Burkina Faso, formerly Upper Volta, is a Landlocked West African State which lies between the Sahara Desert and the Gulf of Guinea in the loop of the river Niger. It has borders with Niger in the East and North; Mali in the North and West; Benin in the South and East and Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo in the South. The country’s rivers are not navigable and flow South towards the Gulf of Guinea. Several small streams in the East drain into the river Niger. The terrain is almost flat. Primary sandstone covers the South-western border with Mali. There is minimum annual rainfall and the water percolates deeply within the rocky expanses. Meadows and pastures make up about one-third of the land while one quarter is taken up by forests and woods. The climate is tropical, generally hot and dry with generous sunlight. Early summer rains break the extreme heat, but high winds bearing clouds of dust come just before the rainfalls.

The agricultural sector is the main economic activity in Burkina Faso, generating nearly half of the export revenues and creating nearly 90 percent of the total employment. The main agricultural products are nuts, corn, vegetables, rice, cotton, niebe, sorghum, and millet. Primary food products (processed food) include sorghum, millet, rice, and beans. The main natural resources are manganese, gold, antimony, nickel, diamonds, cobalt, phosphates and zinc. The country’s industry is embryonic. The main industrial activities are focused on food processing, such as flour milling and sugar refining, as well as textiles and footwear manufacturing.

GDP at Current Market Prices:	4466.99 million US$ (2004)
Per Capita GDP:	402.73 US$ (2004)
Share of Sectors in GDP:	33.82% Agriculture, 20.0% Industry, 49.0% Services, (2003)
Total Exports:	422.53 million US$ (2004)
Total Imports:	936.88 million US$ (2004)
Major Exports Items:	Gold, cotton, leather, nuts, string beans and livestock
Major Imports Items:	Machinery and equipment, rice, petroleum products and manufactured goods
Major Trading Partners:	France, Côte d’Ivoire, Singapore and Italy

 

Ministére des Affaires Etrangéres et de la Coopération Régionale

Ministère des Finances et du Budget

Ministère de l’Economie et du Développement

Ministère des Mines, des Carrières et de l’Energie

Ministère du Commerce, de la Promotion de l’Enterprise et de l’Artisanat

Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD)