In Ouagadougou last May, the African Development Bank (AfDB) launched critical discussions to shape its next five-year partnership framework with Burkina Faso. Led by Lamin Barrow, AfDB’s Regional Director for West Africa, the delegation engaged in high-level consultations from May 4 to 8, 2026, to draft the 2027–2031 Country Strategy Paper. This document will define how the Bank aligns its support with the country’s key development priorities.
During the visit, the team assessed outcomes from the interim 2022–2026 strategy, which has been extended through the end of 2026. The discussions also focused on identifying core areas for the upcoming partnership cycle. Central themes include building economic resilience, expanding infrastructure, boosting productive transformation, strengthening private sector support, and enhancing project delivery efficiency.
Lamin Barrow commended Burkina Faso’s progress in both security and macroeconomic performance, emphasizing the pivotal role of the national development plan ‘RELANCE’ (2026–2030) in driving sustainable growth. The plan aims to accelerate economic recovery through targeted reforms and investments in key sectors.
Aboubakar Nacanabo, Minister of Economy and Finance, called for deeper collaboration on productive investments to fast-track industrialization, expand energy capacity, and enhance private sector competitiveness. He urged the Bank to adopt more agile and flexible operational procedures to better respond to Burkina Faso’s evolving development needs.
As of April 30, 2026, the AfDB’s active portfolio in Burkina Faso included 19 projects across five priority sectors, totaling $956.1 million. Since the interim strategy’s launch, 13 new projects have been approved, with two more in the pipeline for final clearance before year-end.
The consultations also surfaced key challenges for the next cooperation cycle: streamlining procurement processes, improving responsiveness to urgent community needs, and sustaining balanced territorial investments despite ongoing security and economic pressures.
