 1996. Exportshave responded to exchange-rate incentives. ... [Read More]
Burkina Faso
The economy was market-based; an estimated 85 percent of the population of approximately 12.2 million engaged in subsistence agriculture. A locust outbreak in August severely damaged the grain harvest in the northern provinces. Frequent drought, limited communication and transportation infrastructures, and a 77 percent illiteracy rate were longstanding problems. The Government's antipoverty strategy to open the economy to market forces while shifting resources to the education and health sectors continued during the year. Gross national product per capita was $375. ... [Read More]
Burkina Faso (03/05)
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita gross national product (GNP) of $300. More than 80% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture, with only a small fraction directly involved in industry and services. Drought, poor soil, lack of adequate communications and other infrastructure, a low literacy rate, and an economy vulnerable to external shocks are all longstanding problems. The export economy also remains subject to fluctuations in world prices. ... [Read More]
Burkina Faso 2000 Post Report
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest and leastindustrialized nations in Africa, with a yearly per capita income of about $240. Thegovernment’s poverty-reduction strategy emphasizes investment in basic education andagriculture. Approximately 88% of the population rely on subsistence agriculture.Agriculture accounts for about 37.2% of Burkina's GNP, but this economy remains highlyvulnerable to poor soil and fluctuations in rainfall. Only a small fraction of thepopulation is directly involved in industry (2%) and services (5.5%). The staple crops forsubsistence farming include sorghum, millet, maize, rice, groundnuts, and potatoes. Cottonis by far the leading cash crop. Winter vegetables, such as green beans, sesame,groundnuts, and shea nuts are harvested for local commercial sale. Mangoes and othertropical fruits are plentiful. Most families also rear cattle, sheep, goats and poultry.Some beef is exported. The government is aiming both for improved yields ... [Read More]
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a parliamentary republic. President Blaise Compaore continued to dominate the Government of the Fourth Republic, assisted by members of his party, the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), despite gains made by the opposition in the May 2002 legislative elections. In 1998, President Compaore was reelected to a second 7-year term with 88 percent of the vote. International observers considered the May 2002 legislative elections to have been substantially free and fair, although a collective of 14 local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) cited voter list irregularities and cases of fraud. The judiciary was subject to executive influence. The security apparatus consists of the armed forces and the gendarmerie, which are controlled by the Ministry of Defense; the national police, controlled by the Ministry of Security; and the municipal police, controlled by the Ministry of Territorial Administration. The Preside ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Cote d’Ivoire is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Available information indicates that the overall magnitude of trafficking in Cote d’Ivoire has diminished in the past few years. Ivoirian girls are trafficked within the country for exploitation as domestic servants, street vendors, and prostitutes, and occasionally are lured to Europe where they are forced into commercial sexual exploitation after being deceived by false marriage proposals. Children from Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, and Benin are trafficked to Cote d’Ivoire for agricultural and domestic labor exploitation. Nigerian and Ghanaian women and children, as well as some females from Algeria, Morocco, China, and the Philippines, are trafficked to Abidjan and other large towns for sexual exploitation. Some of these women also transit Cote d’Iv ... [Read More]
Trade and Economics - US Department of State
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair(© AP/WWP) In the Wake of Bombings, G8 Leaders Agree on Aid, Climate ChangeAfrica to receive $50 billion in aid, Palestinians to receive $3 billionLeaders of the Group of Eight nations agree on aid f ... [Read More]
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