Burkina Faso grounds Gates-backed mosquito project amid sovereignty, ethics row

Burkina Faso’s military-led government has suspended the controversial Target Malaria initiative, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation–funded project aimed at combating malaria through the release of genetically modified mosquitoes.
Announced Friday (22 August) by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the decision halts all activities and orders the destruction of remaining mosquito samples. Project facilities have been sealed, ending more than a decade of field research. Launched in 2012 and led by Imperial College London, Target Malaria sought to limit the reproduction of malaria-carrying female mosquitoes via genetically engineered male mosquitoes. The first release occurred in 2019, with further releases as recently as August 2025.
Despite securing national regulatory approvals, the project sparked widespread criticism. Civil society groups, including the Coalition for Monitoring Biotechnological Activities in Burkina Faso, warned of ecological risks, ethical concerns, and lack of transparency. Activists also raised alarms about foreign influence, framing the initiative as scientific neo-colonialism. Target Malaria defended its activities, asserting they were “in compliance with the national laws of Burkina Faso.”
The Traoré administration, which has revoked licenses for several foreign-funded NGOs since taking power in 2022, views the decision as reinforcing national sovereignty. “This technology is highly controversial, unpredictable, and raises ethical concerns,” warned Ali Tapsoba, a leader of a coalition against the project. “More specifically, the impacts of gene-drive organisms on health and ecosystems remain unknown and potentially irreversible.” While Target Malaria maintains it complied with all legal frameworks, Burkina Faso has drawn a line: experimental biotechnology backed by Western philanthropists won’t be welcome — for now.