Sud-Ouest Region

Sud-Ouest Region occupies Burkina Faso's southwestern corner, its borders with Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire creating cross-border economic relationships that partially buffer against national crisis effects. Gaoua serves as regional capital for a territory that historically fell outside core Mossi political control, creating cultural diversity and distinct governance traditions. The Lobi and Dagara peoples maintain architectural and social practices that attract some ethnographic tourism.

Agriculture benefits from higher rainfall than northern regions. Cotton, maize, and yams provide cash and subsistence crops; fruit orchards (mangoes, citrus) supply local markets and seasonal export. Shea butter production engages women throughout the region, providing income from wild-gathered nuts processed through traditional methods. Gold mining—both industrial and artisanal—adds extractive revenues.

Relative security makes Sud-Ouest one of Burkina's more functional regions, though the national crisis creates indirect effects: displaced populations, disrupted supply chains, military operations elsewhere diverting resources. Cross-border trade with Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire continues, providing economic lifelines that purely domestic orientation would lack. Whether Sud-Ouest can maintain this relative stability depends on preventing security deterioration from reaching the southwestern corner.