Centre-Sud Region

Centre-Sud Region extends south of Ouagadougou toward the Ghana border, containing agricultural zones that benefit from slightly higher rainfall than the Sahelian north. Manga serves as regional capital for a territory historically important for grain production. The relative proximity to Ghana creates cross-border economic relationships—formal trade through official channels, informal exchange that escapes customs recording.

Livestock trade connects Centre-Sud to both domestic and export markets. Cattle raised in northern pastoral zones transit through the region en route to coastal markets in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and beyond. This transit function creates commercial activity in market towns, though traders rather than producers often capture margin.

Security remains better than northern regions, though the overall crisis creates indirect effects. Displaced populations strain resources; military operations elsewhere redirect government attention; cross-border security cooperation with Ghana becomes more important as jihadist activity spreads southward. The region's development depends partly on whether violence eventually reaches the southern tier—a outcome that seemed unlikely in 2020 but became plausible by 2025.