Burkina Faso is moving ahead with plans to develop an integrated pharmaceutical technopole in Kokologho, as the country seeks to increase local medicine production and reduce its dependence on imported pharmaceutical products.
The project is being positioned as a major part of Burkina Faso’s push for pharmaceutical sovereignty, with the government looking to establish a modern industrial centre where pharmaceutical companies can manufacture medicines and other health products locally.
The planned technopole will occupy nearly 78 hectares, including a production area of about 60 hectares. It is expected to include manufacturing facilities, research and development infrastructure, an excellence centre, utilities, a customs warehouse, waste-management facilities and other services needed to support pharmaceutical companies.
The government recently stepped up efforts to make the project operational. In July 2026, Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers approved measures declaring the land required for the construction of the technopole an urgent public-interest project, clearing an important administrative hurdle for the development of its infrastructure.
The project is being positioned as a major part of Burkina Faso’s push for pharmaceutical sovereignty, with the government looking to establish a modern industrial centre where pharmaceutical companies can manufacture medicines and other health products locally.
The planned technopole will occupy nearly 78 hectares, including a production area of about 60 hectares. It is expected to include manufacturing facilities, research and development infrastructure, an excellence centre, utilities, a customs warehouse, waste-management facilities and other services needed to support pharmaceutical companies.
The government recently stepped up efforts to make the project operational. In July 2026, Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers approved measures declaring the land required for the construction of the technopole an urgent public-interest project, clearing an important administrative hurdle for the development of its infrastructure.
The facility is expected to support the production of medicines, vaccines, medical consumables and other health products, while also encouraging research, innovation and technology transfer. The government says the project will help secure the country’s supply of essential medicines and reduce the fi nancial burden of pharmaceutical imports.
The project is also expected to create opportunities for local businesses and skilled workers. Earlier government estimates placed the overall development cost at around 70 billion CFA francs over fi ve years, with the technopole designed to generate employment while strengthening Burkina Faso’s pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.
To manage the development, Burkina Faso established FASO-PHARMA, a state-majority mixed-economy company responsible for managing the technopole and attracting pharmaceutical and biomedical industries to the site.
For Burkina Faso, the project represents more than the construction of a pharmaceutical industrial zone. It is part of a broader effort to build domestic capacity, strengthen healthcare security and ensure that more of the medicines needed by the population can be produced within the country.
If successfully implemented, the Kokologho technopole could become an important pharmaceutical manufacturing and research centre in West Africa, while giving Burkina Faso greater control over a critical part of its healthcare supply chain.
The project is also expected to create opportunities for local businesses and skilled workers. Earlier government estimates placed the overall development cost at around 70 billion CFA francs over fi ve years, with the technopole designed to generate employment while strengthening Burkina Faso’s pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.
To manage the development, Burkina Faso established FASO-PHARMA, a state-majority mixed-economy company responsible for managing the technopole and attracting pharmaceutical and biomedical industries to the site.
For Burkina Faso, the project represents more than the construction of a pharmaceutical industrial zone. It is part of a broader effort to build domestic capacity, strengthen healthcare security and ensure that more of the medicines needed by the population can be produced within the country.
If successfully implemented, the Kokologho technopole could become an important pharmaceutical manufacturing and research centre in West Africa, while giving Burkina Faso greater control over a critical part of its healthcare supply chain.
