PRESS RELEASE: PRESS/TPRB/231
30 June 2004

TRADE POLICY REVIEW: BURKINA FASO

Trade liberalization and reforms have improved economic performance but they must continue

The liberalization of foreign trade, structural reform, and macroeconomic stabilization efforts have helped to enhance the economic environment in Burkina Faso and have led to higher growth in the last six years, according to a report on the trade policies and practices of Burkina Faso released on June 30 by the WTO Secretariat.

Burkina Faso remains among the poorest of the least developed countries (LDCs). The report notes that the authorities have prioritized the completion of the ongoing structural reforms to open the economy to competition. Burkina Faso has fully implemented the WAEMU’s (West African Economic and Monetary Union) Common External Tariff since 1 January 2000 and the authorities attach great importance to regional economic integration.

The work on cotton under the Doha Development Agenda could make a major contribution to the efforts of cotton-producing LDCs like Burkina Faso, for which cotton is the leading export and the principal cash crop for farmers. Nevertheless, Burkina Faso will not be able to benefit fully from access to markets at both the regional and multilateral level until its economy is able to respond competitively to external demand.

Burkina Faso is a recipient of trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) from the WTO, which focuses on development of human resources, building of institutional capacity, support for the implementation of WTO Agreements and for participation in the Doha Development Agenda. Burkina Faso has also received TRTA under the JITAP (Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme).

The WTO report, along with a policy statement by the Government of Burkina Faso, will be the basis for the second Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Burkina Faso by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 28 and 30 June 2004, which will take place at the same time as the review of Mali and Benin.

The following documents are available in MS Word format.

  

Note  back to top

Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each review, two documents are prepared: a policy statement by the government of the member under review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.

Print copies of previous TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop.

The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press, 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States.

 

Schedule of forthcoming reviews  back to top

Belize/Suriname: 12 and 14 July 2004
European Union: 21 and 23 July 2004
Republic of Korea: 15 and 17 September 2004