Changing dynamics in the industrial prowess of Africa: Electric cars and wheat flour now produced in Burkina Faso
Africa is being re-positioned on the map of the world. The era of “what is from the West is the best” seems to be coming to an end with the daily changes that occur on the African continent. West Africa tends to be the area which has incubated and birthed most of those revolutionary changes and the reasons are diverse: new political orientations, consequences of the new political forward or backward march of the West, especially Europe, changes demanded and carried out by the youth, the destabilizing effect of terrorist attacks and many. Burkina Faso keeps producing surprisingly positive transformations on almost a daily basis. The examples are many, including: the new tactics in combating terrorist attacks; initiation of projects geared towards sustainable development; a sense of growing patriotism and self-reliance; and two recent achievements were performed in the manufacture of electric vehicles; and the production of wheat and processing of wheat flour.
Advancements in Burkina Faso
A week ago, Burkina Faso unveiled her production of electric cars, and the vehicle brand is ITOUA, which is now called the first hundred per cent indigenous electric car made in the country. The manufacturer is located in Ouaga 2000, a prominent district in the capital city, Ouagadougou and Itoua is said to be the name of the manufacturer who is also known for cutting edge technology. The media covered the event extensively. There was the probability that the situation might sound and look like fake news, an impossibility for a country which was listed among the poorest in the world and undermined by bad governance and its corollaries. Burkina Faso was a country that had been referred to by one of her former presidents as a “backward Neo-colonial agricultural country” that could not, overnight, start producing electric cars, the whole world thought. But those who have been monitoring the socio-political and economic changes in the country of the upright Man could anticipate something of this sort coming.
This project has similarities with Kantanka Automobile founded in Ghana in 1994 which designs, manufactures and sells luxury cars. The Ghanaian company is into the manufacturing of automotive components and their combination with other parts which are outsourced from component suppliers. Kantanka vehicles are said to be made from “knock down kits supplied by a Chinese firm”. The mode of production, the context and the main target (ideology) and level of autonomy contribute to the difference between the Ghanaian Kantanka vehicles and the Itoua electric cars of Burkina.
Itoua is the brand name of the vehicle designed and assembled entirely in Burkina Faso. Some of its characteristics are solar panels and a special battery, it travels a distance of 330 km after 30 minutes of charging, so it is said to be autonomous, and analysts see this car as one of the best in terms of performance. Burkinabè engineers and international experts are the brains behind it, and other sources contend that all the specialists behind the innovation are nationals of Burkina but that does not change the main feature of the event, a pioneering giant step. This is a significant milestone in the country’s industrial and technological development, two of the priorities that the regime in power assigned to itself. The made in Burkina electric car is also a manifestation of the country’s resolution to become a technological hub of West Africa, with growing capabilities in the sector of automotive industry. One of the comments that the electric car generated is that “Burkina Faso has made history”. This new production is an important shift in the country’s industrial landscape. The electric car means that Burkina will reduce the consumption of fossil fuel and develop sustainable means of transport. This new industry, allegedly, saw the light of the day after several years of research and collaboration between Burkinabè engineers and foreign experts. It will boost local economy by producing thousands of jobs for engineers and factory workers.
As a symbol, this vehicle represents African innovation, and the determination of Burkina Faso to be one of the leaders in the area of clean energy. These electric cars do not come as a surprise because last year the government had replaced the vehicles of all the ministers of the government with electric ones made in China. These electric vehicles were intended to contribute to the reduction of the budget allocated to the government and also preserve the environment as well as to reduce the dangers caused to public health, especially in urban areas. Around the same time, the Burkinabè President Ibrahim Traoré stated that the Burkinabè Fund for Social and Economic Development was working towards the production of Burkina electric cars that would be available in early 2025, and Itoua confirms that the prediction and projection has materialized, and the launch of this vehicle was met with enthusiasm. The Burkinabè prime minister saw in this innovation a situation where Burkina is no longer and solely consuming technology but also producing it.
Some of the challenges that can be anticipated are the number of solar panel charging stations that are needed and the fact that Burkina does not produce lithium, a metal used to produce the batteries of electric vehicles. Africa is on the way to a boom, in the area of electric vehicles (EV) and the current picture shows that Morocco, South Africa and certain East African countries, like Rwanda, are the leaders in EV and green energy in general. Figures show that the US, Europe and China are currently leading in the sector, but predictions show that Africa has a monetary value of 5.8 billion USD in the EV sector, a figure that is expected to rise to 25.4 billion USD by 2029. One factor that gives hope is the attitude of the leaders of the nation. The government is proposing subsidies for buyers and taxes that are an incentive.
The Confederation of the Sahel Countries has started on a good note. An innovation like this one is the pride of the Confederation and the entire Africa. More achievements are seen in the installation of a wheat flour production factory called Moulin Double Star (M2S) on 20 February 2025 by the President. Interestingly, the factory promoter is El hadj Souleymane Zidnaba, a citizen who was a major importer of wheat some years ago and who has converted into being a wheat farmer and promoter of a wheat processing factory when the current government put a ban on wheat importation. The factory produces some 220 tons of wheat flour daily. The government praised him and his initiative and has encouraged other citizens to embark on similar innovative projects. More analysis will have to be done on this second factory. Burkina Faso and the Confederation of the Sahel Countries seem to be doing well. Our hope is that such achievements continue and progress as time passes.
Moussa Traoré is an Associate Professor at the University of Ghana.
