On behalf of the African centre for competitive intelligence (ACCI), I trained and certified 20 Burkinabe executives from 13 to 17 November 2023 in the town of Koudougou, 100km from Ouagadougou, in the country of Captain Thomas Sankara.

Funded by the World Bank, this intensive training session equipped participants with the latest tools and methods for surveillance, analysis and security, adapted to the African context and covering international operators.

The newly-certified class was christened “Princess Guimbi OUATTARA”. Born around 1836 in Bobo-Dioulasso, she was a well-informed lady, a shrewd trader and a Dioula strategist who saved the town of Sya from imminent destruction. 

The field trip took place at the home of François 1er, a veteran of the economic war on the international textile market. He fought for 30 years to promote African haute couture using organic cotton sourced from Burkina Faso.

I would like to express my gratitude to the World Bank, AFP-PME, Honoré Kietyeta, ACCI Resident Representative in Faso, Francois 1er, and all the local support staff.

Guy Gweth