OUAGADOUGOU, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The price of diesel in Burkina Faso will rise from 675 to 750 CFA francs (about 1.32 U.S. dollars) per liter starting Monday, Abdou-Salam Gampene, secretary-general of the Burkinabe prime minister's office and chairman of the Interministerial committee for determining hydrocarbon prices, has announced.
The increase came after nearly four years during which the price of diesel remained at 675 CFA francs per liter, with the last adjustment made in August 2022, Gampene told national broadcaster RTB on Sunday.
He said the decision was mainly driven by a surge in international oil prices, rising land and maritime transportation costs, and the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the CFA franc.
According to Gampene, the actual cost of diesel once reached about 1,050 CFA francs per liter, while government subsidies for diesel amounted to about 60 billion CFA francs during the first six months of 2026.
Without corrective measures, the subsidies could exceed 135 billion CFA francs by the end of the year, he added.
Gampene also noted that diesel remained cheaper in Burkina Faso than in most neighboring countries, leading to increased consumption, particularly due to an influx of foreign transporters for refueling.
Diesel consumption exceeded 365 million liters by the end of June and could reach 730 million liters by the end of the year, compared with an estimated national average consumption of about 500 million liters, he said.
The difference, estimated at more than 230 million liters, would represent a burden of about 70 billion CFA francs for the state, the official said, warning that the subsidy system could thus indirectly benefit consumers and transporters from neighboring countries.
This situation, he warned, is putting pressure on the financial sustainability of the subsidy system and could also jeopardize the continuity of Burkina Faso's hydrocarbon supplies. ■