Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked state in West Africa, sharing its borders with six countries: Mali, Togo, Ivory Coast, Niger and Ghana.

The adventurous investor will find many reasons to do business in Burkina Faso. The country is becoming more open to private investment – positive signs include increased gold production and investment in infrastructure. The economy is overdue reform, however, and industry is still dominated by government-owned concerns.

Burkina Faso is Africa’s fourth biggest miner of gold. Gold and cotton are the country’s most important exports, though charities have expressed concern at the use of child labour in gold production. Deposits of zinc were discovered earlier in the century, and mining has begun in Perkoa, west of Ouagadougou, the country’s capital.

Industry, in the early stages of development, is dominated by textiles and food processing. Industry is chiefly confined to Ouagadougou and the areas of Bobo-Dioulasso, Banfora, and Koudougou. The country also has unexploited deposits of manganese, zinc, lead, copper, nickel and limestone.

Our HLB West Africa team represents clients in Burkina Faso and offers expert advice to those seeking to invest in the west African region.