16 Jul New Focus: The Quest for Burkina Faso Economic Sovereignty
INFLEXIONPOINT PODCAST SERIES HOSTED ON THE TRANSFORMATION NETWORK
2025 THEME: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THE GRASSROOTS OF CHANGE
EPISODE 89 AIR DATE: JULY 16, 2025
Our Guest: Burkinabé Leontine Osuagwu
Equipping today’s leaders to rise as authentic, emotionally intelligent catalysts for transformational change.
Our Position on Sovereignty
At InflexionPoint Podcast we take the position that community engagement and cooperative economics serve as a bridge to sovereignty. We follow the work of Professor Ezrah Aharone who applies “the Concept and Consciousness of Sovereignty as an interpretative lens to examine historical truths, current realities, and the future development of Africa and Africans in America.”
His work demonstrates that sovereignty is the pinnacle of all freedoms.In his book, Sovereign Psyche, Prof Ezrah Aharone defines the sovereign mindset as “an energizing mindset, consciousness, and thought process by which people define and express freedom through the unique particularities of their political and ideological self-identity.”
In this episode we dig into the role of sovereign psyche in the African nation of Burkina Faso under the past leadership of Thomas Sankara (1949-1987) and current leadership of Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Our Guest is Burkinabé Leontine Osuagwu.
“I’m Very Proud of What our Captain IT is Doing”
These are the word that Leontine spoke to me as we prepared for her guest appearance. She took on us on a journey as a Burkinabé, speaking of her home county and its leadership with admiration, pride, and hopefulness. She shared the country’s history of leadership beginning with the Revolutionary Blueprint of Thomas Sankara and flowing right into the current leadership under Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
The Sovereign Psyche Starts in the Community through Engagement and Cooperative Economics
Leontine Osuagwu’s home country is Burkina Faso and she resides in the US. She is the co-founder of Dunamis Global Empowerment Ministries with her husband, Emeka Osuagwu. They empower nations through liberation and transformation. She is the founder of Leo’s Leadership Lounge, where she equips today’s leaders to rise as authentic, emotionally intelligent catalysts for transformational change.
With over 20 years of leadership experience across corporate, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors, Leontine helps leaders cultivate the mindset, strategy, and emotional intelligence needed to lead with excellence and create sustainable impact. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Organizational Leadership, a Servant Leadership expert, and business agility advocate. Leontine bridges cutting-edge leadership research with real-world experience to build resilient, high-performing cultures.
She is the creator of 7 H.E.A.R.T Centered Habits of Purpose-Driven Leadership, a transformative leadership framework designed to develop self-aware, emotionally intelligent, and values-driven leaders. She is also the author of Reflecting Jesus: Roadmap To Transformational Servant Leadership.
Her passion is deeply personal, rooted in her own journey through adversity which fuels her belief that courageous leadership begins with inner growth. Through keynote speaking, leadership workshops, and dynamic development programs, she empowers leaders and organizations to lead with authenticity, emotional resilience, and strategic clarity. Her signature topics include emotional mastery, legacy-driven leadership, and redefining leadership from the inside out.
Thomas Sankara’s Leadership (1938-1987).
Before Captain Ibrahim Traoré reawakened the spirit of sovereignty in Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara ignited it. Sankara came to power in 1983 through a popular military-led revolution. At just 33 years old, he redefined leadership by centering integrity, humility, and people-centered governance.
His policies were bold, his vision radical, and his legacy enduring. He renamed the country Burkina Faso, meaning “Land of Upright People,” to reflect its moral awakening while rejecting the colonial name under the French—the Republic of Upper Volta. His independence and anti-capitalist stance made him a threat to global powers with interest in African resources. His speeches, ideas, and policies inspired movements for sovereignty, justice, and dignity—not just in Burkina Faso, but across the African diaspora.
Key Tenets of Sankara’s Leadership
Anti-imperialism and Pan-African unity – rejecting aid from the IMF and World Bank, warning that “he who feeds you controls you.”
Land reform and food sovereignty – achieved food self-sufficiency.
Women’s empowerment – ahead of his time in gender policy, education, believing that “There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women.”
Environmental justice – combat ecological degradation and destruction of ecosystems
Public service and anti-corruption – clear message: public service, not personal enrichment.
21st Century Leadership in Burkina Faso Under Ibrahim Traoré
Ibrahim Traoré
Assumed leadership in 2022 as a 34 year old military captain. He revived many of Sankara’s principles with a 21st-century lens. His government has prioritized national dignity, anti-imperialism, and grassroots development, rejecting external control in favor of community-based resilience.
Cooperative Economics in Action
Under President Traoré, Burkina Faso is turning to cooperative economic models to reduce foreign dependence and empower local communities:
Agricultural Sovereignty: Captain Traoré launched initiatives that increased production of key crops, established the country’s first tomato and additional cotton processing plants, and provided significant support to farmers.
Education, Youth, and Sovereignty: Radical Reimagining of Education
Civic Education Revamp: Youth are taught national history, anti-colonial struggles, and the value of Pan-African solidarity.
Youth Cooperatives and Training Programs: The state supports skill-building in agriculture, energy, and construction—sectors critical to self-reliance.
Digital Sovereignty: Emphasis on technological independence, with investment in local IT infrastructure and educationRdical
A Call to Practice: Sovereignty from the Inside Out
To cultivate a sovereign psyche, we must build what Prof. Aharone calls “sovereign-conscious ecosystems,” which includes:
Civic education rooted in African-centered thought
Institutions controlled by and for the people
Economic systems based on cooperation, not competition
Every community meeting, every local cooperative, every youth-led initiative is a step toward collective self-possession.
Redesign your path. Reclaim your power. Reignite your purpose.
Please take this message personally and seriously! I encourage you to begin your practice of sovereignty from the inside out. In essence, it is to reimagine you. And the power to reimagine you is magnified as we collectively activate the same power to reimagine we.
Sovereignty Soul Mantra
I am not broken, I am born of flame—
A mind unchained, I name my name.
No crown bestowed, no leash, no lie—
I stand in truth, I walk sky-high.
Roots deep as stars, I rise, I see—
Freedom begins and ends in me.
I dream, I build, I am what I see—
Whole. Sovereign. Free.
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