Dr. Rachel Leslie, a Nigerian-born development economist based in London, has stated that Nigeria has the potential to outpace Burkina Faso’s recent socio-economic gains under President Ibrahim Traoré, if it adopts bold governance reforms.
Speaking at a policy summit in Abuja on Thursday, June 19, Leslie cited Burkina Faso’s 30% reduction in poverty from 2022 to 2024, per World Bank data, as a model for Nigeria’s transformation.
Traoré, Burkina Faso’s 37-year-old leader since a 2022 coup, has prioritized rural electrification, achieving 70% coverage, and agricultural self-sufficiency, with rice production rising 40%. Leslie argued that Nigeria, with its $400 billion GDP compared to Burkina Faso’s $20 billion, could replicate such gains by tackling corruption, which siphons $18 billion annually, per Transparency International, and investing in youth, 60% of Nigeria’s 220 million population. She praised Traoré’s ban on gold smuggling, which boosted Burkina Faso’s revenue by $500 million in 2024.
Critics, including Vanguard analysts, note Traoré’s authoritarian measures, like media censorship, may not suit Nigeria’s democracy. Leslie proposed a $10 billion Nigerian youth empowerment fund, modeled on Burkina Faso’s $200 million scheme, to curb unemployment, at 33% in Q1 2025, per NBS. The FG, responding via Minister of Finance Wale Edun, pledged to study Leslie’s recommendations, amid calls for fiscal discipline.