• Burkina Faso’s first vet drug plant is expected to save $17.3M yearly on imports.
• The $36.4M factory will produce 110M doses and create over 600 jobs.
• The project supports national food sovereignty and export opportunities.

The construction of Burkina Faso’s first veterinary pharmaceutical manufacturing plant will help the country reduce its reliance on imported animal medicines and boost local industrial production. The new facility is expected to save about 10 billion CFA francs ($17.32 million) each year in import costs, according to national broadcaster RTB on May 24, 2025.

With an estimated cost of over 21 billion CFA francs ($36.4 million), the plant will help prevent shortages, limit animal disease outbreaks across borders, and meet local demand for veterinary medicine. Captain Aboubacar Nacro, Director General of Veterinary Services, stated that the facility will eventually produce more than 110 million doses of drugs, including vaccines for mass immunization campaigns, as well as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, vitamins, and antiparasitics.

The plant’s production capacity will include 50 million doses of liquid vaccines and 60 million doses of freeze-dried (lyophilized) vaccines annually. These products will meet domestic needs and support exports. Veterinary drugs are essential not only for treating animal diseases but also for improving livestock productivity and ensuring the safety of animal-based food products.

Data from the National Institute of Statistics and Demographics shows that Burkina Faso imported 101.5 billion CFA francs in human and veterinary drugs in 2018. This figure fell to 86.2 billion in 2019, then rose again to 123.4 billion in 2022 and 103.2 billion in 2023.

The project is part of the Agropastoral and Fisheries Offensive 2023–2025, a government strategy aimed at promoting food self-sufficiency and creating jobs in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries. The plant is expected to create more than 100 direct jobs and 500 indirect jobs.