RESTRICTEDWORLD  TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/TPR/S/46
23 September 1998
(98-3668)
Trade Policy Review Body
TRADE POLICY REVIEW
BURKINA FASO
Report by the Secretariat
This report, prepared for the Trade Policy Review of Burkina Faso, has been
drawn up by the WTO Secretariat on its own responsibility.  The Secretariat has,
as required by the Agreement establishing the Trade Policy Review Mechanism
(Annex 3 of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade
Organization), sought clarification from the Government of Burkina Faso on its
trade policies and practices.
Document WT/TPR/G/46 contains the general policy declaration submitted by
the Government of Burkina Faso.
Note: This report is subject to restricted circulation and press embargo until the end of the meeting
of the Trade Policy Review Body on Burkina Faso.Burkina Faso WT/TPR/S/46
Page iii
CONTENTS
SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS ix
(1) THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT ix
(2) INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK  x
(3) TRADE POLICY FEATURES xi
(i) Trade policy instruments and their   impact xi
(ii) Policies by sector               xiii
(4) TRADE PARTNERS AND FOREIGN TRADING PARTNERS            xiv
I. THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 1
(1) MAJOR FEATURES OF THE ECONOMY  1
(2) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS  2
(i) From independence to the end of the 1980s  2
(ii) Economic situation in the 1990s  3
(3) TRADE PERFORMANCE  4
(i) Trade in goods  4
(ii) Trade in services 10
(4) INVESTMENT 10
(5) OUTLOOK 11
ANNEX I.1 12
II. TRADE AND INVESTMENT REGIMES 14
(1) INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK 14
(2) FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES 14
(3) POLICY OBJECTIVES 16
(4) LAWS AND REGULATIONS 16
(i) Trade legislation 17
(ii) Investment Code and Mining Code 17
(5) TRADE AND INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS AND ARRANGEMENTS 19
(i) Multilateral agreements 19
(ii) Regional agreements 21
(iii) Other trade agreements or arrangements 23
(iv) Trade disputes and consultations 24
(v) Investment agreements or arrangements 25WT/TPR/S/46 Trade Policies Review
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III. TRADE POLICIES BY MEASURE 26
(1) INTRODUCTION 26
(2) MEASURES DIRECTLY AFFECTING IMPORTS 26
(i) Registration and documentation 26
(ii) Inspection, customs valuation and clearance 27(iii) Import duties 28
(iv) Rules of origin 33
(v) Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard measures 34
(vi) Prohibitions, quantitative restrictions and licensing 34
(vii) Standards and ecological and other technical requirements 34(viii) Government procurement 35
(ix) Local content requirements 37
(x) Countertrade 37
(xi) Other measures 37
(3)
MEASURES DIRECTLY AFFECTING EXPORTS 37
(i) Regulations 37
(ii) Export duties and taxes 37
(iii) Export licensing, prohibitions and other measures restricting exports 38
(iv) Export subsidies 38
(v) Duty and tax concessions 38
(vi) Export promotion, financing and assistance 38(vii) Other provisions 39
(4)
OTHER MEASURES AFFECTING PRODUCTION AND TRADE 39
(i) State trading, state enterprises and privatization 39
(ii) Subsidies and other forms of production assistance 41(iii) Price regulation and competition policy 41
(iv) Regional promotion measures and assistance to adjustment,
research and development 42
(v) Measures for the protection of intellectual property rights 42
IV. TRADE POLICIES BY SECTOR 45
(1)
INTRODUCTION 45
(2) AGRICULTURE AND RELATED ACTIVITIES 46
(i) General 46
(ii) Policy by product category 48
(3) MINING AND ENERGY SECTORS 55
(i) Mining 55
(ii) Energy and water 57Burkina Faso WT/TPR/S/46
Page v
(4) INDUSTRY AND CRAFTS 58
(i) Industry 58
(ii) Crafts 59
(5) SERVICES 60
(i) Transport services 60
(ii) Financial services 62
(iii) Tourism, restaurants, hotels 64
(iv) Telecommunications 64
REFERENCES 66WT/TPR/S/46 Trade Policies Review
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CHARTS
I. THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
I.1 Gross domestic product of Burkina Faso, 1971-1997  3
I.2 Breakdown of trade by product category, 1990-1993 and 1994-1997  7
I.3 Exports and imports by trading partner, 1993 and 1996  9
III. TRADE POLICIES BY MEASURES
III.1 Import duties (not including the Community Solidarity Levy (PCS))
by product category 30
III.2 Average tariff by level of processing by ISIC sector, Revision 2, 1998 31Burkina Faso WT/TPR/S/46
Page vii
TABLES
I. THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
I.1 Basic social data, 1970-1995  1
I.2 Basic economic indicators, 1990-1997  5
I.3 Exports by product category, 1990-1997  6
I.4 Imports by product category, 1990-1996  8
I.5 Balance-of-payments trend, 1993-1998 10
I.6 Investment, 1990-1997 11
II. TRADE AND INVESTMENT REGIMESII.1 Investment code – preferential regimes 19
II.2 Notifications by Burkina Faso pursuant to the WTO Provisions,
October 1997 20
II.3 Establishment of the WAEMU Common External Tariff 23
III. TRADE POLICIES BY MEASURESIII.1 Customs tariff by level of processing, 1997 26
III.2 Exemptions by major categories, 1996 33III.3 Trend in government procurement, 1994-1996 36
III.4 State enterprises and privatization, December 1997 40
IV. TRADE POLICIES BY SECTOR
IV.1 Cost of utilities, energy and transport in comparison with
other countries in the WAEMU 45
IV.2 Breakdown of agricultural GDP, 1985-1997 46
IV.3 Agricultural production, 1990-1997 47
IV.4 Trend of cotton production (seed cotton), 1984-1996 51IV.5 Overall trend of production of fruit and vegetables, 1989-1996 53
IV.6 Trend in gold production 56
IV.7 Electricity supplied by SONABEL, 1991-1997 57
IV.8 Active companies by industry, December 1997 58
IV.9 Trend of industrial production (in volume), 1990-1995 59IV.10 Transport of goods by land, 1994-1997 61
IV.11 Trend of hotel capacity in Burkina Faso, 1980-1997 64
IV.12 Telecommunications services indicators, 1990-1997 65WT/TPR/S/46 Trade Policies Review
Page viii
APPENDIX TABLES
III. TRADE POLICIES BY MEASURES
AIII.1 Tariff by level of processing, 1997 69
IV. TRADE POLICIES BY SECTORAIV.1 Import duties by HS Chapter, 1997 72Burkina Faso WT/TPR/S/46
Page ix
SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS
(1) THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
1. Burkina Faso is a least-developed
country (LDC) in West Africa and has been
independent since 5 August 1960.  In the late1960s, Burkina embarked upon an
interventionist Marxist-Leninist type of
economic policy based on national control of
the economy and a large measure of State
participation through State enterprisesoperating in priority sectors.  The persistent
drought that affected Burkina Faso in the
1970s, the second oil crisis in 1979-1980 and
large wage increases in the 1980s added to
Burkina Faso's "natural" (particularlyfinancial) problems as a land-locked least-
developed country and highlighted the
limitations of its economic policy.
2. In order to overcome the crisis, in
1983 the Government took a number of
budgetary measures (reducing Governmentspending and increasing revenue), as well as
trade measures (in particular, more protection
for the industrial sector).  Some of these
measures foreshadowed the reorientation of
the country's economic policy, but they did notsuffice and in 1991 Burkina Faso undertook its
first structural adjustment programme with the
support of the International Monetary Fund.
This programme reflected the Government's
determination to abandon State intervention,and its objectives were to open up the
economy and increase participation by the
private sector.  It comprised inter alia an
adjustment plan for the transport sector and
another for agriculture and livestock farming;reforms were also undertaken in the financial
sector, and in the social field, including health
and education.
3. The reforms have made it possible to
simplify the customs tariff, eliminate specific
import duties and reference prices, andremove some non-tariff barriers (prior and
special authorization for exports and imports,
quotas, licences, price controls and
monopolies) for a large number of products.
Prior import declarations, however, have beenintroduced.  In parallel with the various
reform measures, the devaluation of the franc
of the Communauté financière africaine
(African Financial Community), which went
from CFAF 50 to CFAF 100 to the French
franc, has boosted the internationalcompetitiveness of some Burkina products and
the growth of real GDP since 1994.  For
example, cattle exports to other countries in
the subregion, especially in the franc zone,
have increased sharply.  As a result of betterworld prices as well as producer prices, cotton
exports have also risen.  Inflation has been
kept in check, but performance in the area of
government finance and the current balance,
as well as in the industrial field, has been lesssuccessful.
4. Agriculture accounts for almost
40 per cent of Burkina's real GDP and over
half of its export earnings:  cotton is the main
export product and supplies 40 per cent of
these earnings.  Burkina Faso also hasmineral (gold, ferrous and non-ferrous ores)
as well as energy resources although to date
only small quantities have been discovered.
Gold accounts for around 10 per cent of
export earnings.  The manufacturing sector isnot highly developed and consists of around
60 plants which mainly manufacture food
products and textiles, principally for the
domestic market.  Trading activities
predominate in the services sector, whichprovides over 40 per cent of real GDP.  The
dynamic informal sector accounts for around
25 per cent of GDP and 80 per cent of non-
agricultural employment.
5. Exports are affected by fluctuations in
world prices (mainly for cotton, livestock
products and gold) and vagaries of climate
(cotton and livestock products). Exports cover
only about half of imports, resulting in a
chronic trade deficit.  There is also a chronic
deficit in the services balance caused by largeoutgoings for freight and insurance services as
well as interest on the external debt,
exacerbated by the devaluation of the
CFA franc.  The current account thus suffers
from a structural deficit.WT/TPR/S/46 Trade Policies Review
Page x
6. Burkina Faso's main trading partners
are France and Côte d'Ivoire;  Switzerland
and Indonesia have also been important
outlets for Burkina's products in recent years.
Burkina Faso exports cotton principally to
Switzerland, Mauritius and Indonesia, gold toFrance, hides and skins to Spain and Italy,
and live animals to countries in the West
African subregion, specifically Côte d'Ivoire
and Ghana.  Heavy equipment is imported
from developed countries (especially France).Petroleum products are generally imported
from Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire.  Burkina's
imports from Côte d'Ivoire also include
cement, fruit, food and chemical products,
paper board and salt.
(2) 
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
7. Under the 1991 Constitution (revised
in 1997) Burkina Faso is a multiparty
democracy.  The President of the Republic is
elected by universal suffrage for a renewable
term of seven years.  As the holder of executivepower, he defines the broad outlines of State
policy and appoints the prime minister.  Upon
the latter's proposal, he also appoints the
other Members of the Government.  The
Government drafts and implements policies.Parliament comprises two houses, the
National Assembly which adopts legislation,
and the House of Representatives, which plays
an advisory role.  An Economic and Social
Council expresses an opinion on draftlegislation, orders and decrees transmitted to
it.  It may also, on its own initiative, draw to
the attention of the President of the Republic
any reforms which it believes would promote
Burkina's economic and social development.
8. Since 1991, Burkina Faso has
implemented many instit utional and regulatory
reforms with the aim of creating a more
favourable business environment for the
development of economic and financial
activities.  The application of the provisions inthe Treaty on the Organization for
Harmonization of Business Law (OHADA)
should lead to a revision of some of the laws
and regulations governing trade and
investment in Burkina Faso.  In addition, theimplementation of the WAEMU Treaty should
strengthen these provisions and bring them
more into line with Burkina's commitments
under the WTO Agreements.
9. A new Investment Code entered into
force in 1995 and was amended in 1997.  Its
objective is to promote productive investment
to assist Burkina Faso's economic and social
development.  It guarantees domestic and
foreign enterprises the same rights andobligations and gives foreign natural or legal
persons the freedom to transfer capital and
wages.  Enterprises wishing to take advantage
of these provisions must, however, keep their
accounting books in Burkina Faso, give firstpreference for jobs to Burkina citizens, utilize
services by domestic enterprises as a priority,
and protect the environment.  Like the
Investment Code, the new Mining Code in
force since 1997 gives the same advantages to
nationals and foreigners wishing to invest in
the mining sector in Burkina Faso.  Within theframework of the WAEMU, a community
Investment Code is expected to be introduced
in 1998.  In principle, this should lead to the
elimination of duty and tax exemptions on
imports of capital goods, which are subject tolow rates of duty under the Common External
Tariff (CET).
10. Burkina Faso became a Member of
the WTO on 3 June 1995, although the GATThad been applied de facto since Burkina Faso
became independent in 1960.  In the Uruguay
Round, Burkina Faso undertook several
commitments in the form of binding of import
duties and modes of supply of certain services.It grants all its trading partners at least most-
favoured-nation treatment (MFN).  It has
benefited inter alia from the special and
differential treatment granted to least-
developed countries, notably in the form of
exemptions or delayed implementation of
certain provisions, and it should benefit inparticular from the strengthening of rules and
disciplines in the multilateral trading system
in sectors such as agriculture, including
livestock, which are important for the country.
Burkina hopes that the integrated programmelaunched by the WTO and other organizationsBurkina Faso WT/TPR/S/46
Page xi
at the High-Level Meeting held in Geneva in
October 1997 will go beyond the technical
assistance objectives therein:  Burkina's main
concern is to increase and diversify
production so as to be able to take better
advantage of the opportunities available aswell as those which should result from the
continued liberalization at the multilateral
level.
11. Burkina Faso is a founder member of
the West African Economic and Monetary
Union (WAEMU).  This organization's aim is
to create an economic union through the
convergence of macroeconomic and sectoral
policies and the harmonization of membercountries' fiscal legislation;  monetary
integration, with a common central bank, the
Central Bank of the West African States
(BCEAO) and currency (the African Financial
Community franc (CFAF)) has already been
achieved.  The structure of the CET has
already been defined and implementationshould start in July 1998, ending in
January 2000, by which date the customs
union should be completed.  Burkina is a
member of Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) whose Treaty alsoenvisages the creation of a customs union;
however, the timetable for establishing the
union has not been respected.  Burkina Faso
signed the Fourth Lomé Convention and
receives aid from the European Union (EU).It is a beneficiary of the Stabilization System
for Export Earnings (STABEX);  a large
number of its exports to the EU enjoy non-
reciprocal preferential treatment in the form
of exemption from import duty.  Burkina'sproducts also enjoy (non-reciprocal)
preferential access to markets in developed
countries outside the European Union under
the Generalized System of Preferences.
12. Burkina has signed bilateral trade
agreements with the Democratic People'sRepublic of Korea, Cuba, India and Tunisia. It
has also signed an investment agreement with
Germany and begun negotiations on similar
agreements with Belgium, Canada, China,
Malaysia and the Netherlands.  As atMay 1998, Burkina Faso had not beeninvolved in any dispute settlement proceedings
under the GATT, the WTO or any other trade
agreement signed by it.
(3) 
TRADE POLICY FEATURES
(i) Trade policy instruments and their
impact
13. Burkina Faso's trade policy is
essentially based on duties and taxes.  It
adopted the Harmonized System
Nomenclature on 15 February 1992.  Thetrade reforms carried out under the structural
adjustment programmes have simplified the
structure of import duties.  Nevertheless,
Burkina's import duties are among the highest
in the WAEMU.  They consist of a uniformcustoms duty of 5  per cent, a fiscal import
duty of zero, 4 or 26 per cent, a statistical tax
(TS) of 4 per cent, and a special intervention
tax (TSI) of 2 per cent;  the customs service
considers the latter two taxes to be payment
for services rendered.  The simple arithmetical
average of import duties (i.e. all the above-mentioned duties and taxes) is 31.1 per cent,
with a minimum of 6 per cent (for products
only subject to the TS and the TSI) and a
maximum of 37 per cent.  There is only a
narrow dispersion of import duties and theyshow a generally negative escalation from
semi-finished to finished products.  Products
of the mining industry, wood products,
transport equipment, scientific equipment and
non-electrical machinery are taxed the least.For other products, the rate of import duty is
near or at the maximum level.
14. In addition to import duties and taxes,
a Community Solidarity Levy of 0.5 per cent isimposed on behalf of the WAEMU and a
community levy of 0.5 per cent for the
ECOWAS on imports from non-member
countries of these two organizations.  An
additional tax of 7.5 per cent is imposed on
imported sugar under a safeguard scheme set
up by Burkina in March 1998.  Value-addedtax (VAT) of 18 per cent and excise duty are
also imposed on domestic products and
imports:  the tax on tobacco, cigars and
cigarettes produced locally is 13 per cent andWT/TPR/S/46 Trade Policies Review
Page xii
on imports 95 per cent, thus giving Burkina
enterprises manufacturing these goods
additional protection of 112 points.  Export
duties and taxes were imposed until 1991, but
they have nearly all been abolished.  The only
export tax still in effect in Burkina is thespecial contribution to the livestock sector
(CSE), which applies both to exports and to
domestic sales of livestock products.
15. Under the Uruguay Round, Burkina
Faso bound customs duties applicable to
agricultural products (like other Member
countries of the WTO) and to products in
Chapters 45, 46, 47 and 49 of the Harmonized
System at a ceiling rate of 100 per cent.  Otherduties and charges on imports of these
products were bound at 50 per cent.  The
tariffs bound thus cover a relatively limited
number of products;  they also give Burkina
Faso considerable room for manoeuvre due to
the wide gap between the rates of duty bound
and those applied.  With the implementation ofthe CET, the WAEMU Commission intends to
renegotiate the tariff concessions of all its
member countries, including the concessions
that appear in old schedules of products which
were bound at a time when these countrieswere colonies.
16. In 1995, the number of products
subject to technical standards was lowered
from 40 to 10.  Burkina has also dismantledmost of the quantitative restrictions on
imports.  The prohibitions still in place are for
reasons of security, health or compliance with
international agreements signed by Burkina
Faso.  Imports whose f.o.b. value isCFAF 500,000 or more are subject to a Prior
Import Declaration (DPI) under the Import
Verification Programme.  Imports whose f.o.b.
value exceeds CFAF 3 million are subject to
preshipment inspection by the Société générale
de surveillance (SGS).  With the exception of
the provisions in trade agreements it hassigned, Burkina Faso does not have any
comprehensive legislation on rules of origin.
It does not have any domestic legislation
either on anti-dumping, countervailing or
safeguard measures.17. Burkina's authorities have made the
promotion of exports one of the key elements
of their trade policy.  This strategy has been
implemented by the adoption of a new
Investment Code (amended in 1997) which
confers many investment and operationaladvantages on exporting companies.  These
benefits are in the form of total exemption
from customs duties and taxes and internal
taxation;  the operational benefits are
permanent.  The permanent reduction of50 per cent of industrial and commercial
profits tax given to these companies during the
operational phase rises to 75 per cent if they
use local raw materials accounting for at least
80 per cent of all the raw materials directlyused in manufacturing.  The establishment of
free zones is also envisaged.  In addition, VAT
on exports is zero-rated with a view to
possible reimbursement of the VAT paid on
inputs and production factors used to
manufacture exports.  Exports of raw sheep
and goat hides and skins are, however, bannedand exports of shea nuts and cereals are
subject to special authorization.
18. Following the devaluation of the CFA
franc in 1994, the prices of a large number ofproducts were liberalized in Burkina Faso:
under the new law on competition, the prices
of goods and services are free and are
determined solely by market forces.
Nevertheless, the prices of petroleum products,essential generic medicines, tobacco, cotton
(producer price), school materials, and public
utility tariffs (water, electricity,
telecommunications) are still regulated.  There
have been delays in implementing theprogramme on restructuring State enterprises.
Among the enterprises which enjoy a
monopoly or have exclusive rights in their
particular fields of activity are those which
Burkina Faso considers "strategic".  There are
15 of these, and they are present in most
sectors.
19. In Burkina Faso, intellectual property
rights are protected through the Bangui
Agreement on Industrial Property signed by
around 15 African countries (the AfricanIntellectual Property Organization (AIPO)Burkina Faso WT/TPR/S/46
Page xiii
was set up under this Agreement) and by the
1983 Copyright Order together with its
implementing texts.  Work is in hand at the
AIPO to bring the provisions of the Bangui
Agreement into line with the obligations of
WTO Members under the Agreement onTrade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights.  In Burkina Faso, counterfeiting
mainly affects manufactured products,
including medicines, and has developed
significantly following the devaluation of theCFA franc.  Despite the existence of
legislation, the measures taken to combat
counterfeiting are limited.  Counterfeit goods
can only be held at the border if the right-
holder concerned makes a complaint.  Theinadequacy of the means used to combat fraud
and counterfeiting and of the cooperation
among the various services involved
(particularly the police and customs services)
is one of the problems faced in implementing
the relevant provisions in Burkina.  An action
programme has been drawn up to improve theprotection of copyright.
(ii) Policies by sector
20. The reforms undertaken by Burkina
Faso in 1991 have affected sectors of activityin different ways.  In the mining sector, they
have been underpinned by the adoption of a
more liberal Mining Code that is more
attractive to private investment.  The
marketing of products of the mining industryhas been liberalized and non-tariff barriers
abolished;  the mining sector is the sector in
which tariff protection is lowest.
21. As occurred in the mining sector, the
devaluation of the CFA franc has helped to
accelerate agricultural reform, the
competitiveness of certain local products
being strengthened by the new parity.  Sugar
remains protected by several measures,
including a special safeguard clause not
announced by Burkina (Article 5 of the WTOAgreement on Agriculture).  A State company,
la Société sucrière de la Comoé, has a
monopoly of sugar imports and is the only
producer in the country.  Sugar is also subject
to technical barriers in the form of standards,together with some other products:  preserved
foodstuffs of animal origin, wheat flour, edible
vegetable oils, milk, rice, cold curing
vulcanizing glues, pesticides, insecticides and
by-products;  type R6 or R20 saline electric
batteries, and tyres and inner tubes.  Inaddition, import duties on agricultural
products remain relatively high.  The ban on
exports of raw sheep and goat hides and skins,
State intervention in production and
particularly in the marketing of certainproducts, especially cotton, and the special
authorizations required for the export of shea
nuts and cereals all raise doubts concerning
their relevance to the objectives of
diversification and promotion of exports onthe one hand and improving the living
conditions of the rural population on the
other.
22. The manufacturing sector enjoys the
greatest tariff protection, just in front of
agriculture.  The structure of import duties isnot, however, favourable to development of
Burkina's manufacturing sector, which
explains the use of exemptions, even on an
ad hoc basis.  In addition to the structure of
import duties, the high cost of certain inputsdue to the price of energy (including electricity
and fuel) and transport hinder the
international competitiveness of manufactured
goods produced locally.  The devaluation of
the CFA franc did not manage to redress thissituation, which is compounded by the
remnants of the import substitution strategy:
for a long time, this strategy was underpinned
by State intervention through State-owned
enterprises, some of which are still active andprovide basic services such as
telecommunications.  A large percentage of
the so-called strategic enterprises are active in
the services sector.  The delays in carrying out
the privatization programmes also explain the
strong presence of State companies in this
sector.  In addition, Burkina's commitmentsunder the General Agreement on Trade and
Services are restricted to certain aspects of the
supply of services and do not cover services
unilaterally liberalized by Burkina under the
structural adjustment programmes.WT/TPR/S/46 Trade Policies Review
Page xiv
(4) TRADE PARTNERS AND FOREIGN
TRADING PARTNERS
23. The trade reforms under way in
Burkina Faso are part of the structural
adjustment programmes launched in 1991.
Although liberalizing reforms have beencarried out in the import sector, a great deal
remains to be done to promote exports, which
are the heart of the country's major economic
objective, namely, export-based sustainable
economic growth.  Some measures in force inBurkina Faso, especially in the area of trade
policy, conflict with this objective as
formulated.  Burkina's land-locked situation
already constitutes a natural barrier to
international trade.  In addition to being land-locked and having an inadequate
communications network with the outside, the
high cost of transport is also the result of
landing and handling fees at Ouagadougou
airport and the State monopoly of supply and
even in certain cases distribution of energy.
These factors work to hamper theinternational competitiveness of Burkina's
exports.
24. In the agricultural sector, the
objective of diversifying and promotingexports conflicts with measures aimed at the
valorization of certain products and on food
self-sufficiency.  For example, raw sheep and
goat hides and skins cannot be exported, even
though domestic industries do not have thecapacity needed to process all those produced.
Likewise, the special authorization required
for the export of shea nuts and cereals for
reasons of food self-sufficiency (even if that isnot the official reason) make Burkina's
participation in international trade in these
goods unstable, even if only potentially.
Consequently, these authorizations do not help
to guarantee market shares for the
development of such exports.  Neither do theyencourage Burkina's producers who, if local
prices were more profitable, would not feel the
need to export their goods, particularly in
view of Burkina's landlocked situation.
25. The additional costs due to high
import duties will be reduced when the CET
enters into force.  It should help to lessen
nominal tariff protection and eliminate
distortions due to exemptions, which aresometimes of an ad hoc nature and do not act
as any kind of incentive to investors,
particularly foreign investors.  Lastly,
Burkina's imposition of technical standards for
around a dozen products and of a safeguard
clause for sugar (for the time being), even
though it did not reserve this right underArticle 5 of the Agreement on Agriculture,
show that the contents of the WTO Agreements
should be made better known in Burkina and
that technical assistance should be made
available to ensure that they are respected.This could help to ensure that the
liberalization efforts already made by Burkina
Faso are not jeopardized, especially following
the entry into force of the WAEMU
arrangements, which should increasecompetition with products from neighbouring
countries.