Starting Monday, August 10, 2026, the price of diesel in Burkina Faso rose from 675 to 750 CFA francs per liter, a 75 franc increase. The government decision was driven by the growing cost of public subsidies, though butane gas prices were left untouched.
The announcement came on Sunday, August 9, on national television. Abdoul Salam Gampéné, secretary general of the Prime Minister’s office and head of the interministerial committee that sets fuel prices, said the new price would take effect the following day. It marks the first increase in diesel prices in Burkina Faso since August 2022. For four years, the government had kept the price frozen despite swings in international oil markets, covering the gap through public subsidies.
According to Gampéné, the real price of diesel without state support would now stand at around 1,050 CFA francs per liter, 300 francs above the new official rate. That gap shows the scale of the budget effort involved. Subsidies for diesel alone already amounted to about 60 billion CFA francs over the first six months of 2026, and would have kept climbing had the price stayed frozen. Two factors are driving the pressure: rising international oil prices and a stronger dollar against the CFA franc, which makes imports more expensive.
The government also pointed to rising domestic demand. National diesel consumption reached 365 million liters in the first half of 2026 and is expected to hit around 730 million liters for the full year. Officials also cited cross border buying, arguing that Burkina Faso’s historically lower diesel price compared with neighboring countries had been pulling in extra demand from outside the country.
Notably, the increase applies only to diesel. Super 91 gasoline stays at 850 CFA francs per liter, even though its real cost without subsidy is estimated at around 920 francs, an amount the state continues to absorb in full. Butane gas is also untouched. The government kept its support in place, with the 6 kilogram cylinder still selling at 2,000 CFA francs. The choice reflects a clear priority: protect household purchasing power on a product used daily in homes, while concentrating the budget adjustment on road fuel instead.
Authorities describe the increase as a necessary adjustment to secure supply, build up available reserves and ensure steadier fuel distribution across the country. Still, this 75 franc per liter hike, the first in four years, is expected to ripple through the transport sector, which relies heavily on diesel, and could eventually push up prices on everyday goods, since fuel makes up a significant share of costs across Burkina Faso’s supply chains.