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In June 2025, Burkina Faso marked a significant milestone in its commitment to elephant conservation and the fight against wildlife trafficking, with the formal validation at a two-day workshop in Ouagadougou of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the secure management of ivory and other wildlife products.
The technical validation workshop, organised by the Direction Générale des Eaux et Forêts (DGEF) and supported by the EPI Foundation (EPIF) and the local NGO Les Anges Gardiens de la Nature (AGN), brought together conservation stakeholders from government, civil society, and international partners, to establish robust, practical, and enforceable guidelines for the handling and storage of ivory and other seized wildlife products.
Ivory trafficking continues to be one of the major threats facing Africa’s elephants. Poor storage conditions, inadequate record keeping, and weak legal frameworks all result in stockpile mismanagement and potentially, leakages into the illegal trade. The newly adopted SOPs in Burkina Faso are a direct response to these risks and an attempt to minimise them.
The Big Picture
The workshop in Burkina Faso is part of an EPI Foundation regional project focused on Securing Wildlife Stocks in five West African Countries, funded by the UK’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. This initiative supports Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in developing SOPs, improving storage infrastructure, and ensuring that ivory stocks are not exploited for profit.
During the workshop’s opening, the EPIF Director of State Engagement, Ulysse Korogone, highlighted the foundation’s commitment to implementing the African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP) while emphasizing the steps that need to be taken in maintaining the global ban on ivory trade, closing domestic ivory markets, and putting all government-held ivory out of commercial use.
The Content of the Standard Operating Procedures
The SOPs lay out detailed procedures for each step of the chain for seized wildlife products, from their discovery to their secure storage and eventual disposition. These result in not only technical improvements, they also reflect a philosophical shift toward transparency, accountability, and fast decision-making by authorities. Key improvements include the alignment of national legal codes with CITES provisions, standardised systems of marking and coding wildlife products, new inspection protocols and transparency in record keeping.
With the SOPs now validated, Burkina Faso is poised to implement a more rigorous and coordinated approach to wildlife product management. However, as noted in the workshop’s conclusions, successful implementation will depend on sustained collaboration across agencies and adequate resourcing for infrastructure, monitoring, and enforcement.
Participants expressed hope that the EPI Foundation would continue its support in extending SOP implementation and warehouse improvements beyond Ouagadougou to other parts of the country. Importantly, the workshop also set the stage for upcoming legislative reviews that will further entrench these new practices in law.
A Continental Movement with Global Impact
Burkina Faso’s commitment reflects Africa’s growing determination to stand firm against wildlife crime. It is a testament to the power of African-led conservation and the vision of the Elephant Protection Initiative. As more countries adopt SOPs and close the door on the ivory trade, they send a message that the future of Africa’s elephants is too important to be defined by mismanagement or corruption. It will be shaped by coordinated, courageous, and continent-wide action.
