Burkina faso Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in burkina faso, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Energy and Hyrdocarbons
Last published date:

Burkina Faso struggles to meet rapidly increasing energy demand as only 26 percent of households have access to electricity. The country also has a high potential for solar energy. The Transition Authorities are actively mobilizing and seeking to leverage private financing through Private-Public Partnerships to address periodic electricity shortages and high energy costs.

Overview

The country is heavily reliant on imported thermal power and biomass. In addition, hydrocarbons remain one of the top import products, including LNG from the United States. The Transition Authorities’ national energy policy emphasizes diversification and expansion of renewable energy.

Table: U.S.-Burkina Faso Trade (US$, millions)

 

2022

2023

2024

2025 estimated

Total Exports from US

164.3

114.4

-

-

Total Imports from US

-

-

-

:—

Trade Surplus/Deficit

164.3

114.4

-

-

Source: Burkina Trade Statistical Report, 2023

 

Leading Sub-sectors

  • Imports of LNGs: There is strong potential for U.S. companies to support the development and modernization of the national petroleum company SONABHY’s infrastructure, including storage, distribution, and regasification facilities.

  • Solar Panel Manufacturing and Installation: The Transition Authorities are incentivizing solar energy projects, creating a market for U.S. companies.

  • Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): BESS technology is critical for grid stability and for integrating a higher share of intermittent renewables.

  • Off-grid Solutions: There is high potential for off-grid solar mini grids, particularly in underserved rural areas.

Opportunities

  • Projects funded by development banks, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank, offer significant opportunities for U.S. companies.

  • A new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement for a 150MW solar and 50MW BESS project is underway.

  • Tenders for solar parks with a total capacity of 330 megawatts are underway, including an initial phase of 50 megawatts and 10 megawatts/40 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage systems (BESS) aimed at the domestic market.

Resources

  • Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries (MEMC): This is the key government agency for this sector.

  • Société Nationale de l’Eléctricité du Burkina (SONABEL): The national power utility.

 

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility