WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/TPR/G/132 
24 May 2004 
 
 (04-2122) 
Trade Policy Review Body Original: French 
  
 
   
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
 
BURKINA FASO 
 
Report by the Government 
 
   
Pursuant to the Agreement Establishi ng the Trade Policy Review Mechanism 
(Annex 3 of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade 
Organization), the policy statement by the Government of Burkina Faso is 
attached. 
 
 
Note: This report is subject to restricted circul ation and press embargo until the end of the meeting 
of the Trade Policy Review Body on Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
 Page 3 
 
 
CONTENTS 
  
I.
 OVERVIEW 5  
II. TRADE POLICY AND PRACTICE 5  
(1) GENERAL TRADE POLICY OBJECTIVES  5  
(2) SECTORAL TRADE POLICY OBJECTIVES  6  
2-1 Agriculture, livestock, management of natural resources, and the 
environment 6  
2-2 Transport and tourism 10  
2-3 Energy 11  
2-4 Mining 11  
2-5 Industry 12  
2-6 Crafts 13  
(3) GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE IMPORT AND EXPORT REGIME  13  
3-1 Imports 13  
3-2 Exports 14  
(4) TRADE POLICY FRAMEWORK  14  
4-1 Laws and regulations governing th e implementation of trade policy 14  
4-2 Formulation and review of trade policy 14  
4-3 Multilateral, bilateral and re gional trade agreements 15  
(5) IMPLEMENTATION OF TRADE POLICY  15  
5-1 Trade policy measures implemented in Burkina Faso 15  
5-2 Ongoing trade liberalization under the customs adjustment 
programme 17  
III. ECONOMIC REFORM PROGRAMME 17  
IV. CONCLUSION 19  
  Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
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I. OVERVIEW 
1. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country with an area of 274,200 km2., located in the heart of 
West Africa.  It is bounded in the North-East by Niger, in the South by Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Ghana and Togo, and in the West by Mali.  Its current p opulation is estimated at about 12 million, and is 
growing at a rapid rate of about 2.4 per cent pe r year.  Close to 19 per cent of the population is 
concentrated in the country's two main cities, Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso. 
2. The country has limited natural resources; it is  exposed to the vagaries of the Sahelian 
climate, which means insufficient and uneven rain fall, and it has no direct access to the sea.  Its 
economic infrastructure is under-developed and many re mote regions are virtually isolated during the 
rainy season.  Another major handicap is the lack of  energy resources.  The country's principal local 
resource remains its flora, the over-exploitation of wh ich is currently threatening the environment.  
Other energy sources are of foreign origin (hydrocarbons) and are available at very high prices. 
3. Burkina Faso nevertheless has some assets that offer hope of overcoming under-development 
and launching a process of sustainable growth.  The first is doubtless its human resources, often 
reputed to be disciplined and hard-working.  The second is political stability and relative social peace 
achieved by a government which, since the adoption of the Constitution of 2 June 1991, has instituted 
sweeping political and structural reforms that ha ve transformed the country into a pluralist 
democracy. 
II. TRADE POLICY AND PRACTICE 
(1) G
ENERAL TRADE POLICY OBJECTIVES  
4. Since 1991, Burkina Faso has carried out a series of economic reforms designed to end 
Government involvement in the competitive sectors a nd liberalize the economy.  The private sector is 
now recognized as the engine of economic growth, wh ich must remain above 7 per cent per annum if 
Burkina Faso is effectively to launch sustainable development in the framework of the fight against 
poverty.  The Government's strategy of private sect or development is intended to create a competitive 
and productive economy driven by that sector.  To that  end it created, in 1999, the General Directorate 
for Private Sector Promotion (DGSP), and in 2003, the Competitiveness and Enterprised 
Development Support Project (PACDE), both of which are under the responsibility of the Ministry in charge of Trade. 
 The Government's general objectives in this regard are: 
- To liberalize trade; 
- to improve the regulatory framework for the creation and exercise of private 
enterprise by both nationals and foreign investors; 
- to encourage the development of business within a dependable legal framework in 
line with international standards; 
- to continue measures aimed at adapting dome stic regulations to those of the West 
African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and  the WTO; 
- to facilitate speedy adjustment to economic trends by making employment laws more 
flexible; WT/TPR/G/132 Trade Policy Review 
Page 6 
  
- to enhance the productivity and efficiency  of private-sector support institutions, 
especially those run directly by the State; 
- to combat fraud and corruption; 
- to eliminate price controls on local products; 
- to abolish monopolies in the marketing and distribution of staple goods; 
- to continue and strengthen the permanent and fruitful dialogue that has been 
established with the private sector; 
- to reduce the cost and/or improve the quality of government-run public services; 
- to provide better conditions of corporate financing in general and for small and 
medium-sized enterprises and industries in particular; 
- to lighten the tax burden on the formal sector; 
- to ease customs duties on inputs; 
- to strive to provide enterprises with  more modern and efficient services; 
- to foment the technical upgrading of the local workforce; 
- to step up the creation and restoration of serviced industrial zones; 
- to continue to develop serviced zones for different activities; 
- to encourage the reduction of some transport costs; 
- to improve the efficiency and flui dity of Burkina Faso’s roadways; 
- to diversify sources of supply. 
(2) S ECTORAL TRADE POLICY OBJECTIVES  
2-1 Agriculture, livestock, management of natural resources, and the environment 
(a) Agriculture 
5. The rural sector plays a dominant role in Bu rkina Faso's economy, employing 86 per cent of 
the active population.  Agricultural activities a ccount for approximately 40 per cent of GDP 
(agriculture for 25 per cent, livestock breeding for 12 per cent, and forestry and fisheries for 3 per cent), and are considered to be the country 's main source of economic growth.  Since the 
introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme  (SAP) in 1991, a number of reforms have been 
implemented in the agricultural sector.  The results in terms of liberalization of the agricultural sector 
include: 
- Liberalization of the marketing and prices of  agricultural products (cereals, oilseeds); Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
 Page 7 
 
 
- privatization of practically all of the State enterprises involved in the production, 
processing and marketing of agricultural products. 
 Added to this is the eliminati on of the subsidy on agricultural in puts, already in effect before 
the adoption of the Structural Adjustment Progra mme for the Agricultural Sector (PASA) in 1992. 
 
6. Following the restructuring of the sector based on the re-focusing of the role of the State, the 
authorities of Burkina Faso drew up and adopted a new rural development strategy in keeping with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) in December 2003. 
 An analysis of what is at stake and the challe nges that lie ahead suggest s that the main issues 
to be resolved through the rural development strategy in the context of the combat against poverty in 
Burkina Faso are the following:  
- Strengthening of food security; 
- increasing the income of rural populations; 
- ensuring sustainable management of natural resources; 
- giving rural populations a sense of res ponsibility as actors in the development 
process. 
 The overall objective of the rural development stra tegy is to ensure sustained growth of the 
rural sector as a means of contributing to the comb at against poverty, to the strengthening of food 
security, and to the promotion of sustainable development. 
 
 The specific objectives of the rural development strategy are:  
- To increase agricultural, pastoral, for estry, faunal and fisheries production by 
boosting productivity; 
- to increase income by diversifying rural economic activities; 
- to strengthen the link between production and the markets; 
- to ensure sustainable management of natural resources; 
- to improve the economic situation and soci al status of women and young people in 
rural areas; 
- to give rural populations a sense of r esponsibility as actors in the development 
process. 
 A number of action plans have been drawn up in connection with the implementation of the 
rural development strategy and the sectoral refo rms, notably with respect to cotton, fruit and 
vegetables, cereals, the financing of rural are as, and the creation of professional agricultural 
organizations. 
 WT/TPR/G/132 Trade Policy Review 
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(b) Livestock 
7. The Government has been giving this sector speci al attention, as evidenced by the creation on 
10 June 1997 of a Ministry for Animal Resources and the adoption in October 2000 of the Work Plan and Investment Programme for the Livestock Sect or (PAPISE).  This plan should contribute to 
reducing poverty, enhancing food security and improving the management of natural resources by 
optimizing production and productivity and facilitati ng private takeover of operations, while at the 
same time refocusing the role the of the State. 
8. In this connection, seven lines of action ar e planned for the development of the sector: 
- Improvement of the management of natura l resources and development of pasture 
areas; 
- improvement of the feeding and watering of animals; 
- improvement of animal productivity; 
- improvement of animal health; 
- improvement of competitiveness and market access for animal products, 
- support for the organization of breeders; 
- adaptation of support functions. 
 With a view to improving competitiveness a nd market access for animal products, the 
government will focus on:  
- Introduction of a support programme for the development of cattle exports; 
- support for export channels; 
- support for the organization of operators in the marketing sector; 
- rehabilitation of the refrigerated slaughter house at Ouagadougou and the construction 
of a similar facility in Bobo-Dioulasso; 
- construction of other slaughterhouses in th e ten medium-sized towns and consumer 
centres; 
- introduction of a support programme for the milk industry. 
 In all, nine priority programmes were selected  to form the framework for the planned actions: 
 
- Programme in support of traditional livestoc k grazing and the upgrading of pastoral 
land; 
- programme in support of the devel opment of village poultry farming; 
- programme to combat animal trypanosomiasis; Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
 Page 9 
 
 
- programme to combat epizootic disease s and enhance sanitary surveillance; 
- programme to encourage the private practice of the professions of veterinary surgeon 
and zootechnician; 
- programme to increase animal productivity; 
- programme to encourage professionalizati on of livestock breeding and support the 
private sector; 
- pastoral food and hydraulics support programme; 
- support programme for the dairy industry. 
(c) Management of natural r esources and the environment.  
9. With a view to attaining a socio-ecological a nd socio-economic balance that makes for food 
self-sufficiency and improved living standards for th e population, the government intends to focus its 
environmental policy on the following four main areas: 
- The fight against desertification; 
- forestry management; 
- landscape development; 
- the fight against pollution and nuisances. 
 To streamline the management of forestry r esources, the Government will be emphasizing the 
following areas: 
- Giving greater dynamism to village organizations for fauna management; 
- promoting subsectors such as ranching and the private small-scale rearing of wild 
animals; 
- giving fresh impetus to sightseeing tourism and sport hunting; 
- conditioning lakes so as to increase fish production; 
- training the rural population in the mana gement and development of natural 
resources; 
- organization of the wood-energy  sector; 
- development of non-ligneous forestry pr oducts (Arabic gum, shea nuts, néré seeds, 
etc.) 
10. In the water sector, the Government has decided to focus on: 
- Drinking water supply; WT/TPR/G/132 Trade Policy Review 
Page 10 
  
- water supply facilities for farming; 
- facilitating other rational uses of water for development purposes. 
2-2 Transport and tourism 
11. With the respect to the development of transport, infrastructure and tourism, the government 
has set itself objectives and has developed action programmes to attain them: 
(a) Transport 
Objectives 
 It was decided to focus on the following objectives in connection with the sectoral 
development strategy for the period 2000-2010: 
 
- To reduce transport costs and enhance services and security in both domestic and 
international transport; 
- to improve the competitiveness of airport hubs by making them more attractive and 
secure; 
- to improve the collection and processing of reliable statistical data on transport for 
use, inter alia , by the decision-makers, investors and transport operators. 
Action programmes 
 
 The government has developed action progr ammes to attain the objectives it has set, inter 
alia: 
 
- The second sectoral transport programme ( PST-2) covering the period 2000-2008 and 
 providing for:  
- Ongoing maintenance of close to 15,000 km. of roads; 
- periodic maintenance and rehabilitati on of 7,660 km. of dirt roads; 
- periodic maintenance and reinforcemen t of 1,642 km. of asphalted roads; 
- asphalting of certain trunk roads of a total length of 1,336 km; 
- development of roads serving the departmental capitals; 
- capacity-building of actors in the transport sector. 
- The National Rural Transportation Strategy (SNT R) in Burkina Faso, whose investment plan 
 up to 2009 provides for: 
 
- The construction of 12,000 km. of rural tracks; 
- the development of access roads to tourist sites; Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
 Page 11 
 
 
- maintenance covering approximately 20, 000 km. of rural tracks from 2004 to 2009. 
(b) Tourism  The current focus of the tourism sector is on the following objectives: 
 
- Making the most of Burkina Faso's tourism potential and building access roads to 
tourist locations; 
- enhancing the sector's contribution to the development of the national economy 
within the framework of the combat against poverty; 
- upgrading the sector; 
- introducing a mechanism for the sustainable funding of activities in the sector with a 
view to increasing its competitiveness. 
 The last two points concern Law No. 58/2003/AN of 22 October 2003 on the development of 
tourism and tourist promotion in Burkina Faso.  
2-3 Energy 
12. One of the major stumbling blocks to industria l development remains the very high cost of 
energy.  To remedy this situation, the government has decided: 
- To encourage private investment in the sector and private sector involvement in its 
management; 
- to seek means of supplying energy at a lower cost. 
 The alternatives for domestic energy produc tion are limited and costly, and studies have 
shown that the import of electricity remains the most advantageous option.   A first section of the inter-connection with Côte  d'Ivoire has been completed, and has been 
supplying electricity to the Bobo-Dioulasso regi onal consumption centre since April 2001.  The 
extension of this line to Ouagadougou, planned fo r 2006, will make it possible to meet more than 
80 per cent of needs. 
  The government will pursue its policy of readju sting the price of hydrocarbons every two 
months so as to reflect the real cost of supply.  2-4 Mining 
13. The Ministry will seek to create and maintain wo rking conditions that are more attractive to 
investors by: 
- Reinforcing its mining promotion policy in  order to help highlight its assets; 
- pursuing its policy of capacity-building in the area of mining administration: 
 supplementary geological mapping coverage of Burkina Faso at 1/200,000; WT/TPR/G/132 Trade Policy Review 
Page 12 
  
 preparation of a geological map at 1/50,000; 
 updating of the geological and mining map of Burkina Faso at 1/1,000,000; 
- strengthening of geological infrastructure: 
 training and institutional support; 
 establishment of a permanent national system of information on earth 
sciences and the environment; 
 establishment of a permanent sectoral databank on mining and the 
environment (BDSME). 
2-5 Industry 
14. Industry accounts for some 20 per cent of GDP.  To enhance its role as the engine of 
economic development, the government adopted, in October 1998, an industria l development strategy 
consisting of a set of action plans and accompanying  measures targeting both the public sector and the 
private sector and aimed at promo ting industry.  It is based on: 
- A diagnostic analysis, identifying the essential development constraints and 
potentialities of the main industrial sectors in Burkina Faso; 
- the new policy formulated in the framework of the structural adjustment programme 
to which the government committed itself in  1991, whose principal objectives are to 
improve the performance and growth of th e country's economy and to restore the 
macroeconomic  balances; 
- the reality of subregional integration with the creation of the WAEMU. 
 Twelve priority subsectors have been selected: 
 
- Cotton; 
- cereals; 
- fruit and vegetables; 
- oilseeds; 
- milk; 
- meat; 
- leather and hides; 
- fabricated metal products; 
- polymers: rubber; 
- quarrying and construction materials; Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
 Page 13 
 
 
- chemical products: fertilizers and phytosanitary products; 
- pharmaceutical products. 
15. As part of this industrial development strate gy, an integrated programme has been under way 
with the support of UNIDO since 1999.  This progra mme aims to improve the competitiveness of the 
agrifood industries and to create jobs. 
2-6 Crafts 
16. The government has undertaken or planned the following promotional actions in this sector: 
(a) Actions undertaken 
- drawing up and implementation of the strategy  for the promotion of crafts (training, 
organization, marketing, tax legislati on, financing, and business promotion); 
- professionalization of the Ouagadougou In ternational Crafts Fair (SIAO); 
- construction and professional operation of the Ouagadougou crafts village (VAO). 
(b) Planned actions 
- creation of a chamber of trades; 
- construction of crafts villages; 
- creation of a register of trades and a professional craftsman's card. 
(3) G ENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE IMPORT AND EXPORT REGIME  
17. The importation, exportation or re-exportation of non-prohibited goods is free.  The general 
import and export regime is regulated by the following provisions:  Ordinance No. 91-069 of 
25 November 1991 and its implementing Decr ee No. 91-034 of 27 November 1991, and Law 
No. 15/94 of 5 May 1994 on the organization of co mpetition and consumption,  amended in 2001 in 
order to give the Commission the authority to re gulate and impose sanctions to ensure consumer 
protection.  This law authorizes the Minister of Trade to regulate prices provisionally in cases, established by decree, where crisis situations or exceptional circumstances may interfere with the 
freeplay of market forces. 
3-1 Imports 
18. Import licensing has been eliminated as part of the measures taken under the structural 
adjustment programme.  However, there are a num ber of administrative formalities for the products 
concerned, such as the prior import declaration (DPI), special import and export authorizations 
(ASI/ASE), and the import visa.  Moreover, for hea lth reasons, the importation of some products is 
banned, an example being asbestos-based products. 
19. Decree No. 98-118/PRES/PM/MEF of 31 March 1998 instituted a 1 per cent levy on the f.o.b. 
value of goods subject to prior import declarati ons to cover the costs of the import verification 
programme. WT/TPR/G/132 Trade Policy Review 
Page 14 
  
3-2 Exports 
20. Export of products from Burkina Faso is free:  only gold exports require authorization from 
the Minister in charge of mines.  For statistical purposes, cereal exports are subject to an export declaration (Notice to Exporters No. 96-002/MCIA of  1 March 1996).  Shea nuts are also subject to 
special authorization for the same reasons. 
(4) T
RADE POLICY FRAMEWORK  
4-1 Laws and regulations governing the implementation of trade policy 
21. The constitution is the supreme law of Burk ina Faso.  A nationa l assembly exercises 
legislative power.  The national assembly votes the laws, including finance laws establishing 
government spending and income targets. 
22. The President of the Republic is empowered to negotiate and conclude international 
agreements;  he may delegate this power to a member of the Executive.  Should it be necessary to 
amend legislation in order to align it with the provisi ons of an agreement, the Parliament must pass a 
law authorizing such amendment. 
23. Trade policy is implemented by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Crafts in cooperation 
with the other ministerial departments concerned. 
24. Trade-related legislation covers several areas, namely: 
- Tourism; 
- control of goods; 
- competition; 
- weights and measures; 
- investment; 
- the financial and banking sector; 
- commerce; 
- privatization; 
- the liberal professions. 
4-2 Formulation and review of trade policy 
25. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Crafts is responsible for devising, implementing and 
administering trade policy in Burkina Faso.  Once dr afted by the Ministry, the laws are submitted to 
the National Assembly for scrutiny and approval. 
26. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Crafts dr aws up trade policy measures in consultation 
with the private sector (Chamber of Commerce,  Industry and Crafts) and with other competent 
ministerial departments. Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
 Page 15 
 
 
4-3 Multilateral, bilateral and regional trade agreements 
27. Government policy regarding multilateral, bilate ral and regional trade agreements is designed 
to foster a favourable environment for integrati ng Burkina Faso into the international economy in 
order to secure outlets for its products and spur the development of its industries. 
28. The following are among the agreements  entered into by Burkina Faso: 
- Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO); 
- ACP-EC Partnership Agreement; 
- ECOWAS Treaty; 
- New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). 
29. Burkina Faso is a signatory to the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement between the European 
Union and the 79 ACP countries.  Under this agreem ent, Burkina Faso's exports of industrial and 
agricultural products not covered by the Common Ag ricultural Policy (CAP) continue to enjoy non-
reciprocal preferences on the EC market pending th e entry into force of the economic partnership 
agreements in January 2008.  As a least-dev eloped country, Burkina Faso benefits from the 
"Everything but Arms" initiative, which provides fo r duty-free access of a number of its products to 
EC territory.  As a member of the GATT sin ce 1963, Burkina Faso, upon authorization by the 
National Assembly on 3 May 1995, ratified the Agre ement Establishing the WTO and thus became a 
founding Member of the WTO on 3 June 1995. 
30. Burkina Faso is convinced that  the Agreement Establishing the WTO will serve the interests 
of the developing countries in general, and those of the LDCs in particular.  Nevertheless, these 
countries will need more assistance if they are to  benefit fully from the WTO agreements.  Burkina 
Faso is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and it espoused the idea of creating a regional common market, a single currency and a customs union, which came 
into effect on 1 January 2000, within the WAEMU. 
(5) I
MPLEMENTATION OF TRADE POLICY  
5-1 Trade policy measures implemented in Burkina Faso 
(a) Customs duties 
31. Since 1991, Burkina Faso has been steadfastly following a policy of economic liberalization 
that culminated in a major customs tariff reform  in 1992, with the enactment of Law No. 12/92/ADP 
of 22 December 1992. 
32. This law aimed to achieve the following objectives: 
- To simplify the configuration of the tariff structure; 
- to rationalize the system of protection of production units (classification by 
destination); 
- to heed the Government's tax constraints by increasing customs revenue. WT/TPR/G/132 Trade Policy Review 
Page 16 
  
33. Simplification of the configuration was given priority within the framework of the Common 
External Tariff (CET), which entered fully into e ffect on 1 January 2000.  Moreover, the tariff was 
made more and more impersonal (no classification by destination) and emphasis was placed on the 
degree of processing of the product.  The final result is a uniform overall taxation by category.  Goods 
are divided into four categories: 
- Category 0:  essential social goods 
- category 1:  capital goods 
- category 2:  intermediate products 
- category 3:  final cons umer goods and other. 
34. Under the Common External Tariff, import duties and charges include: 
- Customs duty (DD); 
- statistical fee (RS); 
- community solidarity levy (PCS); and where appropriate; 
- degressive protection tax (TDP); 
- special import tax (TCI), never applied in Burkina Faso. 
 The customs duty rates under the CET are: 
 
- Category 0:  0 per cent 
- category 1:  5 per cent 
- category 2:  10 per cent 
- category 3:  20 per cent. 
 The RS is 1 per cent, applicable to all produc ts whether exempted or not.  The PCS is 1 per 
cent.   VAT is 18 per cent, the Community Levy 0.5 per cent, and the excise taxes under the customs 
tariff remain in force, notably the tax on beve rages of 10 per cent for non-alcoholic beverages and 
25 per cent for alcoholic beverages, the 10 per cent tax on coffee and tea, the 10 per cent tax on soft 
drinks, etc.  35. Documents that could be required for customs transactions are:  the supplier's invoice, the 
Prior Import Declaration (DPI), the inspection certif icate from the Société générale de surveillance 
(SGS), the national compliance certificate, the insura nce certificate, the certificate or origin, the value 
declaration, the verification sheet, the phytosanitary certificate, the c onsignment note, the packing list, 
the cargo tracking note (BSC), etc. Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
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(b) Customs valuation 
36. The prevailing customs valuation method relies on the transaction value of goods, that is to 
say the price paid or to be paid.  The customs va luation principles that apply in Burkina Faso are 
based on Article 16 of the Customs Code of the WAEMU. 
 Compulsory pre-shipment inspection of goods has been in operation since 1992.  All goods 
imports must comply with the formalities of the inspection company, which are: 
 
- Preparing an import application for any invoice of CFAF 3 million or more; 
- having goods checked before loading; 
- producing the definitive invoice after inspection; 
- obtaining an inspection certificate that must be submitted to the customs authorities 
when the goods are being cleared. 
37. In the event of undervaluation, the inspecti on company rejects the values shown on the 
invoice and makes the necessary adjustment in the li ght of the information available to it in the 
country of importation or based on the value of si milar products.  Any adjustments are mentioned on 
the inspection certificate. 
5-2 Ongoing trade liberalization under the customs adjustment programme 
38. Between 1966 and 1990, the economy of Burkin a Faso was tightly regulated under an 
economic strategy that relied on the public sector fo r investment and growth.  The results that had 
been hoped for did not materialize.  Since 1991,  Burkina Faso has been implementing a trade 
liberalization programme in the framework of the Structural Adjustment Programme, with IMF and 
World Bank support.  The government's objective in that framework has been to foster an 
environment favourable to private initiative.  Accord ingly, a number of steps were taken, namely the 
elimination of import licensing and of import and export restrictions, and the realignment of the 
country's laws regulations to suit the ne w and highly liberal economic environment. 
III. ECONOMIC REFORM PROGRAMME 
39. Trade policy is but one component of a broader policy encompassing investment, 
transportation, tourism, financial services, and a legal and regulatory framework conducive to the 
development of business and employment.  These elem ents are all interrelated and interdependent 
insofar as they help to ensure the prosperity of  the population as well as sustainable economic growth. 
40. Thanks to its efforts to ensure sound manageme nt, Burkina Faso was e ligible for the relief 
initiative for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countr ies (HIPC), and hence has access to additional 
resources for its development.  In spite of the efforts made in all sectors, the percentage of poor people grew slightly to reach 46.4 per cent in 2003.  This is why the Government of Burkina Faso, in 
defining its development policy orientations thro ugh its Strategic Framew ork for Poverty Reduction 
(CSLP), has aimed to conciliate structural reform s and economic recovery with the objective of 
increasing the income of the poor. 
41. In order to achieve the objective of growth  based on equity, the reforms under way in the 
different sectors of the economy will need to be sp eeded up and to enable new sources of growth to 
emerge.  In this respect, the private sector has a l eading role to play.  However, in view of the WT/TPR/G/132 Trade Policy Review 
Page 18 
  
country's low domestic savings, the government has adopted a policy of boosting the level of private 
investment by creating a favourable environment.   The policy of economic liberalization and the 
reforms aimed at creating a secure and stable legal framework will be pursued and intensified.  To 
that end, a new and more attractive investment  code will be issued in the course of 2004. 
42. To boost the population's earnings and acceler ate the development of human resources and 
production potential, the government's efforts w ill have to focus on the following objectives: 
- Ensuring a per capita GDP growth of at least 3 per cent per year between 2000 and 
2002, and 4 to 5 per cent starting in 2003; 
- containing inflation at 3 per cent per year  on average, and reducing the external 
deficit on current account (excluding grants) to 11.3 per cent of GDP; 
- reducing the incidence of poverty from 45 pe r cent to less than 30 per cent by 2015; 
- maintaining a stable macroeconomic framework; 
- strengthening the management of public finances; 
- improving productivity and reducing factor costs; 
- improving social infrastructure and increasing life expectancy from the current 
48 years to 57 years by 2005; 
- fostering good governance; 
- developing and divers ifying export potential; 
- pursuing efforts to upgrade the road infrastructure; 
- developing the private sector by reinforci ng the legal system so as to provide an 
atmosphere of greater security for private sector activity; 
- improving market access for products from Burkina Faso; 
- strengthening the role of women in the development process; 
- completing Burkina Faso's integration into the multilateral trading system managed 
under the WTO Agreements; 
- stepping up the fight against fraud. 
43. While recognizing the need to act efficiently in all sectors of activity, the government focused 
on four priority sectors, namely health and educa tion, agriculture and livestock breeding, water, and 
rural tracks. 
44. Exports are expected to increase by 19 per cent per year, mainly owing to a steady increase in 
cotton output and the imminent liber alization of the cotton subsector.  Aware of the key role of the 
agricultural sector, which employs 90 per cent of th e country's population, the government has placed 
emphasis on promoting of the export subsectors (fruit and vegetables, cotton) while ensuring the food 
security of the population by introducing small- scale irrigation to favour out-of-season crops. Burkina Faso WT/TPR/G/132 
 Page 19 
 
 
IV. CONCLUSION 
45. This trade policy report shows that Burkina Faso is pursuing its economic liberalization 
programme unflinchingly.  In that context, and in  order to create a more business-friendly institutional 
climate, the ongoing reforms under the WAEMU, th e Organization for the Harmonization of Business 
Law in Africa (OHADA) and the WTO, will be pursu ed and the framework for their implementation 
in Burkina Faso will be adapted. 
46. Actions for the coming years will focus on: 
- Speeding up of the adoption of the Community Investment Code; 
- implementation of the project to strengt hen the national statistical apparatus; 
- strengthening of the application of the West African Accounting System (SYSCOA) 
and the OHADA treaty; 
- rationalization and efficient management of technical assistance in the area of trade 
(JITAP, Integrated Framework, Econom ic Partnership Agreement, etc.); 
- streamlining of administrative procedures, improvement of the institutional 
framework, adaptation of the country's laws  and regulations to the new rules of 
international trade aimed at fostering a cl imate in which a liberal economy will thrive; 
- sound management of a liberal economy, calling for more entrenched democracy, 
good governance and the pursuit of structural reforms. 
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