President Traoré Announces Plans for Re-education Center for Delinquent Entrepreneurs in Burkina Faso
Tenkodogo, Burkina Faso – President Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s head of state, declared on Friday his intention to establish a re-education center for entrepreneurs who fail to fulfill their obligations in public contracts, especially those affecting the nation’s food sovereignty. This announcement was made during his speech in Tenkodogo on March 8, 2024, as part of his engagement with the Forces vives du Centre-est, in light of the International Women’s Day celebrations.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the initiative targets contractors who accept public projects and advance payments but neglect their work commitments. Highlighting a recent instance, he detailed the arrest of a contractor for re-education, underscoring the seriousness of the issue. The president expressed frustration over cases where entrepreneurs had received significant sums for projects but failed to demonstrate progress, citing a specific example where an entrepreneur had not achieved even 10% project completion after receiving over 5 billion CFA francs.
The discussion also referenced a visit by the Minister of Agriculture, Commander Ismaël Sombié, to Sindou on February 19, 2024, where he expressed severe discontent with a company’s delays in executing the development of the Pics de Sindou valley. President Traoré emphasized the government’s stance on re-educating such businesses, indicating a departure from reliance on legal texts alone, which he believes entrepreneurs exploit with the help of lawyers to evade responsibility.
The president’s remarks came in the context of addressing the broader challenges faced in achieving food self-sufficiency in Burkina Faso. He lamented the attitude of some local contractors towards national projects and warned of the impending re-education measures for those who continue to disregard their project obligations. This stance underscores the government’s commitment to addressing the obstacles to food sovereignty and the implementation of the agro-silvo-pastoral and fisheries offensive spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture.