Burkina Faso lacks a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that applies to online transactions.

Burkina Faso has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Burkina Faso has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Burkina Faso has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

On 25 April 2024, the Superior Council of Communication (CSC), Burkina Faso’s media regulatory authority, reportedly instructed internet service providers to block access to the websites of BBC Africa and Voice of America. On 27 April, these restrictions were expanded to include TV5Monde’s news site, the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, the British newspaper The Guardian, the French newspapers Ouest-France and Le Monde, as well as the news agencies Agence de Presse Africaine and Ecofin.

It has been reported that the government intermittently restricted domestic internet access throughout 2022 and 2024, invoking Art. 45 of Law No. 061-2008/AN on the General Regulation of Electronic Communications Networks and Services, promulgated in November 2008. According to Art. 45 of the law, telecom operators are mandated to implement all necessary measures to fulfil defence and security requirements.
These internet shutdowns are further corroborated by data from the V-Dem Dataset. The indicator "7.2.4 - 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 for the year 2024. This corresponds to "The government shut down domestic access to the Internet several times this year."

According to Art. 19 of the Code of Advertising, any foreign consultancy wishing to operate in Burkina Faso and any medium to be disseminated or distributed in Burkina Faso must, subject to reciprocity, use the services of a Burkina Faso advertising agency.
In addition, Art. 16 of Law No. 80-2015/CNT stipulates that in the field of advertising, any consulting agency governed by foreign law wishing to operate in Burkina Faso, as well as any medium to be broadcasted or distributed on Burkina Faso territory, must use the services of an advertising agency governed by Burkina Faso law, subject to reciprocity.

Art. 15 of Law No. 80-2015/CNT stipulates that to engage in the advertising profession, individuals must be registered in the trade register and possess a unique financial identification number (IFU).

According to Art. 130 of 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.

Telecom companies need to submit their equipment for testing to the regulator or its delegated entity. Under Art. 130 of 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.

Law No. 45-2009/AN establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringements. According to Art. 134, intermediaries are not responsible for information transmitted if they do not initiate the transmission or select the recipient of the transmission and do not select or modify the information transmitted.

According to Art. 40 of Law No. 61-2008/AN, purchasers of SIM cards must register their names and national identity numbers with telecommunications operators.

Burkina Faso does not have a comprehensive framework in place that provides effective protection of trade secrets, but there are limited measures addressing some issues related to them. In particular, the country has established provisions addressing disclosure, acquisition or use of confidential information in the course of industrial or commercial activities by third parties in Art. 6 of Annex VIII of the Bangui Agreement, which has been ratified by 17 French-speaking States, including Burkina Faso in 2002.

Arts. 5.k, 74.f, 144 and 145 of the Law No. 061-2008/AN impose an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing to deliver telecom services to end users. Moreover, passive infrastructure sharing is practised in the mobile and fixed sectors based on commercial agreements.

The government owns 28.6% of the shares of Moov Africa Burkina.