Ouagadougou, 16 Oct 2026 (AIB)-The Circle of Action for Economic and Social Development of Burkina Faso (CADES-BF) called for a mobilization of institutions, organizations and citizens to consolidate national sovereignty, at the close of its Forum on Sovereignty and Collective Intelligence, Friday in Ouagadougou.
” Sovereignty cannot be a mere proclamation. It is a requirement of responsibility, a collective will and a daily commitment,” declared the Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Mobility, Emile Zerbo, in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Governor of the Kadiogo region, Abdoulaye Bassinga.
For the Minister, sovereignty implies freedom of decision, control of national destiny and the construction of development based on the realities, resources and aspirations of Burkina Faso.
The Forum’s work included institutional re-building, revolutionary memory, the role of the Burkina Faso diaspora, community development, citizen engagement, the fight against corruption and participatory local governance.
Mr. Zerbo stressed that sovereignty is also built from territories and communities, through the participation of people in decisions affecting them and the development of local resources.
He stressed the need to translate the Forum’s recommendations into concrete actions with clear priorities, responsibilities and follow-up mechanisms.
The Minister of State also reaffirmed his support for CADES-BF, which he welcomed as a contribution to strategic thinking, intellectual production and the formulation of proposals for national development.
The Governor of the Liptako region, spokesman for the governors, Abdoul Karim Zongo, welcomed an initiative that promotes the mobilization of skills and actors from different regions of the country around issues of sovereignty and collective intelligence.
He felt that sovereignty could not be the work of a single actor and should be based on concerted action by government, organizations and populations.
In particular, he called for the pooling of the expertise of intellectuals, peasants, women and youth to contribute to the economic and social development of Burkina Faso.
The representative of the Governors also assured them of their willingness to accompany the initiatives of CADES-BF and the Government in the regions, to make sovereignty a national reality.
CADES-BF Coordinator, Nestor Noufé Day, thanked the authorities, experts, researchers, panelists, partners and volunteers who had contributed to the forum.
He paid tribute to the President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, for the emphasis placed on the issues of sovereignty and national dignity in the political orientations of the country.
Mr. Noufé said that the conclusions of the forum should be deepened and transformed into concrete initiatives for the benefit of communities.
He reaffirmed his organization’s readiness to continue its research, awareness raising and proposals for endogenous development, integrity and inclusive governance.
” Our commitment is clear: putting collective intelligence at the service of sovereignty, and sovereignty at the service of the economic and social progress of our people,” he said.
Finally, the coordinator invited participants to live up to the recommendations of the discussions, stressing that no lasting transformation could be built without mobilizing the skills and energies of the entire nation.
The meeting stressed the need to strengthen synergies between institutions, scholarly organizations and citizens to accompany the economic and social transformations in Burkina Faso.
At the conclusion of the closing ceremony, the organizers and participants of the forum were received in audience by the Grand Chancellor of the Burkinabè Orders.
On this occasion, retired Brigadier General Pingrenoma Zagré welcomed the mobilization of actors from different regions on issues of sovereignty and collective intelligence.
He also highlighted Burkina Faso’s efforts in agriculture, education, health, infrastructure and local governance, recalling that “no one will build Burkina Faso in their place”.
Burkina Faso Information Agency
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