Burkina Faso’s military government has suspended the controversial Target Malaria project, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation–funded initiative that released genetically modified mosquitoes in an experimental bid to eradicate malaria.
- Burkina Faso’s military government has suspended the Target Malaria project aimed at utilizing genetically modified mosquitoes to combat malaria.
- The decision includes the immediate cessation of all project activities and the sealing of project facilities.
- Target Malaria was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and led by Imperial College London.
- The project faced criticism from civil society groups citing potential risks, ethical concerns, and fears of socio-environmental impacts.
The Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation announced the decision on Friday, ordering the immediate termination of the Bill Gates funded ‘Target Malaria’ project activities.
Facilities containing the mosquitoes were sealed on August 18, and the remaining samples are set to be destroyed under a strict protocol.
The statement read, “the Burkinabè public that it has terminated all the activities of the project Target Malaria on its territory”.
A Decade-Long Experiment
Target Malaria, launched in Burkina Faso in 2012, was part of a research consortium led by Imperial College London. The project explored genetic modification as a cost-effective method to control mosquito populations and reduce malaria transmission, a disease that claims over 600,000 lives annually, primarily in Africa.
In 2019, under then-President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, Burkina Faso became the first country in Africa to release genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild. These mosquitoes were engineered to produce predominantly male offspring, aiming to curb population growth, by spreading specific traits through wild mosquito populations.
With financial backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest private funders of global health programmes, Target Malaria positioned itself as a breakthrough against one of Africa’s deadliest diseases.
Regulatory Approval, Public Resistance
The project had received approval from Burkina Faso’s National Biosafety Agency (ANB), the National Environmental Assessment Agency (ANEVE), and the country’s Health Research Ethics Committee. Communities in selected field sites, such as Souroukoudingan in Houet Province, had also signed off on the releases.
In a statement posted on social media, Target Malaria noted: “The National Biosafety Agency (ANB) and the National Environmental Assessment Agency (ANEVE) responded favourably in July 2025 to the authorisation request submitted by the Target Malaria Burkina Faso team based at the Institute of Health Sciences Research (IRSS) to conduct controlled releases of non-gene drive genetically modified male bias mosquitoes.
As part of this process, the Ethics Committee for Health Research (CERS) also issued its approval.”
The organisation added that “On 11 August 2025, one small-scale release of non-gene drive genetically modified male bias mosquitoes took place successfully, in accord with terms and conditions of the ANB and ANEVE permits.”
Despite these clearances, the initiative drew mounting criticism. Civil society groups, led by the Coalition for Monitoring Biotechnological Activities in Burkina Faso (CVAB), denounced the project as risky, opaque, and potentially harmful.
Ali Tapsoba, a leading member of the coalition said, “The problem is the solution proposed by Target Malaria, which consists of eliminating the vector using gene-drive mosquitoes,”
He added that “This technology is highly controversial, unpredictable, and raises ethical concerns. More specifically, the impacts of gene-drive organisms on health and ecosystems remain unknown and potentially irreversible.”
Critics further highlighted that the modified mosquito strains originated in laboratories in Europe, raising questions of scientific neo-colonialism and external influence.
In its defence, Target Malaria stressed: “The IRSS team, as part of the Target Malaria project, has operated since 2012 in compliance with the national laws of Burkina Faso. We have engaged actively with the national authorities and stakeholders of Burkina Faso and remain ready to cooperate.”
A Clash with Military Priorities
The suspension reflects broader tensions between Burkina Faso’s military-led government and Western-backed NGOs.
Since seizing power in 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s administration has increasingly sought to limit foreign involvement in domestic policy, particularly projects tied to high-profile Western philanthropists such as Bill Gates.
Officials argue that Burkina Faso needs “locally developed, safer alternatives” rather than experimental technologies imposed from abroad. The suspension also aligns with the military government’s populist agenda, which often casts Western-funded initiatives as undermining sovereignty.
With Friday’s announcement, all activities linked to Target Malaria have been formally shut down in Burkina Faso. The research consortium says it will continue to cooperate with authorities but has reiterated that its work complied with national laws and international biosafety standards.
The decision marks a significant setback for genetic approaches to malaria eradication, raising broader questions about how far Africa is willing to embrace radical biotechnology in the fight against its deadliest disease.
For now, Burkina Faso has made its stance clear: Bill Gates’ vision of genetically engineered mosquitoes will not be taking flight on its soil.
Olamilekan Okebiorun
