The National Tree Day was celebrated on Saturday (21st) in Burkina Faso. In 2025, the seventh edition brought thousands of citizens, popular organizations, and national authorities to the streets in the West African country in response to a call from the Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré: to plant 5 million trees within one hour.
This was the largest anti-desertification campaign in the country’s history. The initiative included participation from international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which contributed with 30.000 seedlings, as well as a joint effort by all government ministries.
Under the theme “Medicinal plants: a source of health and climate resilience for communities,” this year’s event was launched in an official ceremony attended by Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, in Manga, the capital of the country’s Centre-South region. The government’s overall goal is to plant at least 20 million trees throughout 2025.
According to Ouédraogo, who represented the president at the event, the national reforestation campaign aligns with Traoré’s vision of offering the future generations a “greener, healthier, and more livable Burkina”. He also encourages all Burkinabé citizens to take part in reforesting the nation.
Also present at the ceremony, Environment Minister Roger Baro remembered the environmental legacy of President Thomas Sankara (1983–1987) and his “three battles”: against excessive wood cutting, against hunting, and against forest fires.
These challenges, Baro noted, remain critical today, as the country faces the disappearance of its forests, the shortage of medicinal species, and a lack of meaningful landscaping.
The government’s objective is to create a medicinal plant nursery in every province of the country to increase local capacity for self-care. The minimum area set for medicinal plant yards is 2 hectares, but the ambition is to have much larger areas. These woods will be fully fenced and equipped with watering points to facilitate plant maintenance.
“Dear compatriots, since the time of the three battles, our population has tripled, rising from 8 to 24 million inhabitants. Consequently, the pressure on natural resources has increased. We are at a historic turning point: either we act now, or we condemn our country to an ecological point of no return,” said Baro.
At the Dani airport, in the west-central region of Burkina Faso, a mango tree was planted by Saidou Sankara, General Secretary of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility. He celebrated what was called the “patriotic hour for the reforestation of Faso.”
“The ministries cannot remain on the sidelines of this operation. Following instructions from the Minister of State, we came to help achieve the goal of planting 5 million trees in one hour, which is why I was here this morning with all my colleagues who agreed to participate in this operation,” pointed out Sankara.
Raissa Dabire Yameogo, General Director of the National Agency for Supporting the Development of Local Governments, also highlighted the importance of the campaign.
“We will contribute in our own way, and as much as we can, to help the institution receiving this tree planting to maintain it. We know that if they are well maintained and grow, they will make a real contribution to our well-being,” she emphasized.
The Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs (MDAC) planted about 600 seedlings on its department’s facilities in Uagadugu, including néré, karité, a acacia e a moringa.
Dieudoné Désiré Sougouri, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, highlighted that beyond combating desertification, the trees planted were chosen for their medicinal properties, contributing to the health and resilience of local populations.
The Campaign
Created in 2018 by the government, the National Tree Day mobilizes all regions of Burkina Faso to reverse ecosystem degradation and to restore the country’s forest cover.
For participants, the initiative is a continuation of the ideas that Thomas Sankara immortalized during the first Conference for the Protection of Trees and Forests, held in Paris on February 5, 1986.
