Kadiogo: The Minister in charge of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, closed the General Assembly of Decentralization on Friday, under the theme: "What decentralization for local development and a better contribution to securing the territory." The closing ceremony took place in the presence of the Governor of the Center region, Abdoulaye Bassinga, the Secretary General of the Ministry, President of the organizing committee, Saidou Sankara, and several other personalities, including representatives of institutions, local authorities, civil society, customary and religious authorities, as well as young people and women.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the Estates General, held from September 10 to 12, 2025, brought together 181 participants from various sectors, including the Presidency of Faso, the Prime Minister's Office, the Transitional Legislative Assembly, ministerial departments, non-governmental organizations, universities, community structures, and executives from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility. The governors, who chaired the regional consultations from August 25 to 27, also participated to ensure national representation.
In his closing speech, Minister Emile Zerbo, speaking on behalf of His Excellency Captain Ibrahim Traor©, President of Faso, Head of State, praised the participants for the quality of the discussions and the relevance of the recommendations made. He emphasized the collective desire to build a more legitimate, effective, and inclusive model of local governance suited to the socio-cultural, political, and security realities of Burkina Faso. He assured that the government will actively work to implement the recommendations.
The adopted recommendations focus on the link between decentralization, devolution, and transfer of powers. They aim to strengthen the role of heads of administrative districts, make prefects more accountable, and establish performance contracts between the State and local authority presidents. Additionally, the recommendations call for granting more autonomy to districts and revising the powers transferred to them.
In terms of local governance and endogenous development, proposals include diversifying the composition of local councils, creating a permanent "security and civil defense" commission, electing local council presidents by direct universal suffrage, and promoting accountability through citizen juries and participatory budgeting.
For the territorial civil service, recommendations include entrusting the recruitment of local government officials to competent national structures and establishing a unified career management tool. Financing decentralization was also central to the discussions, with proposals such as digitalizing tax collection, pooling collection services, increasing the share of taxes paid to local authorities, involving the diaspora, and strengthening the role of the National Agency for Supporting the Development of Local Authorities (ADCT).
Participants highlighted the importance of ensuring regularity and predictability of financial transfers from the State to meet the real needs of communities. Saidou Sankara, the Secretary General of the Ministry and president of the organizing committee, commended the strong mobilization and constructive spirit of the participants. He noted that the results of the Estates General, enriched by regional consultations, will form the basis of a national plan for decentralization reform, to be developed by the government in collaboration with all stakeholders.