Hubert Odias, Freelance Writer.

Since his ascension to the presidency of Burkina Faso, Capt. Traore has been making history in terms of his governance, leadership and accomplishments

On a positive note, it is evident that “history has a way of repeating itself.”  It’s an account of facts that originated from the late 1950s when a wave of independence movements swept through Africa, of which Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, gained its independence in 1960, thanks to Maurice Yameogo, Sangoule Lamizana and others,

Later in the 1980s, with the emergence of Thomas Sankara, who is considered a symbol of Burkinabe sovereignty, the future of the country became bright and promising.  In 2025, it is history once again. Where those Burkinabe heroes had left off, Cpt. Traore has picked up the inspiration, drawn by their courage and patriotic convictions.

Capt Troare, now 37, took power in October 2022 following a coup d’etat.  As a revolutionary, he is a man on a humanitarian mission, one who defies Western powers and the status quo, and one whose goal is to regain control and the destiny of his homeland by setting a precedent of good leadership.  As a well-seasoned politician, Capt. Traore meticulously confronts every facet of his country’s problems, whether it’s foreign meddling, terrorism, or corruption, etc. 

But resolving all the major problems that are eroding Burkina Faso would put Capt. Traore on a collision course with predatory Superpowers and some fellow Burkinabes.  So he took some major decisions: he reorganized the army and struck the terrorists with brute force; he sacked all suspected corrupt officials from the administration; he dealt a serious blow to the neocolonialists by expelling the French and the Americans. He claims that all they do is suck the blood of the country by maintaining Burkina Faso in servitude and the Burkinabes in bondage of abject poverty.  

To the dismay of the Western Powers, Capt. Traore reversed course. He has currently formed new political and economic alliances with Russia, China and Turkey. He signed lucrative contracts with them. Capt. Traore did what served the interests of his country; it was business, but the French and the Americans viewed these alliances as a rejection and betrayal.

Without any surprise, the backlash was fierce, and the covert war was on. Those Western powers allegedly tried to undermine Capt. Traore’s government; he thrived.  Worse, they made him the target of several assassination attempts; again and again, he survived.  According to them, “the right of the strongest is always the best.” In their minds, this unwritten rule of their vicious game supersedes any rationality. The law that governs nations’ sovereignty should be equally applied to all of them.

Yet Capt. Traore has unmasked the hypocrisy of the Western Powers. He claims that their democracy is nothing but a front to loot countries.  When things don’t go their way, the elements of neocolonialism wreak havoc. Then, turmoil and leadership change ensue. It becomes a familiar pattern in all former colonies or countries that are under the Western umbrella. All those futile Western attempts at coercion and manipulation revealed the weaknesses of the West and Capt. Traore’s strength and resilience. Their complicity has turned him into a legend and a living martyr.

But as the saying goes, “Unity is strength.” So Burkina Faso has entered into another alliance. It is called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a newly formed confederation comprising Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, established in September 2023. It originated as a mutual defense pact in response to the Nigerian crisis and has evolved into a broader regional bloc with ambitions for economic integration and strengthened sovereignty.

Under the administration of Capt. Traore, Burkina Faso has experienced a rebirth and growth in all sectors of development. His accomplishments are astronomical. Some of them include the implementation of a nationalization strategy that prioritizes local ownership and self-sufficiency. For example, he established factories that process and refine agricultural products, which turned Burkina Faso from a consumer to a producer.

After only two years of Capt. Traore in office, Burkina Faso’s gross domestic product ( GDP) grew from approximately $18.8 billion to $22.1 billion. He rejected loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Thanks to him, Burkina Faso has become a debt-free country.

In the mining industry, Capt. Traore inaugurated in 2023 a state-of-the-art gold mine to enhance local processing capabilities; then, he stopped the export of unrefined Burkina Faso gold to Europe.

His infrastructure projects are going well. The new international airport the government is constructing is expected to be completed this year. It will be capable of receiving 1 million passengers annually. The construction and widening of roads are underway. He also made great strides in education, technology, and the military.

Capt. Traore is a political messiah, the ideal leader of the Burkinabe people and the envy of others. It appears that it’s only every century that a genuine leader of his stature comes around. As he is transforming Burkina Faso into a model of progress and success, isn’t it time for the rest of Africa and the world to follow suit? Long live Traore!

Source: The Emerging Alkebulan (Alkebulan Innovative Foundation)