Ouagadougou recently played host to the National Days of Commitment and Civic Participation, a state-driven initiative that has stirred patriotic sentiment across the capital. Capitalizing on this momentum, the transitional authorities have rolled out their most sweeping public relations campaign to date. Dubbed the “Street of Services to the People,” the event showcases the Revolutionary People’s Progress (RPP) regime’s flagship digital projects: online judicial records, electronic national identity cards, and a unified health insurance platform—all bundled into a seamless e-government package. The underlying message is clear: Burkina Faso is charging headlong into a high-tech, streamlined future.
Yet beneath this polished narrative of innovation lies a stubborn truth that no amount of fiber optics can erase. The government’s aggressive drive toward e-administration is increasingly perceived not as a visionary leap, but as a hollow spectacle designed to impress city dwellers while the country’s essential pillars quietly crumble.
A glossy digital facade with cracks beneath
There is no denying that certain technical benefits accompany the digitization of public services. Streamlining court records or accelerating ID card processing through online portals may look like tangible progress on paper. But the critical question remains: who actually benefits?
With internet penetration languishing below 20 percent and 4G signals confined largely to Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, the dream of digital governance is little more than a mirage for the vast majority of Burkinabè. Celebrating online health insurance sign-ups when a mere 1.3 percent of the population has ever used the service isn’t just misleading—it reveals a profound misalignment of national priorities.
What is crystallizing is a sharp digital chasm: a well-connected urban minority wielding smartphones, and an overwhelming majority left in the dark—both literally and metaphorically. This lopsided modernization doesn’t merely fail to serve the people; it actively widens social disparities and corrodes public confidence in state institutions.
The real emergencies: security and schooling
For a digital state to function meaningfully, its citizens must first enjoy the most basic conditions for survival and participation. Burkina Faso’s political agenda needs urgent recalibration, placing two non-negotiable priorities at the forefront: security and education.
Security: the bedrock of any state
No digital infrastructure can flourish in a land ravaged by insecurity. With over two million internally displaced persons fleeing terrorist violence, the urgent need for Burkinabè citizens isn’t digital convenience—it’s survival. Reclaiming territory, restoring law and order, and ensuring safe access to essential services must come before any technological rollout.
- Physical access over digital access: You cannot digitize public services in a commune under jihadist control or where telecom towers have been destroyed.
- Right to life before digital right: The primary duty of the state is to protect its people. A digitized administration without territorial sovereignty is a hollow illusion.
Education: the gateway to meaningful digital inclusion
Even if security were magically restored and internet access extended nationwide, millions of Burkinabè would still be locked out of the digital revolution due to one systemic barrier: illiteracy.
- The literacy gap: A significant portion of the population lacks basic reading and writing skills—let alone digital literacy. Imposing complex web platforms on citizens who’ve never had the chance to learn the alphabet is not progress; it’s systemic exclusion.
- The schooling crisis: Thousands of schools remain closed due to conflict. Investing in high-speed servers and cloud platforms while generations of children are denied education is not just shortsighted—it’s a strategic misstep that mortgages the nation’s future.
Building progress on solid ground
Attempting to digitize governance before securing the nation and educating its people is like trying to paint a house while its foundations are collapsing. Development must follow a logical sequence: first, restore peace and stability so citizens can live and work safely; second, invest massively in education so people gain the skills to navigate modern society; and only then, introduce digital services that are accessible, meaningful, and equitable.
For technological advancement to transcend the status of a political talking point or urban privilege, Burkina Faso must recommit to its core sovereign duties: securing its territory and empowering its population through education. Only then can digital transformation become a true driver of national progress—not just a fleeting image projected on a screen.
