• Burkina Faso launched construction of a $4.9 million modern slaughterhouse in Banfora to strengthen meat processing capacity.

• The facility will process cattle, small ruminants, and pigs and will meet sanitary and environmental standards.

• The project fits into a broader strategy to shift exports from live animals to processed meat.

Burkina Faso’s livestock and meat sector will increase processing capacity with the construction of a slaughterhouse on a four-hectare site in Banfora. In a statement published on January 20, the Ministry of Agriculture said the project mobilized an investment of CFA2.7 billion, or about $4.9 million.

According to authorities, the facility will feature modern slaughter lines capable of processing 50 cattle, 100 small ruminants, and 25 pigs per day. The complex will also include a waste incineration system, a wastewater treatment lagoon, and holding pens for all types of livestock, in line with current sanitary standards. The project has started and will require an execution period of 18 months.

Part of a broader development framework

The new investment forms part of a wider national program that includes the construction of two additional modern slaughterhouses in Fada N’Gourma and Bobo-Dioulasso, as well as the rehabilitation of existing facilities in Tenkodogo and Dédougou.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the investment amounts for these projects. However, the government has clearly stated its ambition to modernize processing infrastructure and strengthen red meat processing capacity.

The development comes as Ouagadougou has signaled since 2025 its intention to enter the meat export market. In this context, the government created the Faso Abattoir Agency in April 2025. The public body now centralizes and professionalizes the management of national and regional slaughterhouses, modernizes infrastructure to meet sanitary and environmental standards, and develops integrated logistics for livestock supply and product distribution.

Production base set for reinforcement

In parallel, authorities officially launched the Integrated Livestock Value Chain Development Project in Burkina Faso (PDCVIE-BF) in July 2025. The project carries a total cost of CFA25.07 billion, or $44.6 million, with co-financing from the African Development Bank and the Burkinabe state. The initiative targets a roughly 15% increase in livestock productivity and aims to raise processed meat output to 21,400 tonnes.

Planned interventions under the project will focus on improving the genetic potential of local breeds, strengthening animal feed and health systems, professionalizing sector actors, expanding processing and marketing infrastructure, and improving access to financing across the value chain.

Overall, Ouagadougou seeks to accelerate livestock processing to create more value and diversify exports in a sector that currently focuses on live animal shipments. Data from the National Institute of Statistics and Demography show that live cattle exports increased more than tenfold over five years, rising from 426.3 tonnes in 2020 to 5,273 tonnes in 2024. Over the same period, sheep and goat exports rose from 555.7 tonnes to 8,608 tonnes.

Burkina Faso’s livestock herd totaled nearly 71 million animals in 2023, according to official data. Poultry accounted for 49.5% of the total, followed by sheep at 16.1%, goats at 15.3%, and cattle at 14%.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum