François Desirè Bazie.
‘I first had the idea of producing wine back in Burkina Faso about four years ago,’ said François Desirè Bazie, an asylum seeker turned winemaker committed to seeing vineyards flourish in his home country in West Africa.
Born in Burkina Faso, Bazie sought asylum in Piedmont during the 2000s due to escalating civil conflict in Ivory Coast, where he resided at the time. While in Italy, he developed a passion for wine-growing that eventually led him to establish his own winery, InCandiaBio (see Facebook page), in the Colli Apuani region of northern Tuscany.
‘I noticed there were very few Italian goods available in Burkina Faso so I would bring my own wine to introduce it to the people there and to promote Italian products,’ said Bazie. His interest in developing the Burkinabe wine market was driven by both personal and commercial motivations: he wanted to see his products enjoyed in his home country, but he also recognised that wine was growing in popularity among local drinkers.
‘I observed a significant increase in wine consumption, with wine starting to replace beer. Wine shops were popping up everywhere, probably because wine is being promoted as part of a healthy diet,’ he said. ‘However, a lot of the wine sold in Burkina Faso is often of poor quality, some even comes from non-wine-producing countries.’
In his first attempt to grow vines in the West African country, Bazie brought Vermentino plant samples from his vineyard in Tuscany. He then planted them over three hectares around his family home near the town of Bagré in central eastern Burkina Faso, a region well-suited for viticulture due to its ample water resources for irrigation.
François Desirè Bazie (centre, in yellow). Credit: Courtesy of François Desirè Bazie
Food independence
Bazie’s dream has garnered enthusiastic support from his home country’s government as it aligns with the nation’s goal to boost food production and achieve food independence. Agriculture is widespread in Burkina Faso, serving as the primary source of revenue and the main livelihood for over 80% of the population. Yet, the predominant approach remains subsistence farming, which limits the sector’s ability to meet the entire needs of the population. Burkina Faso’s foreign trade reflects a significant structural deficit as a result, with significantly higher volume and value of imports compared to exports.
Last year, Burkina Faso imported nearly twice the value of agricultural and food products compared to what it exported, and more than three times the volume.
Toussaint Sampo, the director of crop production at the Burkina Faso Ministry of Agriculture, highlights the government’s motivation for embracing Bazie’s ideas: ‘In our country, we have a clear programme aimed at achieving food independence. That’s why we support this project, to demonstrate that growing vines and producing wine here is feasible, and to inspire other people to get involved and grow this industry.’
With government support firmly in place, approximately 1,500 vines have already been planted in Bagré, and plans are underway to plant an additional 18,000 across three to four hectares this September. The selected grape varieties – which include Sangiovese, Vermentino, Malvasia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay – betray Bazie’s work in central Italy.
The initial phase of the project aims to achieve a total of 10ha planted across various regions in Burkina Faso: ‘Most of which is suitable for grape-growing,’ according to Sampo. Subsequent phases will expand the land planted to vines by an additional 30ha in different areas of the country over the coming years.
Specific vineyard sites are still being finalised, but Bazie anticipates they will consist of easily accessible locations with good access to water reserves. ‘The climate in Burkina Faso is tropical: it is at least warm throughout the year, even at altitude. So when selecting new sites, our priority is areas with abundant water availability to facilitate irrigation during periods of extreme heat,’ he said. ‘Due to this tropical climate, the plants will not go dormant in winter, so we anticipate that they will be bearing fruit twice a year.’
Earlier this month, the world-leading vine nursery Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo joined the project to provide expertise in selecting plant materials that are well-suited to the local climate and soils.
Credit: Courtesy of François Desirè Bazie.
A viable alternative for the Burkinabe youth
Establishing a wine industry from scratch is a formidable undertaking for a country without a history of winemaking and wine consumption, but the investment and effort involved are undoubtedly worthwhile.
‘This project serves two purposes: firstly, to achieve food independence, and secondly, to deter young people from leaving the country in search of jobs,’ Sampo said, explaining how the creation of this entirely new industry holds potential to significantly boost economic growth by generating employment opportunities.
Indeed, with limited natural resources – and over 40% of its population living below the national poverty line – Burkina Faso’s economy faces significant challenges which prompt a steady outflow of its youth. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) notes that more than a million Burkinabe reside abroad, a figure that may be significantly underestimated due to limited and unreliable migration data. In fact, according to diplomatic and consular data, the Burkinabe diaspora was already estimated to amount to some 12 million people over a decade ago.
With such compelling reasons to drive the project forward, the government is determined to proceed swiftly and, despite it being in its early stages, Bazie’s project is already fuelling the first generation of Burkinabe wine professionals. The Burkina Faso Ministry of Agriculture is currently training 80 future wine industry workers in various essential roles spanning from vineyard management to winemaking, who will eventually oversee the various vineyard sites being established across the country.
The first winery is expected to be operational next year, likely in the capital, Ouagadougou. Meanwhile, the initial vinification – the first, pioneering attempt at modern winemaking in West Africa – is projected to take place the following year.
In the meantime, Bazie plans to make regular visits to Burkina Faso to oversee the project and ensure its successful development. ‘Having learned winemaking here in Italy and having managed to make it my profession, returning to contribute to developing this industry is immensely important to me,’ he said. ‘It is my way of giving back and helping to stop young people from risking dangerous sea routes.’
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