The MAG programme was established in Burkina Faso in June 2015 as part of MAG’s regional strategy in West Africa, to assist countries to mitigate the threat to human security, national and regional stability through improved arms and munition control measures.

MAG partners with the Burkinabe National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (CNLPAL) to support the National Action Plan (NAP) and other regional and international instruments that reduce the impact of the proliferation and trafficking of illicit weapons and support the safe storage of weapons and ammunition.

Burkina Faso faces a number of challenges around weapons proliferations including poor physical storage facilities, lack of consistent procedures in weapons and ammunition management, and the lack of trained personnel. MAG is working with the National Commission in Burkina Faso to address these challenges by providing storage and stockpile management, training and capacity building, and learning and evaluation.

MAG’s work benefits the Burkinabe population through improved human security at the local, regional and national level, by reducing the risks of unplanned explosions mitigating the physical threat to civilians and damage to infrastructure. Controlling weapons and ammunitions proliferation reduces the potential of their use in conflicts and incidents of armed violence, thus allowing the population to benefit from a greater stability through the reduced flow of arms that can potentially fuel an increase in civil and cross-border conflicts.