Burkina Faso's infrastructure development, as indicated by the AIDI, reached its highest recorded score of 22.11 in 2024, highlighting substantial infrastructure deficits
Key takeaways:
Burkina Faso's AIDI score increased by over 10 points between 2003 (11.36) and 2024 (22.11).
The country experienced notable improvements between 2010 and 2012, with scores rising from 12.72 to 14.25.
The period between 2018 and 2024 showed the most consistent yearly growth, climbing from 17.51 to 22.11.
Between 2007 and 2008, Burkina Faso saw one of its smallest improvements, with only a 0.38-point increase.
The country's AIDI score crossed the 15-point mark in 2013 and has not dropped below it since then.
Between 2019 and 2024 alone, Burkina Faso added nearly 5 points to its score, showing accelerated development efforts.
Despite positive growth, the 22.11 score in 2024 still reflects major infrastructure deficits when compared to an ideal score of 100.
Burkina Faso’s infrastructure development journey has been a slow climb over the past two decades. According to the African Infrastructure Development Index (AIDI), the country's score rose from 11.36 in 2003 to an all-time high of 22.11 in 2024. Despite this improvement, the relatively low score shows the significant infrastructure gaps that remain across critical sectors like transport, energy, water, and ICT. The upward trend shows progress, but it also highlights just how much more investment and development are needed to bring Burkina Faso closer to regional and global standards.
Since independence in 1960, Burkina Faso has had only 3,000 kilometres of paved roads. This illustrates how slow infrastructure development is in the country. Presently, the president, Ibrahim Traoré, is flipping the script with an ambitious plan to build 5,000 kilometres of new paved roads, surpassing more than six decades of work in a single move.
Somalia has the lowest AIDI score in Africa at 7.10, reflecting extremely poor infrastructure across all sectors.
South Sudan (7.38) and Niger (8.12) rank slightly higher, showing similarly weak infrastructure profiles.
Ethiopia (13.09) and the Central African Republic (13.23), though more advanced than others on the list, still score under 15.
Nigeria's AIDI score of 25.70, while not high by global standards, is more than three times higher than Somalia’s, indicating major disparities in infrastructure across the continent.
Goodluck Jonathan's era (2010–2015) delivered the highest AIDI growth, with a CAGR of 6.84%, more than double that of his successor.
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration saw steady but slower growth, with a CAGR of 2.63%, increasing the score from 20.60 in 2016 to 25.70 in 2024.
Musa Yar’Adua’s brief tenure (2007–2010) still managed a solid CAGR of 4.26%, indicating promising momentum that was cut short.
Nigeria's AIDI score rose from 8.61 in 2003 to 25.70 in 2024, nearly tripling in two decades.
Obasanjo’s tenure saw the slowest growth, with only a 2.59% CAGR, suggesting limited infrastructure expansion in the early 2000s.
The fastest absolute annual increase occurred between 2010 and 2014, when scores jumped by over 2 points per year.
Despite steady growth, Nigeria's 2024 score of 25.70 still places it far from top performers in Africa, showing that significant infrastructure gaps remain.
