Burkina Faso Stops Gates Foundation’s Anti-Malaria Campaign

The Burkina Faso government, under the leadership of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, announced on Friday, August 22, 2025, the immediate suspension of all activities related to the Target Malaria project, a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded initiative aimed at curbing malaria through the release of genetically modified mosquitoes. 

The decision marks a significant setback for the innovative anti-malaria campaign, which has been under scrutiny from local activists and civil society groups.  

The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation issued a statement declaring that all Target Malaria activities have been halted across the country, with facilities containing genetically modified mosquitoes sealed since August 18, 2025. 

The government further stated that all remaining samples would be destroyed under a strict protocol, emphasizing that the genetically modified male mosquitoes released in Souroukoudingan, Houet Province, were handled by relevant technical services.   

Target Malaria, operational in Burkina Faso since 2012, involves a consortium of over 150 African and Western researchers working to develop genetic technologies to reduce malaria transmission. 

The project, backed by the Gates Foundation and Open Philanthropy, released non-gene-drive sterile male mosquitoes in 2019 and again in August 2025 to study their behavior and potential to reduce mosquito populations that transmit malaria, a disease that killed over 16,146 people in Burkina Faso in 2023.   

The decision to halt the project follows mounting criticism from groups like the Coalition for Monitoring Biotechnological Activities in Burkina Faso (CVAB), which has raised concerns about the ethical and ecological risks of gene-drive technology. 

CVAB spokesperson Ali Tapsoba argued that the technology is “highly controversial” and could have “unpredictable and potentially irreversible” impacts on health and ecosystems, advocating for safer alternatives. 

The move aligns with Burkina Faso’s broader crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs, with the military government, in power since a September 2022 coup, revoking licenses of 21 international organizations in June and July 2025. 

Critics, including Pan-Africanist voices, have hailed Traoré’s decision as a stand against Western influence, framing it as a defense of national sovereignty.   

Target Malaria responded by affirming its compliance with Burkina Faso’s regulations since 2012 and expressed readiness to cooperate with authorities. 

The organization emphasized that the released mosquitoes were non-gene-drive and posed no risk to malaria transmission, as they were sterile males incapable of reproducing.   

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