From 5 to 6 December 2024, Burundi will host an Investment Round Table as part of the effort to mobilise financing for the implementation of Vision 2040-2060. A landlocked country in East Africa, Burundi’s economy is driven by agriculture. The sector employs around 80% of Burundi’s population. For the authorities, this event will be an opportunity for the country to present new sectors in which its development partners and the private sector can invest.
From December 5 to 6 2024, Bujumbura, Burundi’s economic capital, will bring together development partners and private investors for a Round Table. At this major event, the government intends to share its vision of socio-economic development and the reforms planned and underway with all potential external and private funding sources. For the government, the aim is to share the main thrusts of Vision 2040-2060, to present the revised National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2027, its Priority Action Plan, and the financial resources needed to implement it.
My priority is to increase people’s incomes so that they can meet their needs. We’re talking about the need for housing, health and education. And we also need to develop infrastructure, especially energy infrastructure. We’re still lagging behind in terms of countries’ needs, but we’re doing everything we can to increase energy capacity.
Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic
According to the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Country Report 2024, entitled ‘Boosting Burundi’s Transformation through Reform of the Global Financial Architecture’, Burundi’s economy is characterised by little structural change. The sectoral share of industry remains below 19% of GDP, while that of services averaged 37.7% of GDP over the period 2020-2023. The country will therefore need USD 2.2 billion a year until 2030 to speed up its structural transformation process. According to the authorities, this round table is an opportunity to find investment alternatives for agriculture, which employs more than 80% of the working population, accounting for 86.1% of total employment.
We are now working with foreign investors who can provide the capital to start industrialising the country. We have a subsoil rich in minerals and we believe that we will soon see results. We are also investing in ICT. Eventually, these technologies will also be able to contribute to the country’s development. And we haven’t forgotten the tourism sector. As you know, Burundi is a destination country. If you look at the Burundian landscape, it’s a great country to live in, and that’s because it has the lowest cost of living in the region.
Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic
In the long term, the Burundian authorities hope that this round table will lead to an improvement in the business climate and the private sector, make the country more attractive to foreign investors and tourists, and diversify innovative financing mechanisms.
