• Askadar Housmane Sanou has been appointed to lead Burkina Faso’s state investment fund, CDI-BF.

• The fund, created in 2023, is central to mobilizing long-term domestic capital for strategic sectors.

• After its first year of activity, the institution is set to expand its role in economic transformation.

Burkina Faso has named a new head of its state investment fund. Askadar Housmane Sanou was installed yesterday, March 2, as director general of the Caisse des dépôts et d’investissements du Burkina Faso (CDI-BF). He succeeds Balibié Serge Auguste Bayala, who has been appointed president of the Confederation Bank for Investment and Development of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), according to a statement from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

An economist by training, Sanou said his work would build on the initiatives launched by his predecessor. He stated that his mission would be to reinforce the institution’s role in financing the national economy and to advance ongoing projects.

A Pillar of State-Led Financing

Established in 2023, CDI-BF operates under the supervision of the Finance Ministry. The institution was created to mobilize long-term resources drawn from domestic savings, public-sector placements, and partnerships with financial institutions.

Those funds are directed toward priority sectors, including energy, education, health care, digital infrastructure, and transportation. The fund can also take equity stakes in companies and support the restructuring of economic actors as part of broader efforts to transform the national economy.

By channeling domestic capital into strategic investments, CDI-BF is designed to serve as a key lever in Burkina Faso’s development finance architecture.

Early Operations and Expansion Plans

The year 2024 marked the beginning of the fund’s operational activities. During its first year, CDI-BF helped strengthen the capital of the Agricultural Bank of Faso and participated in the creation of Faso-Ré, a vehicle intended to mobilize domestic savings through an institutional structure.

The institution also acquired the pharmaceutical manufacturing unit Propharm SA to support local drug production. At the same time, it launched feasibility studies for a housing program covering the full construction value chain, including waste management.

For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, CDI-BF reported a net profit of CFA916 million (about $1.6 million).

Looking ahead to 2025–2030, the fund plans to deepen its involvement in project financing and play a larger role in supporting the structural transformation of Burkina Faso’s economy — a mandate that now falls under its new leadership.

Chamberline Moko