"Foreign Embassies Will Fund "Cultural Events" - But Never Science And Research" - Ibrahim Traoré

On October 22, 2025, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré chaired the opening ceremony of the 15th edition of the National Forum for Scientific Research and Technological Innovations (FRSIT) in Ouagadougou.

While delivering the opening address, Traoré took a moment to address young people in Burkina Faso, urging them to use social media and internet access to gain knowledge and skills to better their situation, rather than waste the opportunity by fixating solely on entertainment, which he termed a "distraction."

Traoré stated that there are foreign interests who would prefer that young people in Burkina Faso remain permanently distracted and over-entertained. He further pointed out that this can even be proven by examining the disparity between foreign funding that is available for "Culture and Entertainment" activities in Burkina Faso, versus that which is available to fund local research and development.

Do you have a similar situation in your African country?