Armed opposition wracked the Sahelian north when the France reversed this change during the period of intense anti-colonial agitation that followed the end of Before attaining autonomy, it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. Public debt associated with the National Economic and Social Development Plan was estimated at 36.9% of GDP in 2017.A 2018 report indicated that the country expected record 55 tonnes of gold in that year, a two-thirds increase over 2013. In February 2016 a terrorist attack occurred at the Splendid Hotel and Capuccino café-bar in the centre of Ouagadougou: 30 people died. Up until then, management of science, technology and innovation had fallen under the Department of Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research. About 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence farming and cotton is the main cash crop. Its economic and social development will, to some extent, be contingent on political stability in the country and the subregion, its openness to international trade, and export diversification".Poverty continues to be strongly linked to food insecurity.Since 2000, nearly 2 million more people have access to water in the four principal urban centres in the country; the company has kept the quality of However, access to drinking water has improved over the last 28 years. Advameg, Inc., n.d. Within this ministry, the Directorate General for Research and Sector Statistics is responsible for planning. Lions, leopards and buffalo can also be found here, including the dwarf or red buffalo, a smaller reddish-brown animal which looks like a fierce kind of short-legged cow. The larger part of the country is covered by a The country owes its former name of Upper Volta to three rivers which cross it: the Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons. The words "Burkina" and "Faso" both stem from different languages spoken in the country: "Burkina" comes from The French colony of Upper Volta was named for its location on the upper courses of the The northwestern part of present-day Burkina Faso was populated by Historians began to debate about the exact dates when Burkina Faso's many ethnic groups arrived to the area. A separate body, the Directorate General of Scientific Research, Technology and Innovation, co-ordinates research. The increase in consumption linked to growth of the wage bill also supported economic growth.
There are numerous ethnic groups in Burkina Faso.The most predominant group are the Mossi, about 40% of the population.They are mainly farmers and live in the central portions of the country. The country has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. This cleared the way for his candidacy in In mid-September 2015 the Kafando government, along with the rest of the post-October 2014 political order, was Kaboré won the election in the first round of voting, receiving 53.5% of the vote against 29.7% for the second place candidate, The prime minister is head of government and is appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly. 24 September 2014.Herve, Taoko and Cowelloct, Alan (31 October 2014) Paul Kaba Thieba was appointed PM in early 2016.According to a World Bank Report in late 2018, the political climate was stable; the government was facing "social discontent marked by major strikes and protests, organized by unions in several economic sectors, to demand salary increases and social benefits .... and increasingly frequent jihadist attacks". The move signals the government's intention to make science and technology a development priority.A dual priority is to promote innovative, effective and accessible health systems. Other large predators live in Burkina Faso, such as the cheetah, the caracal or African lynx, the spotted hyena and the African wild dog, one of the continent's most endangered species.The value of Burkina Faso's exports fell from $2.77 billion in 2011 to $754 million in 2012.The top five export commodities in 2017 were as follows, in order of importance: gems and precious metals, US$1.9 billion (78.5% of total exports), cotton, $198.7 million (8.3%), ores, slag, ash, $137.6 million (5.8%), fruits, nuts: $76.6 million (3.2%) and oil seeds: $59.5 million (2.5%).A December 2018 report from the World Bank indicates that in 2017, economic growth increased to 6.4% in 2017 (vs. 5.9% in 2016) primarily due to gold production and increased investment in infrastructure. Risks included high oil prices (imports), lower prices of gold and cotton (exports) as well as terrorist threat and labour strikes.In 2018, tourism was almost non-existent in large parts of the country. The report provided this updated summary of the country's development challenges: "Burkina Faso remains vulnerable to climatic shocks related to changes in rainfall patterns and to fluctuations in the prices of its export commodities on world markets.