KOUDOUGOU — At the International Cotton and Textile Fair (SICOT 2024), held on January 26 and 27, the President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, urged economic operators in Burkina Faso to commit to the local processing of the nation’s cotton production.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burkina Faso, the call to action came during a meeting with President Traoré on the sidelines of the fair. Sawadogo, who led a delegation of businessmen, discussed with the Head of State about the industrialization of cotton and the necessary resources for its local processing to add value to the product. He also conveyed to the President the best wishes of the business community for the year 2024 and their support for his mission.

The statement from the communications department of the Presidency of Faso highlighted that Captain Traoré, an advocate for sovereign and endogenous development, has previously encouraged Burkinabe businessmen to invest in agricultural production. This push towards local processing of cotton comes at a time when Burkina Faso, with a production of 404 tonnes in the 2022-2023 season, stands as a significant global producer of cotton. However, only a small fraction of this production is currently processed within the country, indicating a substantial opportunity for growth and development in the local textile industry.