Cascades Region

Cascades Region occupies Burkina Faso's southwestern corner, named for the waterfalls of the Comoé River that distinguish it from the country's dominant savanna flatness. This border region with Côte d'Ivoire has historically served as agricultural extension of the Ivorian economy—cotton, cashews, and mangoes flowing south toward Abidjan's port. The Banfora waterfalls and domes of Fabedougou represent rare tourist attractions in a country largely bypassed by international visitors.

Cotton production anchors the formal economy. The region ranks second only to Hauts-Bassins in cotton cultivation, benefiting from higher rainfall than northern zones. Sugarcane cultivation near Banfora feeds a processing facility that produces for domestic consumption. Cashew and mango orchards provide export crops with longer growing cycles than annual cotton.

Relative security compared to eastern and northern regions has attracted internal migrants, though periodic cross-border incidents with Ivorian armed groups create uncertainty. The January 2025 ECOWAS withdrawal complicates the traditionally fluid cross-border trade with Côte d'Ivoire. Whether Cascades can maintain its agricultural export orientation—or whether security deterioration eventually reaches the southwest—shapes regional prospects.