Scientific Cooperation

India has a large network of universities, national institutes and research centres, and has long expressed its willingness to share its scientific and technological experience with African countries in the spirit of South-South cooperation. Burkina Faso can draw on these frameworks to strengthen its own research and innovation capacity.

Possible areas of cooperation

• Agriculture and food security, varieties suited to semi-arid areas.
• Health, pharmacy and medical research.
• Information technology and digital.
• Renewable energy, in particular solar.
• Training of researchers, teachers and technicians.

These are general frameworks; the exact terms depend on each programme and each institution. For ongoing bilateral agreements and projects, see the India and Burkina Faso cooperation page.

Several Government of India programmes are open to nationals of African countries, including Burkina Faso. Their conditions, quotas and calendars are set by the Indian authorities and may change: always check information on the official sites.

Reference programmes

• ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations): scholarships for undergraduate, master's and doctoral studies at Indian universities.
• ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation): short- and medium-term training courses in many fields, open to professionals and civil servants nominated by their country.
• e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti: Indian distance education and health programmes for African countries, now grouped under the e-VBAB network.

How to proceed

1. Check the offers on the official portals and in the Embassy's announcements.
2. Find out whether applications go through the competent Burkinabè administration or directly through an Indian portal.
3. Prepare your file (diplomas, passport, study plan) and respect the deadlines.
4. Once admitted, see the Studying in India guide (visa, FRRO, consular registration).

Warning: no official scholarship requires payment to an intermediary. Beware of fake offers.

Agriculture and food security

Burkina Faso and India share common challenges: rain-fed agriculture, semi-arid areas, resilience to climate change. Two institutions, Indian or international and based in India, are references in this field:

• ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), an international research institute headquartered in Hyderabad, devoted to crops of the semi-arid tropics (millet, sorghum, cowpea, groundnut, chickpea…).
• ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), the Indian body coordinating agricultural research and education, with its network of institutes and agricultural universities.

Depending on their programmes, these institutions offer training, researcher exchanges and scientific collaboration.

Health and pharmacy

• Training of health professionals and pharmacists in Indian institutions.
• Distance teaching and consultations through e-ArogyaBharti (e-VBAB network).
• The Indian pharmaceutical industry, notably generic medicines: for any import, comply with Burkinabè regulations and use authorised channels.

Medical treatment in India for patients from Burkina Faso follows a separate procedure: see the Contact page to be directed.

ICT and digital

India is a major player in information technology and software engineering, with many courses in computing, artificial intelligence and digital public services. Burkinabè students, teachers and professionals can access them through the scholarships and training courses described in the Higher education and scholarships tab, as well as through online courses offered by Indian institutions.

Solar energy and the International Solar Alliance

The International Solar Alliance (ISA), launched on the initiative of India and France, brings together countries lying between the tropics to develop solar energy. Its secretariat is in India, near Delhi. For a very sunny country such as Burkina Faso, it is a framework for exchanging expertise, training and mobilising funding.

Burkina Faso's participation in the ISA and the resulting actions are a matter for the competent Burkinabè authorities; see the ISA's official website for membership conditions and current programmes.

Researcher and university exchanges

Burkinabè and Indian universities and research centres wishing to form a partnership (hosting researchers, co-supervision, exchange programmes, joint courses) can ask the Embassy for an introduction. Agreements are a matter for the institutions concerned and the competent authorities of both countries.

Burkinabè institutions

• Introduce your institution, your field and the aim of the cooperation sought.
• Name the Indian institution you have in mind, if you have identified one.
• Attach, where relevant, a letter from the supervising authority.

Indian institutions

• Specify the field, the type of partnership envisaged and your contacts in Burkina Faso, if you know any.
• The Embassy can direct you to the competent Burkinabè authorities.

Contact us

Write to us through the Contact page, or book an appointment for a discussion with the Embassy. For scholarships and training, also check the announcements.