Burkina livestock ban welcomed by consumers but hits traders hard

Burkina Faso has suspended the export of all livestock until further notice in a bid to boost meat sales and ensure animals are available on the domestic market. The measure has been widely welcomed but for traders, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

“Every year, we used to be able to export 500 sheep to Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. This year, frankly, nothing has gone out,” says livestock trader Moussa Sangaré.

“The suspension doesn’t suit us. A sheep that we buy in the bush for 100,000 CFA francs, we’re forced to sell for 50,000 CFA francs.”

Abassé Kabré has been exporting livestock for nearly ten years. His Djallonke sheep are highly prized in Ghana and the new ban has hit his business hard.

He’s hoping the measure will be lifted after this week’s holiday.

“As this is a government decision, we accept it even if it is difficult,” Kabré told Africanews. “We are asking the Burkinabe authorities to lift the ban after the Tabaski festival so that we can sell our sheep in Ghana. That would be a great help to us.”

For the past few months, the price of meat has fluctuated between 3,000 and 5,000 CFA francs a kilo.

The export ban has been welcomed by customers who’d like to pay less.

“We hope that the price per kilogramme of meat will fall as a result of this suspension,” says Ouagadougou resident André Tiendrébéogo. “It will be a real relief for consumers.”

The government’s long-term objective is to expand the export of processed meats, rather than livestock. In 2024, cattle, sheep and goat ranked third among exports behind gold and cotton, generating some 11.8 billion CFA francs in revenue.