Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Burundi
On Friday April 3, 2026, His Excellency Ambassador Edouard Bizimana, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, opened an information session for economic operators on the Continental E-Commerce System.
Organized in partnership with the Burundi Federal Chamber of Commerce and Investment (CFCIB), this meeting forms part of Burundi’s presidency of the African Union. It aims at promoting the continental e-commerce ecosystem as a strategic lever for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Through this initiative, Burundi intends to stimulate intra-African Trade and contribute to the effective implementation of this landmark project across the continent.
In his address, Ambassador Bizimana urged all stakeholders including telecommunications operators, banking institutions, investors and users to join forces to finalize the establishment of the national e-commerce ecosystem. This will be an essential step for the deployment of the project at the continental level. His Excellency the Minister also called on Burundi’s partners to support this ambitious project, while commending those who have already expressed their commitment.
For his part, Mr. Fernand Matendo, President of the ICT Sector Chamber within the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Investment of Burundi (CFCIB), recalled that the primary objective of the continental system is to facilitate African trade. He nevertheless highlighted several persistent challenges, including inadequate cross-border payment systems; supply chains insufficiently aligned with e-commerce standards; incomplete policy and legal frameworks, and so on.
Despite these obstacles, he emphasized the results of studies carried out, showing that e-commerce represents a viable solution to many problems encountered in traditional commercial exchanges.
The meeting concluded with particularly rich and constructive exchanges, driven by participants’ questions and contributions. These interventions confirmed the strong interest and commitment of economic actors in support of this continental project. Participants stressed the need to accelerate the finalization of the system
while addressing the challenges already identified in order to develop sustainable solutions. Priorities mentioned include strengthening digital connectivity, securing data, using existing platforms in synergy, and putting in place an effective outreach plan to ensure broad and inclusive adoption of the project. (MFARIDC)
Meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee of the Belgium-Burundi Bilateral Cooperation Programme «NTUSIGARE INYUMA»
On April 3, 2026, in Bujumbura, Mr Sophonie NITUNGA, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, opened the proceedings of the Joint Consultative Committee for the Belgium-Burundi Bilateral Cooperation Programme « NTUSIGARE INYUMA», implemented by the Belgian international cooperation agency ENABEL, as part of the implementation of the bilateral cooperation programme between Burundi and Belgium.
This programme, which will run from 2024 to 2028, aims at contributing to the development of an inclusive Burundian society that is resilient to climate and socio-economic threats by promoting access to quality healthcare, inclusive and quality education, more decent and «green» jobs, improved food and nutritional security, and the strengthening of trust between the population and institutions.
The two sides also discussed the Kaburantwa hydro-agricultural development project. In this regard, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment indicated that they are examining, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, the co-financing, coordination of stakeholders and compensation for landowners whose land is earmarked for hydro-agricultural works in the Kaburantwa River marshlands.
It should be noted that both parties consider the programme to remain relevant and coherent, and that the work carried out to date is viewed positively. It was agreed to accelerate the implementation of the programme. Finally, the parties undertook to hold steering committee meetings during the first quarter of each year in order to facilitate the rapid implementation and disbursement of the budget. Furthermore, Belgium undertakes to advocate for a more substantial portion of the state budget to be allocated to basic social services, and in particular to healthcare.