According to aceinland, the national flag of Burkina Faso is composed of two equal horizontal bands of red on the top and green on the bottom. In the center is a yellow five-pointed star, which symbolizes the unity of African people. The colors are traditional Pan-African colors and represent different aspects of the nation.
Red symbolizes revolution, green stands for hope and agricultural wealth, and yellow represents purity, integrity, and harmony. The five points of the star stand for justice, peace, work, love, and equality – values that are essential to Burkina Faso’s citizens.
The flag was adopted in August 1984 after the country gained independence from France in 1960. It was designed by Maurice Yaméogo who served as the first president of Burkina Faso from 1960 to 1966. The flag has remained unchanged since then except for a brief period in 1984 when it included a coat of arms centered on the star. This design was quickly replaced with its current form due to public outcry.
The national flag is flown by government buildings and other official establishments throughout Burkina Faso as well as by citizens during special occasions such as independence day or other holidays. It also serves as an important symbol for Burkinabé citizens who take great pride in their country’s independence and progress towards democracy and development since gaining freedom from French colonial rule in 1960.
Presidents of Burkina Faso
The Republic of Burkina Faso is a semi-presidential republic with a democratically elected president as its head of state. The president is the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces and is responsible for appointing the prime minister, who leads the government and serves as head of government.
The first president of Burkina Faso was Maurice Yaméogo, who served from 1960 to 1966. He was instrumental in leading the nation to independence from France and establishing democratic institutions in the newly formed state. During his tenure, he sought to promote economic development through public works projects and agricultural reforms.
After Yaméogo’s ouster in 1966, General Sangoulé Lamizana took office and ruled until 1980. His reign was marked by political repression and economic stagnation, though he did make some progress towards developing infrastructure such as roads and bridges. After his overthrow, Colonel Saye Zerbo took power but only held office for two years before being overthrown himself in 1982.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Sankara then led a revolutionary government until his assassination in 1987 when Blaise Compaoré assumed power after staging a coup d’etat. Compaoré ruled for 27 years before being ousted in 2014 when Michel Kafando became interim president with Roch Marc Christian Kaboré taking office after elections in 2015. Kaboré was reelected to another five-year term in 2020 amidst allegations of electoral fraud by his opponents which were rejected by international observers.
Kaboré’s tenure has been characterized by attempts to improve security measures against terrorism as well as economic development through increased foreign investment and social initiatives such as increasing pensions for the elderly while reducing taxes for low income earners. He has also worked towards stronger ties with other African countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Niger, Mali, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal through trade agreements that benefit both sides economically while promoting regional integration.
Prime Ministers of Burkina Faso
The first Prime Minister of Burkina Faso was Maurice Yaméogo, who served from 1960 to 1966. He was a strong advocate for the nation’s independence from France and oversaw the transition to a democratic government. During his tenure, he sought to promote economic development through public works projects and agricultural reforms. After Yaméogo’s ouster in 1966, General Sangoulé Lamizana appointed Joseph Conombo as Prime Minister and he served until 1970 when he was replaced by Youssouf Ouédraogo.
Ouédraogo held office until 1974 when he was replaced by Gabriel Ouédraogo. During his tenure, Ouédraogo made some progress towards developing infrastructure such as roads and bridges. After his overthrow in 1976, Colonel Saye Zerbo appointed Jean-Baptiste Boukary Kigbafori as Prime Minister who only held office for two years before being overthrown himself in 1978.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Sankara then led a revolutionary government until his assassination in 1987 when Blaise Compaoré assumed power after staging a coup d’etat. Compaoré appointed Roch Marc Christian Kaboré as prime minister who served from 1994 to 1996 before being replaced by Kadré Désiré Ouedraogo who held office until 2000 when Ilboudo Paramanga Ernest Yonli took over the role of Prime Minister. Yonli resigned in 2007 after Compaoré’s reelection which saw Lucien Marie Noël Bembamba take up the position of Prime Minister until 2011 when Luc Adolphe Tiao assumed the role and continued to serve until 2014 when Michel Kafando became interim president with Yacouba Isaac Zida taking office after elections in 2015.
Zida held office until 2017 when Paul Kaba Thieba took over as Prime Minister and remained in this position till 2020 when Christophe Joseph Marie Dabiré succeeded him. Dabiré currently serves as Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister since 2020 with the aim of helping President Roch Marc Christian Kaborè achieve his goal of economic development through increased foreign investment and social initiatives such as increasing pensions for the elderly while reducing taxes for low income earners.
