Burkina Faso: The important decisions made by the Head of State, Captain Ibrahim TRAORE, during the Council of Ministers
The President of the Transition, Head of State, Captain Ibrahim TRAORE, presided over the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, which examined several issues on its agenda and made important decisions regarding the management of the Transition, according to the government spokesperson, Jean-Emmanuel OUEDRAOGO.
Under the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Prospective, an oral communication was presented to the Council on the partial report of the operation to verify the presence and remuneration of civil servants.
«This means that undue payments were made and have been corrected as a result of this verification operation. After this first phase, there will be a second phase concerning healthcare workers and a third phase concerning the military», stated Minister NACANABO.
Regarding the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Quarries, the Council approved two requests for industrial exploitation permits. These include the Tambao manganese mine by the company AFRO Turkish Tambao SA and the Inata gold mine by AFRO Turkish Inata SA.
According to the Minister in charge of mines, Simon Pierre BOUSSIM, after the withdrawal of the exploitation permits for these two mines, the mining assets reverted to the state.
Thus, during the Council of Ministers on March 1st, the government authorized the transfer of these mining assets to AFRO Turkish Inata for the Inata mine, and the Tambao assets to AFRO Turkish Tambao.
A contract signing formalizing the transfer of mining assets allowed AFRO Turkish Tambao SA and AFRO Turkish Inata SA to submit requests for exploitation permits, which have now been approved.
According to Minister BOUSSIM, the mine to be operated by AFRO Turkish Inata covers an area of 39 square kilometers and has a four-year duration of operation.
It has the potential to produce 5,700 tons of minerals with a grade of 1.55 grams per ton, with expected financial returns of over 51 billion CFA francs.
The mine to be operated by AFRO Turkish Tambao SA covers an area of over 26 square kilometers and has a lifespan of 22 years.
Investments of over 770 billion CFA francs are expected for this mine, including the construction of a railway for ore transportation and the establishment and equipping of a military base to secure the area.
Under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Council adopted two project reports: the second periodic report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the periodic report on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Both reports were developed in a spirit of inclusiveness involving all stakeholders, according to the Minister in charge of human rights, Bibata NEBIE/OUEDRAOGO.
Under the Ministry of Industrial Development, Trade, Handicrafts, and Small and Medium Enterprises, the Council approved the assessment of the 2022-2023 cotton campaign and the projections for the upcoming 2023-2024 campaign.
The cotton production for the 2022-2023 campaign reached 410,000 metric tons of cotton seeds, stated the Minister of Trade, Serge PODA.
Compared to the previous campaign, the Minister noted a decrease of approximately 22%, mainly due to pest attacks and the security situation.
As for the projections for the next campaign, stakeholders aim to cultivate 710,000 hectares with an estimated cotton seed production of around 610,000 metric tons.
To support these forecasts, the Council adopted proposed purchase prices for producers of 325 CFA francs per kilogram for the first choice and 300 CFA francs per kilogram for the second choice.
The government has also decided to provide a subsidy of 10 billion FCFA to support access to agricultural inputs.
Yannick H.
