...Institutional and economic profile We expect Burkina Faso will enjoy strong economic growth after the pandemic, despite heightened insecurity in the Sahel region. + The economic impact of the pandemic has been mitigated by an expanding gold output and lifting of most restrictions in the third quarter of 2020. + The government's economic development strategy will continue to include large infrastructure projects, which, alongside increasing gold mining capacity, should bring economic growth back to its prepandemic trend in 2021-2024. + Extreme security risks in the Sahel region will continue to weigh on public finances and constrain governance effectiveness in the most affected areas. Flexibility and performance profile Efforts to reduce the budget deficit will resume in 2022-2024, once the effects of the pandemic abate. + The pandemic contributed to a high general government (GG) deficit of 5.2% of GDP in 2020, although external support helped Burkina Faso meet its fiscal needs. Further...
