Burkina Faso's President Ibrahim Traoré has presided over the graduation of 65,000 young people from the country's mandatory patriotism training, urging them to work hard in order to defend the country's integrity.

Traoré's administration introduced the Mandatory Patriotic Immersion programme in 2025, requiring high school graduating students to undergo a month-long training focused on civic values, national unity, discipline, and history. They are then given a certificate which is required for university admission.

The Burkinabe leader urged the young people to imbibe the virtue of humility and patriotism while learning to understand the world and geopolitics.

''An ignorant person is a danger to our Revolution," Traoré said at the graduation ceremony on Thursday, according to a statement from the presidency.

“No matter the situation, you must surpass yourselves… avoid shortcuts, the easy way out, because that path leads to betrayal,” he told the young Burkinabe citizens.

This is the second set of graduands under the mandatory training programme, which the authorities say aims to strengthen social cohesion and build a generation of citizens committed to the country.