OUAGADOUGOU — The Burkinabè government has officially designated the Burkina Information Agency (AIB) as a State Public Establishment (EPA) of an administrative nature to enhance its capacity in fulfilling its mission of information collection and dissemination.

According to Burkina Information Agency, On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the Council of Ministers adopted two reports that formalized the establishment of AIB as an EPA and approved the specific statutes governing the new structure. According to the Minister of Communication, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, this move will provide AIB with the necessary resources to effectively carry out its duties of collecting, processing, and providing reliable and professional information for the benefit of both institutions and the media.

The Minister also stressed the importance of ensuring that citizens’ right to information is upheld. The Burkina Information Agency, originally created on May 27, 1964, lost its autonomy in 1999 when it was merged with the daily newspaper Sidwaya to form Éditions Sidwaya. The previous status, according to the government, hindered AIB’s ability to fully accomplish its missions due to limitations in human and material resources.