Ouagadougou: Over 11 billion CFA francs have been committed by the Burkinabe government in 2025 to settle its social debt, focusing on the reclassification of 36,670 civil servants. This financial obligation, set in motion during the last quarter of 2025, aims to fulfill the government's sovereign duty towards its social partners. The commitment, estimated at 11,364,727,986 CFA francs, aligns with a decision made by the Council of Ministers on July 30, 2025, concerning the implementation of promotions for state civil servants under Law No. 081-2015/CNT.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the government communicated the assessment of this social debt to the Finance and Budget Committee (COMFIB) of the Transitional Legislative Assembly. The report related to the draft law on the finance law for the 2026 fiscal year was adopted on December 30, 2025. The initial financial impact was estimated at over 9 billion FCFA for a workforce of 36,670 employees, with 367 eligible for promotion to the 3rd class and 36,303 to the 2nd class. However, an amendment by the Ministry of Public Service accelerated the effective date of the promotions, increasing the financial impact to 11,364,727,986 FCFA.

The government further clarified that, as of November 11, 2025, class advancement for 31,904 agents was completed, marking an 87% administrative completion rate. Financial processing of payments started in October 2025, with 7,869 employees receiving payments by December 5, 2025. This represents a processing rate of 21.46% and a financial execution rate of 18.36%, with a back pay impact of 2,086,079,139 FCFA.

The social debt settlement targets allowances for state employees, including teaching staff, and class advancements. Progress has been made following a government/union meeting in February 2025, addressing demands related to workers at Ouagadougou City Hall, former teaching assistants, media workers, real estate developers, and support for agricultural producers.