Burkina Faso’s pivot towards self-reliance is lifting the country’s global profile, positioning the Sahel nation among Africa’s fastest rising influencers, according to a BusinessDay analysis of the latest Global Soft Power Index.
The annual ranking by Brand Finance, a United Kingdom-based brand valuation and strategy consultancy, shows the West African country climbed 23 places to 143rd in the 2026 index from 166th previously — its highest position in at least three years.
Other top African movers included Angola and Equatorial Guinea (up 12 places each), Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo (11 places each), and Burundi (10).
Soft power refers to a nation’s ability to shape the preferences of others through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion — drawing on culture, diplomacy, business appeal and reputation instead of military force or economic pressure. It enhances security, attract investment and talent, stimulate trade and tourism, and ultimately support economic growth.
The index in its seventh year, is based on surveys of more than 150,000 respondents across over 100 countries, covering perceptions of all 193 UN member states. Countries are assessed across 55 metrics and scored out of 100, including familiarity, reputation, influence, business and trade, and culture and heritage.
Burkina Faso’s overall score rose to 29.7 from 25.4. The country recorded its strongest perceptions in reputation, followed by recommendation to buy its products and services and recommendation to visit, with scores of 4.7, 4.4 and 4.3 respectively.
“The country’s recent soft power surge has been shaped by developments since the current leadership came to office and expelled French forces,” said Confidence Isaiah-MacHarry, geopolitics analyst at SBM Intelligence National Security.
He added that much of the narrative elevating the country’s image is being amplified by disinformation and coordinated propaganda, reportedly backed by Russian interests and some pan-African actors on social media who are capitalising on widespread anti-colonial sentiment across the continent.
“As a result, many observers perceive Burkina Faso as a country on the rise, often overlooking the deep security, humanitarian and territorial crises it continues to face. The leader’s youth has also contributed to the appeal and visibility of this narrative.”
Legacy foundations
Burkina Faso’s soft power has long rested on culture, diplomacy and a reputation for grassroots resilience rather than economic or military heft. Despite being one of West Africa’s smaller economies, the country built outsized influence through cultural exports, principled foreign policy positions and regional engagement.
Ouagadougou hosts the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), widely regarded as Africa’s premier film festival. For decades, the event positioned Burkina Faso as a continental cultural capital, projecting intellectual and artistic leadership across Francophone and Anglophone Africa.
Diplomatically, the country earned enduring symbolic capital during the era of former president Thomas Sankara, whose anti-imperialist stance, emphasis on self-reliance and pan-African solidarity continue to shape Burkina Faso’s ideological brand among African youth and civil society.
A new political narrative
In recent years, however, the country’s soft power profile has shifted. Since the September 2022 coup that brought Captain Ibrahim Traoré to power, the transitional authorities have deployed political messaging, regional alliance-building and anti-Western rhetoric to reshape the country’s international image.
Traoré, who assumed office at age 34 and is Africa’s youngest serving head of state, has become central to the country’s new narrative.
The government’s alignment with Mali and Niger under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has reinforced a bloc identity built around sovereignty, security cooperation and reduced dependence on traditional Western partners.
At the same time, authorities have intensified strategic communication through state media, public diplomacy and digital platforms to project themes of national resistance and regional self-determination — messaging that has resonated particularly with younger audiences across West Africa.
According to Babatunde Odumeru, managing director at Brand Finance Nigeria, Burkina Faso’s improving score reflects a deliberate policy shift.
“By prioritising a domestic development agenda and avoiding external debt, the country achieved a major landmark in 2025: cereal self-sufficiency. This move from foreign aid dependency to food sovereignty has strengthened the government’s image as an autonomous, results-oriented actor,” he said.
Still, analysts urge caution. A recent Good Governance Africa report noted that while Traoré — often dubbed “The People’s Captain” — has gained popularity across parts of the continent, the narrative risks outpacing reality.
“Traoré has grown in popularity at home and across the continent since coming to power. In Kenya, he’s become a symbol of ‘hope and inspiration’, while at the inauguration of Ghana’s President John Mahama earlier last year, he received the loudest applause of the 21 African heads of state in attendance,” the report said.
It warned, however, that the celebration of Traoré by supporters across Africa and the diaspora, though understandable, is “misguided,” adding that many social media products praising him are not authentic.
Economic reality check
Burkina Faso’s soft power push comes against a fragile economic backdrop. The World Bank estimates growth accelerated to 4.9 percent in 2024 from 3.0 percent in 2023, driven largely by mining and agriculture.
The economy remains heavily reliant on services, which account for about 48 percent of GDP, and gold mining, which generates more than 80 percent of export earnings. The country is Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer, with a record 94 tonnes produced in 2025, according to official data.
Despite the resilience, structural vulnerabilities persist. Extreme poverty was estimated at 23.2 percent in 2024, while foreign direct investment inflows fell sharply to $83 million from $507 million a year earlier amid persistent insecurity.
Can momentum last?
The country’s soft power gains remain fragile. Persistent security threats, humanitarian pressures and democratic backsliding continue to cloud the country’s global perception.
For the current momentum to translate into durable influence, Odumeru argues the authorities must move beyond narrative building.
“To sustain its soft power, Burkina Faso must pair its vision of self-reliance — from agriculture to industrialisation — using domestic energy and digital networks to process its raw materials into higher-value goods, with rigorous governance reforms that create a transparent framework for managing a self-reliant economy,” he said.
Whether the military-led government can convert symbolic traction into measurable economic and governance gains will determine if Burkina Faso’s soft power surge proves durable — or fleeting.
