Burkina Faso (the
name means "land of men of integrity") is a landlocked country in West Africa.
Until 1984, it was known as Upper Volta. The country is divided between a tropical
environment of savanna and dry woodland in the South, and the steppes of the Sahel to the
North. With the population estimated to be in excess of 11 million and rapidly growing,
the country faces a problem of limited and fragile resources, in addition to unpredictable
climatic conditions. Economically, Burkina Faso has limited domestic markets and its
export prospects depend on the economies of neighbouring countries. Dependence on foreign
aid and hefty debt burden continue to place additional source of constraints on the
country’s economic growth. The Government committed itself to implementing a
structural adjustment program in the early 1990s. Burkina Faso has since achieved one of
the best economic performance in West Africa.
Politically, the
1980s were marked by a series of military regimes and emergency governments. In 1987, the
democratization process began once more, with all the legal and institutional elements
coming together. The proposed decentralization option is now adopted and offers good
prospects. Since the relatively calm social and political climate, Burkina Faso appears
well underway in achieving political stability, and maintains good relations with all six
neighbouring countries.
In 2000, Burkina Faso
had over 53,800 connected lines resulting in a telephone density of 0.45 lines per hundred
of population.
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