DrupalCamp Ouagadougou 2025 Builds Momentum for Drupal Community in West Africa

The second edition of DrupalCamp Burkina Faso took place on April 25, 2025, marking a major milestone for the Drupal community in the region. Organized by the Drupal Burkina Faso Association, the event aimed to promote Drupal adoption, support digital transformation, and develop the technical skills of developers in Burkina Faso. With 200 confirmed registrants and 300 more on the waiting list, interest in the event exceeded expectations and demonstrated strong momentum for open-source engagement in West Africa.

Led by Seferiba Salif Soulama, CEO of Elan Technology, the camp brought together students, developers, and regional tech leaders for sessions on Drupal development, AI integration, and workspace training. Despite financial constraints and extreme temperatures, 177 participants were able to attend, thanks to the support of 21 volunteers and backing from the Drupal Association. The event emphasized collaboration and networking, providing a space to build connections and share knowledge across the growing ecosystem.

Seferiba described the camp as a short-term effort to popularize Drupal, but also part of a broader vision. He aims to establish DrupalCamp Burkina as a leading technology conference in Africa, with long-term plans to host the continent’s first DrupalCon in Ouagadougou by 2027. While sponsorship and participation from ICT professionals remain ongoing challenges, organizers see continued community engagement and local partnerships as key to future growth.

The Drupal community in Burkina Faso is considered one of the most active in French-speaking Africa. However, barriers such as limited resources, language challenges, and fragmented collaboration across countries continue to slow broader progress. Seferiba believes that long-term success will require both institutional support at the national level and deeper involvement from the global Drupal Association.

As DrupalCamp 2025 concludes, organizers are already focused on follow-up initiatives, including recurring meetups and targeted training programs. For many attendees, particularly young developers and students, the event offered a foundation for deeper engagement with Drupal and open-source development. While the road ahead involves structural challenges, the camp has solidified its role as a catalyst for change in the region.