Burkina Faso: ECOWAS accounts for 236 times more imports than the AES in Q2 2026

In the second quarter of 2026, ECOWAS accounted for 23.6% of Burkina Faso’s imports, compared with 0.1% for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), according to the national statistics institute. Total imports reached 1,128.7 billion CFA francs, up 9.1% from the previous quarter. China was the leading supplier at 23.9%, followed by Ghana at 14.4% and Russia at 13.4%; refined petroleum products made up 28.9% of imports. Despite tensions following Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger’s withdrawal from ECOWAS, the two blocs held formal negotiations in Dakar on October 17 and formed joint working groups to prepare a framework agreement.