Paul Kaba Thieba (born 28 July 1959) is a Burkinabe economist who served as Prime Minister of Burkina Faso after being appointed on 6 January 2016 by President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. He led a government composed largely of technocrats and professionals and remained in office until his resignation in January 2019.

Background and professional profile

Trained as an economist, Thieba spent much of his career in roles related to public finance, economic policy and the private financial sector. His background was commonly described as technocratic: he did not first emerge as a partisan political leader but rather as a manager with experience in economic administration and advisory work.

Premiership: priorities and policies

As prime minister, Thieba presided over a government that emphasized economic management, public investment and reforms intended to stabilize fiscal conditions. His administrations focused on measures to support growth, improve public services, and promote private-sector development. Security and counterterrorism also became major priorities as Burkina Faso faced an escalation of armed attacks and internal displacement during his tenure.

Key areas addressed by his government included:

  • Fiscal consolidation and budgetary management
  • Public investment and infrastructure projects
  • Security sector coordination and humanitarian response

These efforts were pursued against a difficult backdrop of economic constraints and a deteriorating security environment in parts of the country.

Resignation and legacy

Thieba resigned in January 2019 amid criticism of government performance in handling security and public expectations. His departure reflected broader debates in Burkina Faso about how best to combine economic policy, governance reforms and security operations. Analysts often characterize his tenure as a period in which a technocratic approach was tested by urgent security challenges.

Today Paul Kaba Thieba is remembered as a figure who brought professional economic experience to the office of prime minister at a turbulent moment in Burkina Faso's recent history. His term illustrates the limits and possibilities of technocratic government when confronted by simultaneous economic and security crises.