Bobo-Dioulasso: The President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, inaugurated a pioneering tomato processing plant in Bobo-Dioulasso, marking a significant milestone in Burkina Faso’s economic history. This factory is the first in the nation to be entirely financed through popular contributions, accumulating more than 7.5 billion FCFA in just 462 days, a shift from the usual reliance on external financing for large projects.
According to Burkina Information Agency, this innovative funding model was celebrated by President Traoré, who expressed gratitude to the citizens for their overwhelming support and encouraged skeptics to engage in popular shareholding initiatives. The President emphasized the importance of endogenous development, urging the population to take ownership of such projects as a pathway to self-sustainable growth.
The inauguration highlighted the role of the Agency for the Promotion of Popular Shareholding (APEC), established in February 2023, in fostering development through local resource mo
bilization. President Traoré commended the factory workers and called for their continued dedication, hoping this success story would inspire broader participation in APEC’s future endeavors.
The newly opened facility boasts an impressive processing capacity of 100 tonnes of tomatoes per day, producing 800 kg of finished products per hour. It is set to generate 187 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs, with an anticipated annual turnover of 8 billion FCFA during its initial five years.
The Bobo-Dioulasso plant, a testament to the potential of popular shareholding, will need to raise an additional 8 billion FCFA for its full operationalization. As part of the expansion plans, President Traoré announced imminent factory openings in Yako and Tenkodogo, further illustrating APEC’s ambitious vision for local industrial growth.
This development aims to alleviate challenges faced by tomato producers in the region, who often struggle with unsold surplus due to unreliable buyers. The factory’s establishment promise
s a more stable market and better economic prospects for local farmers.
