Burkina Faso

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger want to leave Ecowas. A political scientist explains the fallout

Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have sent Ecowas, west Africa’s main political union of 15 countries, a formal notice of their withdrawal from the bloc. The three countries are...

Burkina Faso: A Tapestry of Tradition and Culture

In the heart of West Africa, Burkina Faso stretches across the savannah in a patchwork of fields, villages, and bustling markets. Landlocked and often overshadowed by its more widely known neighbors, the country’s...

Displaced by violent conflict: the world’s most neglected crises are in Africa – six essential reads

Kagure Gacheche, The Conversation The Norwegian Refugee Council recently released a report highlighting the 10 most neglected displacement crises in the world in 2023. Nine of the 10 countries are in Africa – the only non-African country on the list is Honduras in central America. Neglect, according to the council, is characterised by a lack of media coverage, inadequate humanitarian funding and insufficient international political attention. The report covers those forced to flee their homes. Burkina Faso tops the 2024 report for a second time in a row. It’s followed by Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali and Niger. Rounding off the top 10 are South Sudan, the Central African...

Exploring the Heart of Burkinabé Cuisine: The Timeless Appeal of To

In the sun-baked courtyards of Burkina Faso’s villages, where iron pots simmer over charcoal fires and the scent of ground grains drifts on the...

Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré is making waves in west Africa. Who is he?

Daniel Eizenga, Africa Center for Strategic Studies - Captain Ibrahim Traoré is the interim leader of Burkina Faso, having taken over the position following a coup which he led against Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba in September 2022. The 37-year-old captain had supported Damiba,...

Learning in two languages: lessons from francophone Africa on what works best

Kaja Jasinska, University of Toronto and Mary-Claire Ball, University of Toronto Children living in multilingual communities often learn in a language at school that does not match the language they speak at home. This mismatch makes it challenging for them to participate in classroom discussions and learn to read. In turn, this contributes to poor learning outcomes, grade repetition, and dropping out of school. Bilingual education programmes that include mother tongue languages have become increasingly popular for improving learning outcomes. Bilingual...

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger want to leave Ecowas. A political scientist explains the fallout

Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have sent Ecowas, west Africa’s main political union of 15 countries, a formal notice of their withdrawal from the bloc. The three countries are...

Burkina Faso study shows link between land degradation and migration

Elisabeth Ilboudo-Nébié, Columbia University In the Sahel of West Africa – which covers Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and...

What France loses by closing its military bases in Africa

Thierry Vircoulon, Université Paris Cité - Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced on 31 December 2024 that all foreign military bases in his country would close by 2025. On the same day, the...

Jihadist groups threaten the conservation of a key west African world heritage site – new study

Papa Sow, The Nordic Africa Institute Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger share a biosphere reserve known as the WAP complex (W-Arly-Pendjari), which spreads across the borders of the three countries. The first part of...

Exploring the Heart of Burkinabé Cuisine: The Timeless Appeal of To

In the sun-baked courtyards of Burkina Faso’s villages, where iron pots simmer over charcoal fires and the scent of ground grains drifts on the...