Governor Talk: Burkina Faso - Enhancing Domestic Revenue Mobilization in Burkina Faso

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Governor Talk: Burkina Faso - Enhancing Domestic Revenue Mobilization in Burkina Faso

Thursday, Apr 16, 2026 | 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Cedar Hall HQ1-1-660

OVERVIEW

Since 2022, Burkina Faso has undertaken ambitious structural reforms to enhance domestic revenue mobilization, driven by reduced external support and increasing social and humanitarian needs amid security challenges. These efforts have produced notable results, with total government revenue reaching an estimated 21.4 percent of GDP in 2025, up from 17.8 percent in 2021. Burkina Faso now has the highest tax revenue to GDP ratio in the WAEMU region and is among the leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa. The government's medium-term tax and customs revenue strategy focuses on broadening the tax base, digitalization, and improving revenue administration efficiency, prioritizing tax administration and resource management over increasing tax rates. Key reforms include the digitalization of tax and customs processes, electronic tax filing and payment, reinforced electronic invoicing, and the elimination of checks for payments. Investments have also strengthened tax and customs offices, non-intrusive cargo controls, anti-fraud measures, and VAT withholding. Mining sector reforms have increased government participation, oversight, and transparency, boosting revenues, especially with rising gold prices. Additionally, the Patriotic Support Fund, supported by voluntary contributions and special levies, has added 1–2 percent of GDP to domestic revenues for security spending.

Summary

Key Points

· Ambitious domestic revenue mobilization reforms. Amid multiple crises and tighter financing conditions, Burkina Faso has prioritized domestic revenue mobilization to meet its growing development needs. The authorities have launched a medium‑term tax and customs revenue strategy that has delivered notable results. The strategy rests on five pillars: broadening the tax base, including to cover the large informal sector; modernizing tax administration through digitalization; strengthening governance to enhance credibility and taxpayer trust; mobilizing non‑tax revenues, including strengthening state‑owned enterprises’ operations, dividends and royalties; and improving taxation of high‑value sectors such as mining, telecoms, and banking, notably by strengthening audit capacity.

· Digitalization as a central pillar of the reform agenda. Reforms focus on digitalizing tax and customs processes, including filing, payments, and the phased rollout of e‑invoicing for large, medium and small companies, and eventually the informal sector. Improving the interconnectedness of tax, customs, and treasury systems—while leveraging AI for data analytics and risk‑based control—is expected to reduce leakages and enhance compliance, while digital land registration should improve property tax efficiency.

· Mining sector reforms to capture windfall revenues from increasing gold prices. Burkina Faso has strengthened mining taxation by revising mining conventions, the mining code, and royalty regimes to address stabilization clauses that constrained revenue collection. Given significant transfer‑pricing risks, the authorities are strengthening tax legislation and audit capacity, with technical assistance support, while emphasizing regional coordination to mitigate tax competition and revenue leakages.

Quotes:

“The issue of domestic revenue mobilization is not merely a technical issue. It's for us a matter of sovereignty, because we need to do our best to finance our development with our own resources. And resources coming from partners should be a support. We should not only rely on these resources. That's why it's important for us to draft a strategy, a strategy to mobilize domestic revenue.” Aboubacar Nacanabo (03:54-04:26)

“I think our tax legislation sometimes are not really adapted. And in the past five years in Burkina Faso, we worked on this to improve the legislation. This is one side, but the other side, even if the legislation is strong, there is also the problem of the capacity of the tax administration staff. That's why we ask for technical assistance from the IMF, to support our tax administration staff to have capacity for transfer pricing audits. And I think for transfer pricing, maybe we need to see at the regional level how we can find a sort of framework where we have a common legislation.” Aboubacar Nacanabo (22:20-23:13)

“I think the experience I got both nationally and internationally has brought to me the conviction that when it comes to reforms, the most important thing is not a well-designed reform. The reform can be very well- designed, but the most the important thing is the implementation. So, it's important when you think about reform [to] think about how you will implement it, how you will measure progress. So, I have a pragmatic approach.” Aboubacar Nacanabo (26:24-27:00)

Contributor: Soha Ismail

SPEAKERS

Aboubacar Nacanabo

Minister of Economy and Finance, Burkina Faso

Dr. Aboubakar NACANABO is an internationally recognized expert in public finance, international taxation, and economic governance. He holds a PhD in Management Sciences from Institut des Études d’Administration et de Management in Paris and has had over fifteen (15) years of experience spanning national public administration and leading international tax institutions.

Since October 2022, he has served as Minister of Economy and Finance of Burkina Faso. In this capacity, he oversees the design and implementation of the country’s macroeconomic and fiscal policies. His portfolio encompasses macro-fiscal programming, public financial management, revenue administration reform, treasury operations, land governance, national development planning, and strategic foresight.

Under his leadership, Burkina Faso has advanced key reforms aimed at strengthening fiscal resilience, enhancing revenue performance, and reinforcing economic sovereignty amid a challenging global and regional context. The strong performance of Burkina Faso’s economic program supported by the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement with the IMF and the recent approval of an arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) testify to his strategic leadership in implementing sound reforms.

Prior to joining the Government, Dr. NACANABO served as Senior Expert and Manager in International Taxation at the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), based in Pretoria. He provided high-level technical assistance on transfer pricing, mining taxation, base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), and the implementation of the OECD/G20 Two-Pillar Solution. As Chair of ATAF’s Technical Committee on Cross-Border Taxation, he played a key role in articulating African positions in international tax negotiations and contributed to strengthening continental cooperation on tax policy and administration.

He holds advanced qualifications in finance, accounting, and management, is certified in international taxation by the IBFD, and in IAS/IFRS standards. He authored several publications on digital economy taxation, domestic tax systems, and international accounting standards.

Dr. NACANABO is widely recognized for his strategic leadership, technical rigor, and reform-oriented vision. He is committed to advancing sustainable public finance, strengthening fiscal institutions, and enhancing the position of African economies within a fair and effective international financial architecture.

MODERATOR

Abebe Aemro Selassie

Director of the African Department, IMF

Abebe Aemro Selassie is the Director of the African Department, a position he has held since 2016. In this capacity, he oversees the IMF’s work with 45 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Abebe and his team work closely with the region’s leaders and policymakers to improve economic and development outcomes. This includes oversight of the IMF’s intensified engagement with the region in recent years, including some $60 billion in financial support the institution has provided to countries since 2020.

Before being appointed Director in 2016, Mr. Selassie gained extensive experience in a wide-ranging career at the IMF. He held various senior positions, including Deputy Director in the African Department, Mission Chief for Portugal during the Euro Area Crisis and South Africa. He has served as the IMF’s Senior Resident Representative in Uganda and earlier in his career, he worked on the Fund’s lending programs with Turkey, Thailand, Romania and Estonia. While in the Strategy, Policy and Review Department he was deeply involved in IMF program and adjustment policy design issues.

Before joining the IMF in 1994, he worked for the Government of Ethiopia as Principal Economist in the Office of the President and at the Economist Intelligence Unit in London. Abebe did his graduate studies at the London School of Economics.

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