• Deal targets food sovereignty, climate resilience, and insecure regions

• Programs support 2026-2030 national development plan implementation

Burkina Faso and the United Nations system have signed a so-called "transformative" program worth 645 billion CFA francs (approximately $1.16 billion), the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

The agreement is designed to help the country achieve food and nutritional sovereignty through sustainable transformation of food systems. It covers multiple regions, with emphasis on areas with high agricultural and agro-pastoral potential, as well as those affected by food insecurity and climate shocks.

This program is part of a trio of initiatives, including a "humanitarian-development-peace transition support program" with a total cost of 109 billion CFA francs, and a "stabilization, social cohesion and transition support program" requiring a budget of 151 billion CFA francs.

According to Aboubakar Nacanabo, Burkina Faso's Minister of Economy and Finance, these programs can be viewed as operational instruments and accelerators for implementing the "RELANCE National Development Plan." Covering the 2026-2030 period, the plan was adopted by the government on January 29, 2025, and aims to improve living conditions for Burkinabe citizens.

Authorities have launched several initiatives to achieve food self-sufficiency and ensure food security, including the "African Program for Integrated Climate Risk Management, Burkina Faso Component (GIRCA-BF)." Launched in 2024 for a six-year period, this initiative seeks to strengthen resilience and food and water security for smallholder farmers. The "Agro-pastoral and Fisheries Offensive (OAPH) 2023-2025" is an operational plan aimed at ensuring Burkina Faso's food and nutritional sovereignty by 2025. It serves as a framework for organizing priority actions during the transition period in agriculture and livestock sectors.

Lydie Mobio