In Burkina Faso, the gap between budget announcements and on-the-ground reality is widening. Despite repeated financial injections and policy commitments, only 37% of planned public infrastructure projects reach completion. The fate of the remaining 63%—billions of CFA francs earmarked for schools, roads, and clean water access—has become a national talking point. As debate intensifies, citizens and policymakers alike are asking: where exactly is the money going, and how can a broken system be fixed?
Public investment in Burkina Faso: a paradox of progress and paralysis
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently highlighted a troubling paradox. Since 2021, Burkina Faso has made strides in modernizing administrative rules and increasing budget allocations. Yet, physical infrastructure progress remains stalled at less than 40% completion. Money is mobilized, but it rarely translates into tangible results. This disconnect between policy and performance has ignited public frustration and revived scrutiny over how public funds are managed.
At the core of this issue is not a lack of resources, but a failure of execution. The state allocates billions, but the system struggles to turn those funds into completed projects. The question resonates across boardrooms and market stalls alike: what’s stalling Burkina Faso’s development?
Four black holes draining public investment in Burkina Faso
The disappearance of 63% of public investment funds isn’t random or isolated. It stems from systemic flaws that sabotage progress before it begins. These are not just financial leaks—they’re structural failures that undermine decades of effort.
1. Flawed feasibility studies: building on sand
Many projects are approved without thorough feasibility assessments. Cost estimates are inflated, site selections are impractical, and priorities are misaligned. Once construction starts, technical surprises derail progress. Budgets balloon, timelines stretch, and projects stall—leaving behind abandoned works and wasted millions.
2. Administrative bottlenecks and delayed payments
The public procurement process often resembles a marathon without a finish line. Bureaucratic delays slow contract awards, and late payments to local construction firms cripple their cash flow. Facing financial strain, small and medium enterprises abandon projects midway, leaving half-built roads and half-finished facilities in their wake.
3. Abandoned infrastructure: the silence of decay
Even when a project is miraculously completed, neglect sets in immediately. Without dedicated maintenance budgets, new roads crack under the first rains, water systems fail, and power grids collapse. What was once an investment in the future becomes a liability overnight. Maintenance gaps don’t just waste money—they erode public trust in government promises.
4. The gap between policy and practice
Burkina Faso has updated laws and frameworks to meet donor expectations. But on the ground, implementation remains superficial. Transparency reports are filed, but follow-up is weak. Monitoring mechanisms exist, but enforcement is inconsistent. The gap between what’s written and what’s done widens every year, leaving citizens to navigate a system that values appearance over impact.
Public-Private Partnerships: a cure or another symptom?
With public funds disappearing at such a rate, the government is increasingly looking to public-private partnerships (PPPs) to bridge the infrastructure gap. The logic is simple: attract private capital to deliver what the state cannot. But without fixing core governance issues, PPPs risk becoming another failed experiment.
If the state lacks capacity to plan, monitor, and enforce contracts, handing projects to private firms won’t solve the problem—it may worsen it. Overpriced deals, weak oversight, and hidden liabilities could saddle future generations with unsustainable debt, all without improving delivery rates. The PPP route offers hope, but only if structural weaknesses are addressed first.
A call for accountability: measuring what matters
The national debate has shifted. It’s no longer about how much money is spent, but how effectively it’s used. The citizen’s experience—access to functioning schools, drivable roads, reliable electricity—is the only true benchmark of success.
Injecting more funds into a broken system is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. Real reform requires a complete overhaul of the execution chain: from feasibility studies to contract management, from payment schedules to maintenance plans. Each franc must be tracked, each project must deliver, and each failure must be addressed without delay.
For Burkina Faso, the path forward is clear. The era of empty promises and abandoned projects must end. The era of delivery and accountability must begin. Only then will the missing 63% stop vanishing—and start transforming lives.