When modernisation eclipses fundamental needs
As Ouagadougou glows with patriotic engagement celebrations, Burkina Faso’s transitional government unveils its latest showcase: a digital corridor of e-services—electronic criminal records, nationality certificates, and universal healthcare digitisation. The goal? To project an image of a cutting-edge, responsive state. Yet beneath the polished veneer lies a nation grappling with existential threats. This aggressive push for paperless governance feels less like progress and more like a distraction from the urgent crises shattering Burkina Faso’s foundations.
Not everyone lives in the digital fast lane
Technological leapfrogging sounds compelling—until you examine the numbers. Despite official claims of administrative breakthroughs, only about 1.3 percent of the population has accessed online universal healthcare registration. Internet penetration barely scrapes past 20 percent, and 4G coverage remains confined to a handful of urban pockets. Presenting digital access as a win while millions still lack stable shelter and electricity exposes a stark imbalance between political messaging and public reality.
This two-tier modernisation deepens existing inequalities. Urban, connected citizens enjoy seamless access to state services, while rural communities remain invisible—locked out by poor connectivity, illiteracy, and economic hardship. The digital divide is not just a gap; it’s an abyss between the promise of progress and the lived experience of most Burkinabè.
Safety must come before e-services
No digital initiative can thrive in a country where insecurity defines daily life. Over two million people have been displaced by terrorism, their villages emptied, their livelihoods destroyed. For these communities, survival is the only priority—not requesting birth certificates from a smartphone app. Rebuilding shattered zones, restoring civilian authority, and securing communication networks must precede any talk of digital transformation. You cannot digitise a collapsing state.
Key actions in this urgent phase include:
- Restoring territorial control: Ensuring safe access to public buildings and services in conflict-affected areas.
- Rebuilding communication networks: Restoring damaged telecom infrastructure to reconnect displaced populations.
- Prioritising physical safety: Deploying security forces to protect civilians before launching new digital platforms.
Education lays the groundwork for digital inclusion
Even with restored security and full connectivity, Burkina Faso faces another hurdle: literacy. A significant portion of the adult population lacks basic reading and writing skills, let alone digital literacy. Introducing complex web portals to people who have never held a book creates a fundamental barrier to participation. Progress cannot begin with technology when millions cannot read or write.
The education crisis is equally dire. Thousands of schools remain closed due to conflict, depriving a generation of children of foundational learning. Allocating funds to high-speed servers while classrooms lie empty represents a misallocation of national resources. A functional education system—equipping youth with knowledge and skills—is the bedrock upon which meaningful digital governance can be built.
Rebuilding from the ground up
Digitalising administration before securing the nation and educating its people is like constructing a skyscraper on sand. The sequence of development must follow a logical progression: peace first, education second, technology third. Only when citizens can live securely, read, and think critically can digital services become accessible to all—not just a privileged urban minority.
To turn this vision into reality, Burkina Faso needs a strategic reset. This involves abandoning cosmetic digital projects in favour of tangible investments in security and education. The goal is not to showcase modernity, but to restore dignity, autonomy, and opportunity to every Burkinabè. Real progress is measured not in megahertz or megabytes, but in the stability of communities and the futures of children who can finally attend school—and one day, access government services online.
Toward a digitally inclusive future
The path forward demands bold decisions. Security forces must regain control over ungoverned spaces. Schools must reopen and teachers must return. Digital platforms can wait—until the conditions for their use exist. This is not a rejection of progress; it is a demand for legitimacy. A nation cannot digitise its way out of chaos when its people are drowning in it. The true engine of development is human potential—not the latest software.
