Madar (Ouagadougou) - Burkina Faso's Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo on Tuesday, 20 October 2026 launched work at Niaogho, in the Nakambe region, to develop 50,000 additional hectares of irrigated land, under a water mobilisation plan with a total cost of 254.79 billion CFA francs excluding taxes, news site Lefaso.net reported on Wednesday, 21 October, citing the prime minister's office.
The launch took place on a 1,000-hectare pilot site. The government plans earthworks and levelling on 60,000 hectares between November 2026 and April 2027 in order to deliver 50,000 hectares of irrigated perimeters by 31 October 2027 at the latest.
The move follows a 2026 rainy season marked by insufficient rainfall and dry spells in several regions, after transitional President Captain Ibrahim Traore instructed the government on 27 September to take urgent steps to boost dry-season farming. The country currently has fewer than 30,000 irrigated hectares, according to the prime minister, and the new perimeters should allow at least three growing cycles a year.
The earthworks, costing nearly 13 billion CFA francs, will use equipment from state agencies and military engineers, with bulldozers running up to 20 hours a day to meet deadlines. The plan includes ten special operations, among them bringing 10,464 hectares back into dry-season cultivation for an expected additional output of 36,624 tonnes. About 8,000 agricultural volunteers will take part in the works and will have priority in the allocation of plots.
The prime minister called on traditional authorities, village councils and farmers to support the operation, notably by freeing up the land needed. "Nothing we are doing today can succeed without the support of the people," he said.
