The development of biofuel production in Burkina Faso, raises high expectations regarding the development of rural energy access and the substitution of imported fossil fuels. Several initiatives for biofuel production from Jatropha oilseeds were launched in recent year by NGOs and private operators. The government is planning to define a policy framework to support the development of this sector. To this end, the potential benefits from this activity needs to be carefully investigated in regard to sustainable development objectives. The goal of this work was to investigate these opportunities by determining the technical possibilities regarding the context and in what conditions and to what extent they can contribute to sustainable development objectives. The approach was based on the modelling and simulation of production processes coupled with environmental and economic assessment tools. Specific experiments were also led whenever data were not available, as for the determination of the oil yield of a screw press. Economic efficiency was assessed using value chain analysis, which consists in calculating the value added generated by the different activities involved in a supply chain, and the distribution of this value in the form of income to the employees, the supply chain players, the state and the banking institutions. Environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and fossil energy consumption, are evaluated using a partial life-cycle assessment. The production of three different final products was investigated, i.e. straight vegetable oil (SVO), refined oil aimed to be used for stationary applications (power generation, shaft power, pumping...) and biodiesel dedicated to transportation. The analysis of individual processes allowed to identify the most sensitive parameters at a local level. As a general trend for all processes, the price of feedstock dramatically affects the production cost. For SVO production, the oil recovery and the seeds oil co