Ouagadougou: The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries (MEMC) held its first ordinary session of the Ministerial Sector Administrative Council (CASEM) of 2026 on Friday, chaired by Yacouba Zabr e Gouba. The session focused on the theme 'Mining and coexistence with local populations: issues, challenges and prospects'.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the session provided an opportunity to review significant achievements from the year 2025. The average rates of physical execution and overall financial execution were recorded at 90.22% and 92.99%, respectively. In 2025, Burkina Faso produced 62.16 tonnes of raw gold, including 51.49 tonnes of fine gold, and collected 42.9 tonnes of artisanal gold, contributing over 740 billion CFA francs to the state budget.

In the energy sector, advancements included the construction of several power plants, electrification of 131 localities, connection of 160,555 subscribers, and installation of more than 25,000 streetlights. Specific actions were also taken to strengthen access to electricity for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The Council's agenda included reviewing the Minister's performance contract report, adopting the activity report for 2025, and evaluating the implementation of the previous CASEM's resolutions and recommendations. Minister Yacouba Zabr e Gouba encouraged open and constructive discussions to enhance the governance of mineral resources and promote sustainable development in communities affected by mining.

The Minister also emphasized the importance of strengthening the resilience of the energy and mining sectors in the face of security challenges. He expressed hope for successful proceedings and urged participants to propose solutions to improve the sectors' governance and resilience.