Pouytenga is the capital and largest city in the Pouytenga Department of Kouritenga Province in

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to ...

. It has a population of 96,469 (2019 census).

History

Pouytenga was founded by the Mossi chief Naaba Pouya, from whom it received its name. The name means "land of sharing" or "land of hospitality" in the Mòoré language.

Geography

The city is located in the northern part of the province at the intersection of international roads RN16 Koupéla - border of Togo at 149 km from the border and RN4

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural, and economic centre of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 2,415,266 in 2019. The city's ...

- Niger border at 154 km from

. It is made up of a strong Yarcé community.

Neighbourhoods of the city

* Yars-sin * Poes-sin * Karob-guin * Kows-ramb-bin * Djo-N'guin * Kombouw-bo * Pissaal-gho * Gar-kin

Economy

Craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

s in the commune of Pouytenga are characterised by the diversity of the activities carried out and the low level of qualification of the majority of the players. Crafts are the second most important urban employment sector (which itself includes so-called

artisan An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...

activities). This includes the craft of production, the craft of services and the craft of art. The production craft is the most represented type. It is found in the textile sector, wood and metal

joinery Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...

, metal processing, construction, maintenance and repair of buildings (

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

, painting,

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses pipes, valves, plumbing fixtures, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. Heating and cooling (HVAC), waste removal, and potable water deliv ...

, etc.), preparation or manufacture of products including fresh bakery, pastry, butchery and fishmongery, as well as the preparation or manufacture of crafted ice-cream, alcoholic beverages (dolo) and catering. The service craft, which is poorly represented because of its diversity, includes hairdressing,

butcher A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...

driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and bicycles. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to f ...

, maintenance and repair of vehicles and machinery, small-scale sales of handicrafts, and photography. The craftsmanship of art is varied in all the localities of the municipality; it is mainly represented by professionals in

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

, natural resource processing and recovery, decoration. The contribution of this sector to the local economy is quite significant even though it is not recognised.

Agriculture

Agriculture is the second most prevalent occupation of the population after trade. It is practised in villages and remains heavily dependent on

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorological ...

hazards. It is an agriculture characterised by the use of equipment which is still inefficient even if it is noted that the use of the plough, especially mule-pulled, cattle and

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commo ...

s, is becoming increasingly in the habits of producers and is threatened by the strong pressure on land. Agriculture produced in the commune is highly diversified and focuses on three types of crops, namely

cereal crops A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...

, cash crops and other food crops. Vegetable crops are also grown.

Cereal crops

The cereal crops produced are red sorghum, white sorghum, millet,

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

and

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

. These crops are produced mainly for self-consumption, but some are sold on the market, notably the Pouytenga market, or to collectors, semi-wholesalers and wholesalers.

Cash crops

Cash crops include groundnuts, sesame and

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...

Peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...

is the most commonly grown crop.

Market gardening

Market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to ...

ing is an activity that is practised in the commune of Pouytenga, especially in villages such as Kourit-Yaoghin, Zaongo, Gorkassinghin, Zoré and Leamtenga. On the whole, the main vegetable crops grown in the commune are experiencing a general upward trend in the areas sown. The same applies to the productions and yields obtained. Despite these improvements, the municipality covers only about 35% of its needs.

Breeding

Two livestock systems coexist in the commune. These are sedentary extensive systems (little practised) and semi-intensive systems (more dominant). The main species raised are

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, ...

, donkeys,

equines ''Equus'' , is a genus of mammals in the family (biology), family Equidae, which includes horses, donkeys, and zebras. Within the Equidae, ''Equus'' is the only recognized Extant taxon, extant genus, comprising seven living species. Like Equida ...

and

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

s. The extensive system is rarely practised due to lack of space, grazing, water points.

Transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower val ...

is virtually non-existent given the predominance of fattening. However, breeders from other countries such as

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

and

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagestabaski (Eid al-Adha) for sheep and until April–June for cattle. Semi-intensive farming corresponds to fattening of

ovine Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betwe ...

, caprine,

porcine The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

. It is the most dominant, due mainly to the lack of space and the predominance of the fattening of livestock farrow. There is the beginning of an intensive rearing of poultry which has demonstrated effective following the diversification of animal production in the municipality.

Trade

Trade is practised by the majority of the population of the commune (about 80%) and the town itself is renowned for this commercial city function at the national level. However, it is a sector which remains dominated by the

informal sector An informal economy (informal sector or grey economy) is the part of any economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government. Although the informal sector makes up a significant portion of the economies in developing countrie ...

, although there is a specialisation in the organisation of the various traders by their membership of a central

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

as well as the different trading areas: the central market (including the bicycle market, the poultry market), the

cola Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imi ...

market, the cereal market, the livestock market and the "Seko" market. Traders, like the configuration of the population are of various origins (national and foreign countries such as

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages

Market

The central market is located at sector 5 on a site with an area of about 4.60 ha. There is a fairly diversified trade, which involves the exchange of products of all kinds, where manufactured goods occupy an important place. These products come from different backgrounds (

, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Mali,

Cote d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, etc.) and are sold either in shops or makeshift stalls. Decades old and having given the city a national reputation, this market is still undeveloped. There have been several attempts at development and organisation of the market, but all have failed for various reasons: reluctance of traders, especially those who benefit from the lack of organisation, etc., hence the need for construction of a market that meets all safety standards. Traders in the central market, like those in other major markets, are organised into associations and trade unions, and the informal nature of commercial activities is dominant.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in the Centre-Est Region