Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Burundi
This morning, January 20, 2026, His Excellency Edouard BIZIMANA, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and Development Cooperation, welcomed a delegation from the African Union Development Agency – AUDA-NEPAD led by Madam Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Director General of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD). The two authorities discussed strengthening the partnership and relations between the Republic of Burundi and the AUDA-NEPAD Development Agency, emphasizing that this visit represents a strategic opportunity to foster constructive dialogue.
Madam Nardos Bekele-Thomas emphasized that this initiative aims not only at exploring the modalities for opening the Footprints office of the AUDA-NEPAD but also at establishing beneficial institutional cooperation mechanisms between Burundi and this organization.
Indeed, both personalities agreed on the growing importance of cooperative relations between Burundi and African development institutions, highlighting that the issues of sustainable development and regional integration are more than ever at the heat of concerns.
They also discussed the question related to Burundi’s presidency of the African Union in February 2026. Madam Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Director General of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, assured that her institution will provide technical support to Burundi during this presidency.
