Burkina Faso: CNES trains foreign ministry experts in strategic anticipation

On Monday, June 8, 2026, the Centre national d’études stratégiques (CNES) launched a three-day training workshop in Ouagadougou for senior officials and experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The session focuses on strategic intelligence and geopolitical foresight and is being held at the offices of the Permanent Secretariat of the African Peer Review Mechanism (SP-MAEP) in Ouaga 2000.

The primary objective is to enhance the skills of about thirty experts, ambassadors, and technical advisors from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a rapidly changing global context, organizers aim to provide participants with modern tools to better anticipate crises and guide policy decisions.

Over the three days—from Monday, June 8 to Wednesday, June 10, 2026—participants will cover strategic monitoring, geopolitical analysis, and risk assessment. The training combines theoretical courses with practical exercises, including drafting operational briefing notes.

Brigadier General Barthélémy Aimé Simporé, Director General of CNES, said the initiative responds to a governance necessity. He outlined current challenges: “Power rivalries are reshaping, security crises are becoming more complex, and strategic uncertainties now form a permanent part of the international environment,” he stated.

He also stressed that the goal is no longer just to react to crises but to develop a genuine forecasting capacity for the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented by its Chief of Staff Dieudonné Désiré Sougouri, welcomed the partnership with CNES. According to him, the ministry’s Strategic Analysis Office must constantly adapt its working methods to current realities.

He emphasized the importance of this upgrade for public administration. “Classic fundamentals are increasingly being challenged, and our experts must continuously update their skills. We need to train experts who can understand the international geopolitical environment,” he confided.

This training, a first for this department, is expected to lead to better identification of emerging risks and the production of more actionable analyses for authorities. Organizers said additional sessions will be scheduled in the future to ensure continuity in capacity building.

The workshop marks a step forward in modernizing national diplomatic action, aligned with the authorities’ directives. According to stakeholders, sharing experiences with defense and higher education experts will guarantee the success of this activity.