Database

Browse Database

BURKINA FASO

Since December 2018

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Licensing scheme for e-commerce providers
Decree No. 2018-1199 on distributive trade in Burkina Faso (Decrêt N° 018-1199/PRES/PM/MCIA/MUH/MINEFID/MATD/MJDHPC relatif au commerce de distribution au Burkina Faso)
According to Art. 5 of the Decree No. 2018-1199, e-retailers must get a professional card of trader. To obtain it, registering in the trade register and having a unique financial identification number (IFU) are required. The other documents required are: a copy of Id card, an application form, two ID photos, a copy of company status, two tax stamps, and a certificate of tax status.
Coverage E-retailers

BURKINA FASO

N/A

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Threshold for ‘De Minimis’ rule
Lack of de minimis threshold
Burkina Faso does not implement any de minimis threshold, which is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties. However, it is reported that there is an informal threshold of USD 100.
Coverage Horizontal

BURKINA FASO

N/A

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Restrictions on domain names
Restrictions on domain names
It is reported that registrant for a local domain name ".bf" must be an entity based in the country. Only one domain name is allowed per applicant and the registration is subject to annual fee of USD 450. However, according to Art. 9 of the Law No. 011-2010/AN on domain names management under the first level domain .BF (Loi N° 011-2010/AN portant reglementation de la gestion des noms de domaines sous le domaine de premier niveau .BF), there are no restrictions on domain names.
Coverage Horizontal

BURKINA FASO

Since November 2008

Pillar Technical standards applied to ICT goods, products and online services  |  Sub-pillar Self-certification for product safety
Law No. 061-2008/AN on the general regulation of electronic communications networks and services (Loi N° 061-2008/AN portant réglementation générale des réseaux et services de communications électroniques au Burkina Faso)
Telecom companies need to submit their equipment for testing to the regulator or its delegated entity. Under Art. 130 of the Law No. 061-2008/AN, no radio equipment used for the transmission, reception or transmission and reception of signals and correspondence may be manufactured, imported or marketed for use in Burkina Faso unless it has been approved by the Regulatory Authority. To this end, the Authority may carry out any verification to ensure that the equipment complies with the regulations in force. Equipment includes hardware and software used to provide electronic communications services.
Coverage Telecommunication and radio equipment

BURKINA FASO

Since November 2008

Pillar Quantitative trade restrictions for ICT goods, products and online services  |  Sub-pillar Other import restrictions, including non-transparent/discriminatory import procedures
Law No. 061-2008/AN on the general regulation of electronic communications networks and services (Loi N° 061-2008/AN portant réglementation générale des réseaux et services de communications électroniques au Burkina Faso)
According to Art. 130 of the Law No. 061-2008/AN, no radio equipment used for the transmission, reception or transmission and reception of signals and correspondence may be imported for use in Burkina Faso unless it has been approved by the Regulatory Authority. To this end, the Authority may carry out any verification to ensure that the equipment complies with the regulations in force. Equipment includes hardware and software used to provide electronic communications services.
Coverage Telecommunication and radio equipment

BURKINA FASO

Since June 2018

Pillar Content access  |  Sub-pillar Restrictions on online advertising
Law No. 80-2015/CNT regulating advertising in Burkina Faso (Loi N° 80-2015/CNT portant réglementation de la publicité au Burkina Faso)
Art. 15 of Law No. 80-2015/CNT specifies that to practice the advertising profession, you must be registered in the trade register and have a unique financial identification number (IFU).
Coverage Advertising sector

BURKINA FASO

Reported in 2022

Pillar Content access  |  Sub-pillar Blocking or filtering of commercial web content
Blocking of commercial web content
It is reported that Burkina Faso has restricted access to Facebook in 2022.
Coverage Jeune Afrique, Facebook

BURKINA FASO

Reported in 2022

Pillar Content access  |  Sub-pillar Presence of Internet shutdowns
Presence of Internet shutdowns
The indicator "6.2.4 - Government Internet shut down in practice" of the V-Dem Dataset, which measures whether the government has the technical capacity to actively make internet service cease, thus interrupting domestic access to the internet or whether the government has decided to do so, has a score of 2 in Burkina Faso. This corresponds to "The government shut down domestic access to the Internet several times this year."
Coverage Horizontal

BURKINA FASO

Reported in 2022

Pillar Content access  |  Sub-pillar Presence of Internet shutdowns
Law No. 061-2008/AN on the general regulation of electronic communications networks and services (Loi N° 061-2008/AN portant réglementation générale des réseaux et services de communications électroniques au Burkina Faso)
It is reported that the government has sometimes shut down domestic access to the Internet throughout 2022 leveraging Art. 45 of Law No. 061-2008/AN. According to Art. 45, operators must take all necessary measures to meet defence and security requirements.
Coverage Horizontal

BURKINA FASO

Since November 2009

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Sub-pillar Safe harbor for intermediaries for copyright infringement
Law No. 45-2009/AN regulating services and electronic transactions in Burkina Faso (Loi N° 45-2009 portant règlementation des services et des transactions électroniques au Burkina Faso)
Law No. 45-2009/AN establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. According to Art. 134, intermediaries are not responsables for information transmitted if they do not initiate the transmission or select the recipient of the transmission and they don't select or modify the information transmitted.
Coverage Internet intermediaries

BURKINA FASO

Since November 2009

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Sub-pillar Safe harbor for intermediaries for any activity other than copyright infringement
Law No. 45-2009/AN regulating services and electronic transactions in Burkina Faso (Loi N° 45-2009 portant règlementation des services et des transactions électroniques au Burkina Faso)
Law No. 45-2009/AN establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringement. According to Art. 134, intermediaries are not responsables for information transmitted if they do not initiate the transmission or select the recipient of the transmission and they don't select or modify the information transmitted.
Coverage Internet intermediaries

BURKINA FASO

Since November 2008

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Sub-pillar User identity requirement
Law No. 061-2008/AN on the general regulation of electronic communications networks and services (Loi N° 061-2008/AN portant réglementation générale des réseaux et services de communications électroniques au Burkina Faso)
According to Art. 40 of the Law No. 61-2008/AN, purchasers of SIM cards must register their names and national identity numbers with telecommunications operators.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

BURKINA FASO

N/A

Pillar Cross-border data policies  |  Sub-pillar Participation in trade agreements committing to open cross-border data flows
Lack of participation in agreements with binding commitments on data flows
Burkina Faso has not joined any agreement with binding commitments to open transfers of data across borders.
Coverage Horizontal

BURKINA FASO

Since March 2021

Pillar Domestic Data policies  |  Sub-pillar Framework for data protection
Law No. 001-2021/AN protecting people with regard to the processing of personal data (Loi N° 001-2021/AN portant protection des personnes à l'égard du traitement des données à caractère personnel)
Law No. 001-2021/AN provides a comprehensive regime of data protection in Burkina Faso. Art. 45 establishes a commission for information technology and civil liberties (Commission de l'Informatique et des Libertés, CIL). The 2021 Act repealed and replaced the Law No. 010-2004/AN on the Protection of Personal Data, enacted in 2004, which made Burkina Faso one of the first adopters of a modern data protection law in the region. The 2021 Act strengthens the protection of the privacy of individuals, including by broadening its geographical scope to offshore data controllers who carry out processing operations from Burkina Faso (irrespective of whether they use local means of processing), by supervising transborder transfers, and by providing a more comprehensive right to be informed. The CIL is the independent administrative authority in charge of compliance with the Law and although it has the power to prosecute any breach of the Law, it is reported that it is not considered to be particularly active.
Coverage Horizontal

BURKINA FASO

Since March 2021

Pillar Cross-border data policies  |  Sub-pillar Ban to transfer and local processing requirement
Law No. 001-2021/AN protecting people with regard to the processing of personal data (Loi N° 001-2021/AN portant protection des personnes à l'égard du traitement des données à caractère personnel)
According to the Art. 37 of Law No. 001-2021/AN, health data allowing the direct or indirect identification of individuals must be stored on national territory. An exception can be granted if the Commission For Information Technology and Civil Liberties (Commission de l'Informatique et des Libertés, CIL) ensures that the use of information and communication technologies for the purpose of processing personal data does not pose a threat to individual or public freedoms and privacy (Art. 56).
Coverage Horizontal