Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Burundi
On Monday, May 25, 2026, Burundi celebrated Africa Day 2026. This event was organized by the African Diplomatic Group in Burundi under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Burundi and current Chairperson of the African Union, His Excellency Évariste Ndayishimiye.
The theme of this day was: ‘’Ensuring sustainable access to water and safe sanitation systems in order to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063.’’President Ndayishimiye first visited the exhibition and sales stands featuring products from the various countries of the African Union. After the visit to the stands, the panelists were introduced, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, His Excellency Ambassador Édouard Bizimana, was the first panelist to speak.
Mr. Bizimana stated that today Burundi is celebrating 63 years of unity, integration, and development. Burundi is celebrating Africa Day at a time when the world is facing global challenges affecting Africa, such as the wars in the Persian Gulf, the war in Ukraine, the war in Sudan, terrorism, climate change, and epidemics. These challenges have direct consequences for Africa and for its Agenda 2063.
He emphasized that the round table held on May 25, 2026, was designed as an intellectual and civic space to promote open discussion among various actors from the diplomatic, academic, political, civil society, media, and youth spheres living in Burundi. This round table makes it possible to connect the political memory of Africa Day with contemporary issues such as African diplomatic leadership, regional peace, African integration, the transformation of education systems, water and sanitation, the promotion of cultural heritage, and preparing youth for the responsibilities of tomorrow.
The Minister took the opportunity to speak about Burundi’s continental responsibility and the role of youth in advancing regional cohesion. He indicated that, for African youth to contribute to development, there is a need for a revolution in skills based on quality education, science, technology, innovation, research, and a better alignment between training and the labor market. He recalled that the organization of the 5th edition of the Continental Youth Dialogue aims at replicating the Burundian experience at the continental level, given the role played by Burundian youth in the development of Burundi through the Youth Economic Empowerment and Employment Program (PAEEJ).
Minister Bizimana also spoke about Burundi’s contribution to peacekeeping operations of the United Nations and the African Union. He indicated that Burundi has demonstrated particular leadership in the search for a lasting solution to the crisis affecting eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by encouraging dialogue among the parties to the conflict. The Minister announced that, thanks to sincere and inclusive dialogue, Burundi has been able to put an end to the cyclical crises that had grieved the country for years. He affirmed that, thanks to the return of peace in the country, all Burundians are now focusing on development projects with the aim of achieving the goals set by the Vision of Burundi “an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060.”
In his speech, the President of the Republic of Burundi, His Excellency Évariste Ndayishimiye, invited the youth of Africa and Burundi to make Africa Day a moment of personal and collective commitment to peace, knowledge, innovation, environmental protection, and sustainable development. He also invited diplomats, universities, technical and financial partners, business operators, as well as all public and private institutions, to strengthen concrete partnerships in favor of water, sanitation, solidarity, and African transformation. The celebration of the day ended with a football match between the team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation and the team of the African Diplomatic Corps accredited to Burundi.