Ouagadougou: A unit involved in the illegal production and distribution of plastic packaging and bags in Burkina Faso has been shut down by authorities, with its Chinese manager now detained at the Ouagadougou Detention and Correctional Facility (MACO).
According to Burkina Information Agency, the closure followed an environmental police inspection on August 6, 2025, which discovered the factory operating in violation of local environmental laws in the Kossodo industrial zone. Blaise Bazi©, the prosecutor at the Ouaga I High Court, noted in a press release that the unit was caught in the act of illegally producing plastic goods, leading to the factory's closure and the arrest of its manager on August 12, 2025. The manager was subsequently presented in court on August 14, 2025.
The legal action was based on Law 045-2024/ALT, enacted on December 30, 2024, which regulates the production and distribution of plastic packaging in the country. Violations of this law can result in prison sentences ranging from six months to five years and fines between 5 million to 100 million CFA francs for production and importation offenses. Marketing, storage, and distribution violations carry penalties of six months to three years in prison and fines from 5 million to 50 million CFA francs.
The prosecutor's press release further detailed that the factory was subjected to a public interest judicial agreement under Articles 242-24 to 242-31 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. As part of this agreement, the factory is required to pay a 30 million CFA francs fine to the public treasury, six times the minimum legal requirement. Additionally, the factory's operations have been halted, and the seized plastic bags and raw materials are to be destroyed.
The public prosecutor praised the environmental police for their diligence and urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to the illegal production, importation, marketing, distribution, or storage of plastic packaging or bags.