🇧🇫Burkina Faso
Gold has become Burkina Faso's leading export product, ahead of cotton. The country combines an industrial mining sector, a solid agricultural base and fast-growing energy demand.
Economic overview
Burkina Faso is a landlocked Sahelian country of 23 million people, long known for its cotton and in fifteen years become one of Africa's major gold producers, with around fifteen industrial mines and annual output above 50 tonnes. Gold now represents three-quarters of exports.
Agriculture remains the heart of the economy: cotton, sesame, shea, cashew, maize, sorghum and significant livestock. Export chains are well organised, with cooperatives, processors and international buyers. The country has also built West Africa's largest solar plants and continues its electrification.
The security and political context has been difficult since 2015, with whole areas outside control and a military transition. Economic activity concentrates on Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and the mining zones of the south-west. Gold flows to Dubai remain very significant, and investors operating in Burkina do so with rigorous risk management.
Why invest in Burkina Faso
An industrial gold sector
Around fifteen industrial mines, rising production and a massive artisanal sector whose formalisation opens positions.
Organised agriculture
Cotton, sesame, shea, cashew: structured export chains with established players.
Solar
West Africa's largest solar plants were built here; industrial and mining demand is strong.
A Sahelian crossroads
Bordering six countries, linked to the ports of Abidjan, Lomé and Tema by road corridors.
Strategic sectors
Gold, zinc, manganese
Mining, contracting, gold buying houses, refining and trading.
Cotton, shea, sesame, cashew
Local processing and export to the Gulf and Asia.
Solar
Plants for the grid, mines and industry.
Cattle, meat, hides
Modern abattoirs and export to the Gulf and the coast.
Consumer goods
Import and distribution from Dubai.
Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso
Housing and commercial property.
Opportunities for UAE investors
Operations focused on gold, energy and agro-industry, with particular attention to security risk.
- Compliant gold to Dubai
Licensed buying houses, documentation and refining compliant with DMCC.
- Shea and sesame
Processing and export to the Gulf and Asia.
- Industrial solar
Plants for mines and industry under contract.
- Meat and livestock
Export chain to the UAE.
- Trade
Distribution of consumer goods and materials from Dubai.
Risks and how we manage them
Large areas are unstable. We limit projects to Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and secured mining sites.
Military transition. We secure contracts through OHADA arbitration and stability clauses.
Corridors to the coast are long. We build logistics into every project.
Artisanal gold requires rigorous traceability. We work only with documented flows.
Legal framework and ties with the UAE
Investing in Burkina Faso
- Investment Code and mining code with 15% state participation.
- Burkina Faso Investment Agency (ABI): one-stop shop.
- OHADA law.
- Special economic zones in development.
- Tax incentive regime for agro-industry.
The Dubai connection
- Dubai is the main market for Burkinabe gold.
- Ouagadougou–Dubai flights via Gulf carriers.
- UAE cooperation in energy and humanitarian aid.
- Growing trade through Dubai.
Dubai as your operating base
For a UAE investor, Burkina Faso is best worked from Dubai. The city offers the tools that are often missing on the ground: a Free Zone holding company to carry the stake, banks used to African flows, a recognised international arbitration framework, tax treaties and investment protection agreements, and regular flights to the continent. For an entrepreneur or institution from Burkina Faso, Dubai is symmetrically the gateway to Gulf capital, commodity buyers and Asian industrial partners. ABC Consultancy sits in the middle of that bridge: we know both shores and we speak to both.
How ABC Consultancy supports you
A confidential 45-minute call to understand your objectives, ticket size, horizon and risk appetite. We tell you whether the project makes sense before going any further.
A written note that sets the perimeter: sector, deal format, partners to target, timeline, study budget and deliverables. It serves as the engagement contract.
Identification of partners, assets and institutional counterparts on the ground. Every counterparty is checked: titles, management, track record, reputation, ongoing disputes.
Meetings with authorities, partners and sites. We prepare, accompany and translate every exchange, then produce a decision-ready report.
Legal and financial set-up between Dubai and the country with our partner lawyers and auditors: holding, joint venture, shareholder agreement, commercial contracts, full due diligence.
Governance, reporting, relations with the authorities, renewal of approvals. We remain your trusted contact for as long as the transaction lives.
Who we work with
UAE funds and family offices
You want exposure to Burkina Faso with a reliable local partner and a Dubai holding structure. We source, vet and structure.
Industrial groups and traders
You need to secure a supply chain, a plant or a commercial outlet in Burkina Faso. We organise the mission, the approvals and the contracts.
Local institutions and companies
You represent a ministry, an agency or a company from Burkina Faso and are looking for capital and partners in the Gulf. We prepare your file and open the doors.
Frequently asked questions
Can I invest in Burkina in 2026?
Yes, in secured zones and with vetted partners. Gold, solar and agro-industry remain active.
How do I secure gold bought in Burkina?
Through licensed buying houses, full documentation, secured transport and refining in Dubai at a certified refinery.
What is the minimum ticket to invest in Burkina Faso with ABC Consultancy?
There is no fixed threshold: it depends on the sector and the format. An equity stake in a mining project runs into millions of dollars, whereas a trading or real estate operation can start much lower. In the first conversation we tell you honestly whether your budget allows a serious transaction.
How long does a transaction take?
Expect three to six months between the scoping note and signature for a trading or real estate operation, and nine to eighteen months for a agro-industry project requiring approvals, in-depth due diligence and structured financing.
How is ABC Consultancy paid?
Through engagement fees set in the scoping note, possibly completed by a success fee at signing. We never take hidden remuneration from a counterparty: our only loyalty is to you.
Do I need a Dubai company to invest in Burkina Faso?
It is not mandatory, but it is often the best solution: a Free Zone holding carries the stake, benefits from tax treaties and protection agreements, and repatriates dividends within a clear framework. We set it up with you.
A project in Burkina Faso ?
Describe it in a few lines. We get back to you within 48 hours for a first confidential conversation.
Or directly: WhatsApp +971 545 995 343 · contact@africabusiness.club