Captain Ibrahim Traoré Launches Medicinal Plant Groves to Kick Off 2025 Reforestation Campaign

The President of Faso and Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, officially launched Burkina Faso’s 2025 national reforestation campaign this Saturday in the rural commune of Guiba, Centre-Sud region, by planting a tamarind tree as part of his vision to establish medicinal plant groves in every province.

The symbolic tree-planting ceremony took place on a 5-hectare site in the village of Banguessom, marking the beginning of a large-scale national effort to combat climate change, restore degraded lands, and promote traditional healing knowledge through the cultivation of medicinal plants.

The president emphasized the critical importance of environmental stewardship in the face of mounting climatic and human-induced pressures on vegetation and biodiversity.

“Protecting the environment and our ecosystem must be a priority in our daily actions,” Captain Traoré stated. He called on “every community and every institution” to join in the nationwide effort to “plant, protect, and pass on this vital act to future generations.”

This year’s reforestation drive sets an ambitious target: 5 million trees are to be planted on June 21, 2025 — National Tree Day — with a total of 20 million seedlings expected to be planted throughout the full campaign period.

The initiative, underpinned by a commitment to sustainability and resilience, aims not only to address ecological challenges but also to preserve traditional knowledge through the cultivation of plants with healing properties.