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Prof. Kwesi Aning, Head of the Office for International Cooperation at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), has stated that Burkina Faso’s President, Ibrahim Traoré, is disliked by Western powers because he is using the country’s resources to benefit its citizens.
Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV with Bernard Avle, the security analyst argued that Traoré, alongside other Sahelian leaders, is redefining governance and development in West Africa through a renewed pan-Africanist lens.
“The only problem of Ibrahim Traoré and the Nigerien leader is that they are using their resources for their people,” Prof. Aning said. He drew parallels between Traoré’s ideology and that of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, noting that the current leadership in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger is reigniting the vision of African self-determination.
“Traoré suddenly encapsulates all these epochs driving together, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to raise critical questions and to bring a different and new understanding to what development and security means,” he explained.
Prof. Aning also criticized Western nations for their ineffectiveness in combating violent extremism in the Sahel, despite prolonged military and developmental involvement.
“All these Western countries who are making noise about terrorism and extremism, they have been in these three countries for decades—they couldn’t bring the issues under control,” he noted.
He added, “Overnight, when these guys took over, the terrorists have become much more powerful, with better equipment, more mobile, with great intelligence access—and where is it coming from?”
His comments reflect growing skepticism in the region toward foreign military interventions and a shift toward locally driven approaches to governance and security.
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