President Ibrahim Traoré on Wednesday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to making prisons more humane, during a visit to the Baporo Agricultural Penitentiary Centre.
The stopover came as he travelled to Bobo-Dioulasso for the opening of the National Culture Week.
At the facility, which operates under an open-environment model, inmates are engaged in agricultural and livestock activities as part of rehabilitation efforts.
Traoré emphasized that detention should uphold human dignity, describing respect for individuals as a core societal value.
He highlighted community service programs as central to this reform, allowing inmates to gain skills and prepare for reintegration into society.
The Baporo centre reflects this approach, with large-scale agricultural production including a 40-hectare cornfield that yielded about 240 tonnes in 2025, with ambitions to significantly expand output.
Authorities have also begun constructing a modern 500-capacity facility to improve conditions, according to Justice Minister Rodrigue Edasso Bayala.
Established in 1986, the centre continues to serve as a model for combining incarceration with productivity and rehabilitation.
