Burkea africana is a shrub or tree that is very widespread in Tropical Africa with an estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) of over 13 million km². This species is harvested for its timber and medicinal value, as well as other uses. Unsustainable harvesting and habitat loss are threats to this species in some areas of its distribution. However, as B. africana is so widespread and locally common in many areas it is not thought to be threatened globally, and therefore is assessed as Least Concern.

Burkea africana is a very widespread species in Tropical Africa with a distribution extending from Senegal in West Africa, east to South Sudan, and south to Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia. The extent of occurrence (EOO) is estimated to be over 13 million km².

There is no population size information available for this species. It is reported to be common in many areas. However, the population trend is suspected to be decreasing as in many regions natural stands have declined due to clearing for agriculture, excessive burning and changes in climatic conditions and soil salinity (Maroyi 2010).

Burkea africana is a deciduous shrub or tree usually growing up to 10 m, rarely up to 20 m. It occurs in deciduous woodland and wooded grassland, on sandy soils, at elevations from 40 to 1740 m (Tropical Plants Database Ken Fern 2018). In Zimbabwe it flowers between September and October (Hyde et al. 2019).

This species is harvested for its timber and medicinal value, as well as other uses. In the Kano State (Nigeria) it is reported to be threatened due to unsustainable harvesting for medicinal purposes (Abubakar et al. 2018). In many regions, natural stands of this species have declined due to clearance for agriculture, excessive burning, changes in climatic conditions and soil salinity. However, it is not thought to be at risk of genetic erosion (Maroyi 2010).

Burkea africana is widely harvested from the wild for various local uses. The timber is used for a range of purposes including in parquet flooring, fine cabinet and furniture work. The wood is also used for fuelwood and charcoal. The bark, roots and leaves are commonly used in traditional medicine and often traded on local markets for this purpose. Also, dyes can be obtained from the bark and twigs are used in dental care. This species is also used as an ornamental and planted as a street tree (Tropical Plants Database Ken Fern 2018).

Burkea africana is found in four ex situ collections including seeds being banked at the Millennium Seed Bank, UK (BGCI 2019). This species has also been found in protected areas including Mole National Park (Ghana) and Bouda Ndjida National Park (Cameroon). It is recommended that the population, trade and harvest trends of this species should be monitored to detect any future declines.