Burkina Faso: Minister Mathias Traoré Outlines 2026 Priorities During Budget Review Before COMFIB

Ouagadougou, November 24, 2025 - The Minister of Public Service, Labor, and Social Protection, Mathias Traoré, presented on Monday the performance report for the 2025 budget and unveiled the strategic orientations for 2026 before the Finance and Budget Committee (COMFIB) of the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT). This hearing forms part of the annual budget evaluation process for government departments.

From the outset, the Minister expressed appreciation for the ALT’s continued collaboration, before providing a detailed overview of the ministry’s four priority programs:

Human Resources Management (Program 042), which aims to modernize personnel administration and improve career monitoring;

Administrative Reform (Program 043), focused on enhancing public sector efficiency and digitizing procedures;

Promotion of Decent Work (Program 044), dedicated to reinforcing labor standards, strengthening social dialogue, and combating precarious employment;

Management of Departmental Services (Program 045), which supports decentralized administrative operations.

The exchanges with COMFIB members were vigorous and substantial, covering several structural challenges currently facing the public administration. Deputies questioned the Minister on key issues such as:

the implementation of Universal Health Insurance (RAMU);

the new targeted recruitment model, designed to better align hires with priority needs;

the fight against fraudulent diplomas;

mandatory medical examinations for retirees;

the situation of laid-off workers and compensation mechanisms;

the enforcement of the law on political neutrality within the civil service;

and the current state of the public workforce, including staffing levels and distribution.

Minister Traoré assured the committee that actions have already been initiated across all these areas, noting that “efforts will be intensified in 2026 to accelerate implementation and address remaining gaps.”

Looking toward the upcoming year, he reaffirmed the government’s determination to deepen ongoing reforms in the civil service, strengthen labor governance mechanisms, and expand social protection coverage. These priorities, he said, remain guided by a central objective: protecting the rights, working conditions, and general interests of all workers.

The Minister also appealed for the ALT’s sustained support, especially to complete the deployment of the RAMU, whose operational benefits are expected to begin on February 1, 2026. He stressed that this reform represents “a major social turning point” for improving access to healthcare for the population.