A Fresh Start: ''Faso Kosam'', Burkina Milk
In March 2025, Burkina Faso made headlines by launching Faso Kosam, a state-owned dairy company whose name charmingly means “Burkina Milk” in the Mooré language. This milestone marks a major turnaround for a country where only a tiny fraction, just 2 per cent, of locally produced milk was ever processed. The rest often went to waste.
The first plant in Ouagadougou processes 500 litres of milk per day and converts it into everyday staples like fresh milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter, and powdered milk.
Image by Dairy Business Middle East & Africa
Rapidly expanding, Faso Kosam opened a second plant in Fada N’Gourma in May 2025, equipped to process a whopping 6,000 litres daily, a clear signal of its transformative potential.
Image by Agence d’Informations du Burkina
Strengthening Food Security and Farmer Livelihoods
Burkina Faso spends around $50 million annually on imported powdered milk. Faso Kosam’s mission is to change this, creating local value chains that retain economic value within the country and enhance food security.
Local producers are already celebrating: as one farmer noted, “With Faso Kosam, we can sell our milk without losing it, and that means more money for us.” The company is also supporting farmers by training them and improving collection infrastructure.
Innovation from Farm to Table: Agroecological Practices and Mini-Dairies
In Bobo-Dioulasso, the Dairy Innovation Platform under CGIAR is working with farmers, collectors, and researchers to adopt agroecological practices, like improved fodder, manure management, and quality control. As a result, milk output jumped from 1,127 liters/day in 2020 to 6,830 liters/day by 2023.
Meanwhile, the Fairkoperativ and Faircoop partnership with Burkina’s mini-dairies is helping to modernize processing, improve feed, and deliver higher quality dairy products, aiming to introduce over 430,000 litres of local dairy into the market within three years.
AfCFTA: A New Horizon for Dairy Trade
Burkina’s dairy transformation opens up exciting possibilities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA):
- Regional trade flows: As processing and quality improve, Burkina could export its dairy to neighboring markets, reducing reliance on imports and strengthening food systems.
- South–South collaboration: Kenya is already exploring investing in Burkina’s dairy sector, aiming to establish local processing facilities, an early example of cross-regional cooperation under AfCFTA.
- Industrial inclusivity: A thriving dairy sector creates jobs, from farmers and processors to transport and retail, while enhancing income stability for rural communities.
A Livestock Landscape: Scale, Climate, and Sustainability
Burkina has around 1.2 million dairy cows producing approximately 190 million litres of milk per year, mostly from smallholder and agropastoral systems with very low yields (about 1 litre per cow per day).
Efforts to mitigate climate impact include improving animal feed and breeding practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while boosting productivity. These innovations serve both food security and environmental goals.
