BUJUMBURA November 2nd (ABP) – The Cabinet met on Wednesday October 27, 2021 under the chairmanship of the Head of State Evariste Ndayishimiye with ten items on the agenda including the analysis of the Strategic Documents of the Ministry of Interior, Community Development and Public Security, namely the General Policy Letter 2021-2027 and the Strategic Plan 2021-2027.
According to the press release from the General Secretariat of the State, those documents outline the sectoral orientations and the priorities of the ministry to contribute in the implementation of the National Development Plan (PND) 2018-2027 and strengthen decentralization, so that the communes are truly poles of sustainable community development. The general policy letter recalls the institutional evolution, enumerates the challenges and issues, highlights the priorities and gives the vision of the ministry by 2027 which is “A government institution ensuring with professionalism internal governance, community development and security, for the well-being of the people”. It then gives the orientations in the form of strategic axes, as well as the mechanisms for implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
As for the 2021-2027 Strategic Plan, it operationalizes the General Policy Letter. It identifies strengths, shows weaknesses, opportunities and risks, and indicates strategic directions and their alignment with the National Development Plan. It develops the strategic axes by specifying the programs, projects and activities by strategic axis, and proposes the budget for its implementation. The Strategic Plan comprises four areas of intervention, 12 strategic axes, 29 programs subdivided into 102 priority projects for a total budget over seven years, estimated at Thousand Six Hundred and Thirty-Two Billion Five Hundred Five Million Burundian Francs (1,632,505 billion BIF).
At the end of the analysis, the two documents were adopted with the recommendations of, to ensure that the budget foreseen for the implementation of that strategy is spread over the entire period, to ensure that the planned projects are in line with other planning tools such as the Public Investment Program and the Annual Action Plan, develop a realistic and achievable annual budget according to the priorities, speed up the file on administrative restructuring, properly align the funding of the partners with the priorities of the government. In the action plan, highlight the activities, namely the promotion of dialogue between political parties, civic and patriotic education, the issue of the blocked or open list in local elections, the issue of ethnic quotas at the level of representation in state institutions, the strategy to be put in place to limit births, control of the movement of people, control of the movement of refugees established on Burundian territory, control and maintenance of communal structures, strengthening ethics at the leadership level, the issue of inheritance for women and girls, the issue of children of unknown fathers and improving government communication.
In addition, the Cabinet analyzed the sector strategies of certain ministries, including that of the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender. These Sector Plans align with the National Development Plan (PNB).
For that ministry, as the press release from the General Secretariat of State indicates, that strategy is a strategic reference document for the medium and long term. It was developed through the three sectors of intervention of the ministry, namely, the sector of the protection of human rights with the vision of “Making Burundi a society which guarantees the full respect of human rights”, the sector of protection social with the vision of “Adequate social protection coverage for all” and the sector for the advancement of women and gender equality with the vision of “Building a society where women and men enjoy the same rights and are subject to the same duties within the framework of political, economic, social and cultural development of Burundi ”.
Thus, all sectoral investment programs should align with these objectives, in the consistent implementation of all activities under these three sectors. The Cabinet meeting analyzed that Strategy on May 19, 2021 and made observations to be taken into account in its finalization. After exchange and debate on the new document presented, the Council of Ministers noted that the recommendations of the Council of Ministers have been taken into account and adopted the Strategy with recommendations to ensure that the budget provided for the implementation of this strategy is spread over the entire period, ensure that the planned projects are in line with other planning tools such as the Public Investment Program and the Annual Action Plan, draw up a realistic and achievable annual budget according to the priorities, align funding from partners with Government priorities. Establish criteria for evaluating the degree of vulnerability, adjust the implementation of the “MERANKABANDI” project so that in the future there will be contributory assistance to prevent people from getting used to free access, clearly define the criteria for choosing project intervention areas as well as beneficiaries. In the action plan it will be necessary to add activities such as the effective decentralization of the services of the ministry, the improvement of the living conditions of retirees, in particular the retirement pension, the question of the stratification of the cost of the health insurance card. according to the beneficiaries, the census of the truly destitute, the management of orphanages, the question of polygamy and the improvement of government communication.
The Cabinet meeting also analyzed the sector strategies of certain ministries, including that in charge of infrastructure, as indicated in the press release from the General Secretariat of the State. That sector strategy is in keeping with the logic of the operationalization of the 2018-2027 National Development Plan, within the limits of the aspects that fall under the missions of this ministry. Regarding the decade covered by that strategy, the press release indicates that the project implementation process has already been initiated three years ago. This strategy comes as a response to the challenges encountered, with a view to strengthening the achievements already accomplished. The main priorities foreseen by this strategy are mainly aimed at opening up the interior and exterior, through the rehabilitation and extension of the bituminous network, the maintenance of the existing coated network, as well as the newly developed network.
Regarding equipment, it is planned to acquire appropriate building and public works machinery, to facilitate the execution of the works under the control. With regard to housing, priority will be given to the construction of apartments accessible to civil servants and other low-income buyers. That strategy comprises seventeen (17) programs and forty-two (42) projects. To ensure the effective implementation of this strategy, an institutional framework will be put in place, consisting of a sectoral steering and monitoring-evaluation committee, which will be supported by a technical committee. The overall amount of funding for the strategy is Five Thousand Six Hundred Eleven Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy Million Burundian Francs (5,611,770,000,000 BIF). At the end of the analysis, the Strategy was adopted with recommendations to, reorganize the document starting with the strategy, and follow it up by the implementation plan, highlight in the document the development of the capacities of all the more so as the ministry must have specialized human resources in various fields. Accelerate the housing and urbanization policy currently being drawn up, ensure that the budget planned for the implementation of this strategy is spread over the entire period, ensure that the planned projects are in line with other planning tools such as the Public Investment Program and the Annual Action Plan, develop a realistic and achievable annual budget according to priorities, identify the texts that need to be revised to have an up-to-date legal and regulatory framework. Develop planning for the development of the Lake Tanganyika coastline in collaboration with the Ministry in charge of the Environment, develop a road infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation plan, ensure that the feasibility studies of the various projects are always available to be presented to partners whenever they are required, plan the acquisition of the means and equipment of the technical services of the ministry and update the period of implementation of the Strategy.
In the action plan, it will be necessary to add the activities to be carried out, namely, to carry out the effective decentralization of the services of the ministry, to rehabilitate the roads according to a precise timetable, and in priority Bujumbura-Gitega and Bugarama-Kobero, to build roundabouts embellished by monuments which symbolize Burundian culture, endow each municipality with a multi-storey building housing all the decentralized services that work in the municipality. Look for a state cart intended only for service activities, put in place a strategy to repair state vehicles at a lower cost, take an inventory of all state-owned buildings throughout the country, carry out the necessary investigations to know the true legal status of the Presidential Palace of Kiriri. Identify in all the provinces the places where the turnkey social housing districts will be developed according to the standings, promote the villagisation policy, develop green spaces, games and entertainment, plan the acquisition of equipment for the buildings of the State by State itself and promote transport on Lake Tanganyika. It will also be necessary to seek, in collaboration with the Ministry in charge of Finance, financing for the construction of the railway, to rehabilitate the Melchior Ndandaye International Airport, to construct administrative buildings in Gitega, in collaboration with the Ministry in charge of Solidarity. and the Interior, set itself the objective of “0 Maison Nyakatsi”, clarify and empty the issue of plots around the Ntare Rushatsi presidential palace. Build an omnisport stadium to international standards, develop a diplomatic quarter, build an international conference room, decide on the issue of buildings erected in green spaces but for which titles have been issued and improve government communication.