Maureen Scott

In just two years under President Ibrahim Traoré's leadership in Burkina Faso: 1. The country's GDP rose from around $18.8 billion to $22.1 billion. 2. He turned down loans from the IMF and World Bank, declaring: “Africa has no need for the World Bank, IMF, Europe, or America.” 3. He cut ministers' and parliamentarians' salaries by 30% while raising civil servants' pay by 50%. 4. He fully cleared Burkina Faso’s domestic debts. 5. He launched the country’s first two tomato processing plants. 6. In 2023, he opened a modern gold mine to boost local refining capacity. 7. He ended the export of unprocessed gold from Burkina Faso to Europe. 8. He constructed Burkina Faso’s second cotton processing facility (the country previously had just one). 9. He established the nation’s first National Support Center for Artisanal Cotton Processing to help small-scale cotton farmers. 10. He prohibited British-style legal wigs and gowns in courts, replacing them with traditional Burkinabé clothing. 11. He supported agriculture by distributing more than 400 tractors, 239 tillers, 710 motor pumps, and 714 motorcycles to farmers and rural communities. 12. He supplied improved seeds and essential agricultural inputs to increase yields. 13. Tomato output grew from 315,000 metric tonnes in 2022 to 360,000 metric tonnes in 2024. 14. Millet production climbed from 907,000 metric tonnes in 2022 to 1.1 million metric tonnes in 2024. 15. Rice production rose from 280,000 metric tonnes in 2022 to 326,000 metric tonnes in 2024. 16. He banned French military operations on Burkinabé soil. 17. He prohibited French media outlets from operating in Burkina Faso. 18. He expelled French troops from the country. 19. His administration is actively building new roads, expanding existing ones, and upgrading gravel roads to paved surfaces. 20. Construction is underway on the new Ouagadougou-Donsin Airport, set for completion in 2025, with an annual capacity of 1 million passengers.