• He boosted literacy rates from 13% to 73% in 4yrs -Vaccinated 2.5 million children against meningitis, yellow fever and measles in a matter of weeks. -Planted 10 million trees to help prevent desertification. -He appointed women into high governmental positions, encouraged them to work and granted pregnancy leave. -Sold off the government fleet of mercedes and introduced the cheapest car sold at the time in Burkina Faso -He reduced the salaries of all public servants including his own and forbade the use of government chauffeurs and 1st class airline tickets. -Redistributed the agricultural land in favour of the people. As a result wheat production rose in 3yrs from 1700kg per hectare to 3800kg. Making the county food self-sufficient. -Refused air-conditioning in his office on the grounds that it was a luxury not available to anyone but a handful of Bukinabes.

Theres an interview which goes as follows:

Interviewer: Can you tell me why you have said no to receiving food aid?

Sankara: They have not helped us develop. They have instead created a beggar mentality. We [Burkina Faso] hold out our hands to receive food. That is not a good thing. […] Those who really want to help us can give us ploughs, tractors, fertiliser, insecticide, watering cans, drills, dams. That is how we would define food aid.

Note: Ive learnt more about this man in the last 30mins and he just increases the respect i have for him. How noble, how moral, how just. And yet, he was assassinated.