BUJUMBURA August 9th (ABP) – The fourth edition of the Burundi industrial fair is scheduled from August 26 to 28 at the Source du Nil hotel under the theme “A dynamic and responsible industrial sector, committed to increasing exports and job creation”.
This was indicated in a press conference on Friday August 6 by Mr. Olivier Suguru, chair of the Burundi Industrialists’ Association (AIB) with 53 members.
According to Mr. Suguru, the organization of that activity is in line with the objectives that the AIB has set itself, since 2008, to bring together all professionals of the Burundian industry with those of the sub-region and the rest of the world in order to exchange experiences, explore investment opportunities, enter into partnerships and learn about trends in this sector.
That meeting will allow manufacturers, small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperatives to present their products to a wider audience and to establish business relationships with the various economic operators.
Conferences-debates on themes mainly oriented towards exports and job creation will also be organized.
Mr. Suguru further indicated that the industrial sector is of great economic importance due to its substantial contribution to domestic production, job creation, and increase in household income and poverty reduction.
Thus, for this year, the AIB has chosen a theme that is in line with the national industrialization policy which stipulates that “its main mission is to build, by 2027, a dynamic competitive industrial sector and diversified as part of the structural transformation of the economy and the creation of new decent jobs”.
The specific objective is to increase the share of manufactured products in intra-regional exports from 11.4% in 2015 to 23% in 2027. For Mr. Suguru, it will be up to the industrial sector to contribute more and more to supporting the overall growth of the economy and to solve the structural problem of unemployment and the balance of payments.
Currently the Burundian industrial sector represents only 2 to 2.5% of the GDP (gross domestic product), according to the president of the AIB.
For him, the industrial sector of Burundi is able to recover significantly, because the country has a significant potential of significant mineral reserves which could support economic growth by the diversification of Burundian exports and, therefore, to seek foreign markets. .
The following is the manufacturing sector which occupies the rest of the industrial sector. It is an activity which remains underdeveloped and which requires significant private investments and the support of the public authorities to reach the export stage, underlined Mr. Suguru.
This process requires investments in innovation, from simple transformation to high-tech transformation, he added.
It should also be noted that the fourth edition of the industrial fair will also be an opportunity to offer visibility of the products of the Burundian industry which need to be known, recognized and sold locally, in the sub-region and internationally for boosting the economy and establishing obvious integration.
It is also a call to the potential partners of Burundi to better support and structure the industry of Burundi.