Lee-Anne Hermann, Ambassador of Canada to Burkina Faso and Benin

Message

Nii Wango! Aw dansè! Fôfô!

Mikouabo! Fönakayo! Mian Ouézon ! Ékaabo !

As Canada's Ambassador to Burkina Faso and Benin, and on behalf of all my colleagues, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our website.

Canada is proud of its strong and enduring relationship with Burkina Faso and Benin and we are excited by the many opportunities to deepen our collaboration going forward.

2022 marks 60 years since Canada established diplomatic relations with both Burkina Faso and Benin. I am delighted to be a privileged witness to these long-standing relationships based on development, shared values, trade and investment and people-to-people ties.

Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy guides our development work and places gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the heart of our engagement. In Burkina Faso and Benin, we focus our efforts in providing basic education, improving reproductive health, sustainable economic growth for all and combatting climate change. If you are interested to know more about Canadian aid to Burkina Faso and Benin, you can find it here: Project Browser. In 2016, we opened the Office of the Embassy of Canada in Cotonou, due, not only to the growth of our development assistance program, but also to take advantage of our growing economic and bilateral relations with Benin.

The terrorist attacks that have hit Burkina Faso since 2015 have led to serious insecurity and humanitarian challenges. Canada remains committed to the Sahel region and to Burkina Faso in its fight to restore security throughout the country, provide essential services to the most remote communities, preserve the country's stability and maintain social cohesion. We are supporting initiatives in these areas through Global Affairs Canada mechanisms such as the Stabilization and Peace Operations Program (PSOPs) and the Canada Fund For Local Initiatives (CFLI).

Canadian private investment, mainly in the mining sector, but also in renewable energies and engineering consultancy, is undeniably creating jobs and wealth. The Embassy, through our Trade Commissioner Service, assists Canadian companies already active, or exploring opportunities to do business, in Burkina Faso and Benin.

Canada, a leading world-class education destination, continues to attract students from Benin and Burkina Faso. You can learn more about the various study options here: EduCanada. Partnerships are also being established between higher education institutions for the benefit of our students, but there is potential to do more and we hope to see the number of students taking advantage of study and research opportunities in Canada continue to increase.  

One of the primary mandates of the Embassy is to provide consular assistance to Canadians. If you are a Canadian living, working or visiting Burkina Faso or Benin, please take a few minutes to register through the Registration of Canadians Abroad page (ROCA) so that we can reach you quickly in case of emergency. It is also possible to download our Travel App for easy access to up-to-date travel information and tips.

For those interested in travelling to Canada, please note that the Embassy of Canada in Dakar, Senegal is responsible for immigration, including the issuance of visitor visas and study permits for Burkina Faso. For Benin, the High Commission of Canada in Accra, Ghana is responsible. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, applications are now submitted exclusively online. You can find information about applying for a visa at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

You can also follow us on Facebook and X (Twitter). We hope to count you among our followers, if you are not one already. See you there!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Lee-Anne Hermann
Ambassador of Canada to Burkina Faso and Benin