In the Council of Ministers on Wednesday February 7, 2024, the Burkinabe government took several decisions. Including the creation of “a mixed economy company with majority State participation”. It is an “industrial unit manufacturing military, paramilitary, civil and professional textile products”. Thus, we will have military, paramilitary outfits entirely made in Burkina. The establishment of this industrial unit requires the mobilization of “15,168,704,787 FCFA including 14,363,260,606 FCFA for fixed assets and 805,444,181 FCFA as working capital,” specifies the report of the Council of Ministers. It will have a share capital of 10 billion FCFA. The State’s participation through its dismemberments is 9.9 billion FCFA. The remaining 100 million are certainly intended for the private sector, perhaps through popular shareholding.
This project aims to meet the increasingly growing demand for various textile products. It should generate 600 jobs, transform 2,160 tonnes of cotton fiber into yarn product, 270 tonnes of knitting and 3,780,000 meters of fabric, i.e. an equivalent of 1,260,000 outfits per year and knitting equivalent to 1,080,000 t-shirts .
In addition, the Council of Ministers authorized the “takeover of the Burkinabè textile fiber company (SOFITEX) in the share capital of the company IRO-TEXBURKINA SA” for an amount of “900,000,000 FCFA, representing 20% of the share capital of the said company. This company “is considering establishing an industrial complex for integrated cotton fiber processing in Burkina Faso, with a projection of 80,000 tonnes over the first 7 years,” indicates the government.
These announcements will certainly delight all stakeholders in the cotton sector. Because, to support the sector, what could be better than transforming our national production on site? This will have the effect of boosting the activities of many weavers, dyers, tailors, etc. Not only is there the creation of direct and indirect jobs, but also added value across all links in the value chain. And cotton farmers will have the certainty of sure buyers for production. To the extent that they are dependent on uncertainties in cotton prices on the international market. Without forgetting the risks and cost of transport to deliver to customers internationally. Even if producers do not sell their production directly internationally, they are impacted as long as the companies, their direct customers, only do ginning.
With these new government decisions, a large part of our national cotton production will now be transformed into fiber and fabric locally. However, currently, we only transform 01% of our production. Too few ! Suffice to say that it was time for the country of honest men, a major producer of cotton, to transform this cotton on site.
Aly Konate
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