Burkina Faso has opened a $30 million textile complex as it builds domestic cotton-processing capacity and aims to reduce reliance on clothing imports by keeping more of the sector's value chain at home.

President Ibrahim Traoré inaugurated the Textile des Forces du Burkina Faso (TEXFORCES-BF) industrial complex on Sept. 9 in Bobo-Dioulasso. The CFA17 billion facility occupies a 30-hectare site in Logofourousso.

The complex will manufacture uniforms for the Defense and Security Forces and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, as well as clothing for the civilian market. According to the authorities, TEXFORCES-BF has an initial capacity to process more than 12 tons of cotton fiber per day. It combines several stages of textile production, including weaving, knitting, finishing and dyeing, and garment manufacturing.

The government expects annual output of 20 million meters of fabric, 6 million knitted items, 6 million uniforms, 6 million T-shirts and 1 million pairs of socks, according to a statement published on its website.

Domestic Textile Industry Gains Capacity
TEXFORCES-BF is part of a broader effort to increase cotton-processing capacity in Burkina Faso and support domestic textile production. In recent years, the country has added projects and initiatives designed to strengthen infrastructure for the local transformation of its cotton.

In November 2025, the government inaugurated the National Center for Support to Artisanal Cotton Processing (CNATAC) in Bobo-Dioulasso. The CFA1.5 billion center has equipment for weaving, dyeing and sewing and is intended to strengthen the capabilities of artisanal processors.

The industry could also gain additional private investment. In July 2025, Burkina Faso’s Caisse des Dépôts et d’Investissements (CDI-BF) and Kenyan group Basra Textile Mills signed a memorandum of understanding to establish an integrated textile plant in the country.

The proposed investment is estimated at about $25 million and could be developed through a public-private partnership.

The additional processing capacity comes as the government also works to increase cotton availability. For the 2026/2027 season, authorities are targeting 532,000 tons of seed cotton, nearly 69% more than in the previous season.

Reducing Reliance on Imports
Burkina Faso's next challenge will be to operate its new processing capacity at sufficient scale to progressively reduce its reliance on imported textile products.

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Demography (INSD), the country imported an average of nearly 38,946 tons of clothing and clothing accessories annually between 2019 and 2023. Those purchases cost an average of about CFA18.65 billion a year over the same period.

The imports represent both a challenge for domestic manufacturers and a potential market for the country’s new production capacity. By developing weaving, dyeing and garment manufacturing, Burkina Faso aims to shift its cotton industry from a model centered on raw cotton production toward a value chain that generates more value locally.