Last updated in March 2009
Political relations
Germany and Burkina Faso have maintained diplomatic relations since 1960. Besides development cooperation and cultural activities, numerous town twinning arrangements and association partnerships have helped to consolidate these relations, resulting in a tight-knit web of personal and institutional contacts. In March 2004, the Burkinese President Blaise Compaoré was in Germany on an official visit, which took him to Berlin, Potsdam and Bremen. In February 2008, Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier paid a working visit to nach Ouagadougou.
Development cooperation and economic relations
Bilateral relations focus on development cooperation in the following areas: agriculture, water and decentralization. Up to the end of 2007, more than some EUR 750 million had been granted under development cooperation. For the period 2008 to 2010, EUR 75 million was made available for official development cooperation. Currently, some 30 German Development Service experts and six seconded experts from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) are working in Burkina Faso. The Development Loan Corporation (KfW) also has an office in Ouagadougou. Various non-governmental organizations are also active there.
Bilateral trade is very modest, Germany having large surpluses in both directions. Burkina Faso benefits from preferential imports under the EU’s Cotonou Agreement.
Cultural relations
Bilateral cultural relations focus on promoting the German language. Over 20,000 pupils learning German at secondary schools are taught by some 150 local teachers. The German Embassy also holds regular language courses for adults. In 1982, a German department was opened at the Ougadougou University, which has been awarding Master’s degrees since 1997. More than 300 students are enrolled. The Goethe Institute in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) is responsible for specialist advice on German. Since September 2008, the Goethe Institute in Abidjan has run a liaison office in Ouagadougou. In addition, there exists an agreement between the Goethe Institute and Burkina Faso’s Education Ministry on the country’s participation in the “Schools: Partners for the Future” Initiative.
At university level, there is cooperation in medicine (partnership with the University of Heidelberg), German and theatre studies (University of Saarbrücken), as well as with the University of Frankfurt and the University of Bayreuth (ethnology and linguistics, among other subjects).
The academic teaching post funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) at Ougadougou University has been filled again since 2007.
A street children football project headed by the German-Burkinese Football Association has also been running since 2006.
