BUJUMBURA November 22nd (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, closed on Friday November 19, 2021, at the Kigobe convention center, the national forum on the development of Burundi which was organized by the presidency of the Republic from November 18 to 19, 2021 under the theme: “Make Burundi an emerging country by 2040”.
Those ceremonies saw the participation of the Vice-President of the Republic, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Senate President, the Prime Minister, members of the government, members of the offices of the National Assembly and the Senate, representatives of the diplomatic and consular corps accredited in Bujumbura, technical and financial partners of the government, Burundian experts living in Burundi and abroad and others.
In his closing address, the President of the Republic thanked all the speakers for the quality of their presentations during the said forum and the various themes of interest to national life. He promised that the experiences shared will serve as a reference for the future actions of the Burundian government.
“The recommendations made in this forum will be given special attention,” he said, noting that he will ensure that they are supported in their implementation. “The participation in that forum of all layers of the population, including the executive power, the legislature and the judiciary, civil society, political parties, women and young people constitute a force which strengthens social cohesion and the credibility of recommendations that have been submitted, “he said.
According to the Head of State, Burundian intellectuals living in Burundi or abroad, eager to contribute on issues of sustainable and inclusive development in Burundi, were able to make, during that forum, a critical analysis as to their implementation. implemented. They also proposed possible solutions that will inspire the government in its fight against poverty, corruption and economic malfeasance. He said these solutions will inspire the government when investing in key sectors such as agriculture, energy, mining, infrastructures, health and education, for the development of human capital meeting the needs of the Burundians
President Ndayishimiye took that opportunity to invite members of the government, each as far as he is concerned, to take ownership of the implementation of the recommendations resulting from this forum so that there are appropriate solutions. The organizers of this forum are asked to set up thematic platforms to facilitate the contribution of each other on the subjects debated, including the flight of capital and brain, the modernization of agriculture as well as the promotion of education adapted to the needs of the people.
To the various entrepreneurs, the Burundian number one advised to organize themselves to improve the private sector as well as the business climate of Burundi, explaining that their actions must be the engine of development of Burundi.
The President of the Republic of Burundi did not forget to express his feelings of satisfaction towards the technical and financial partners of the Burundian government for having participated in this forum, from start to finish. He promised them that as part of the implementation of the recommendations resulting from this forum, a mini-round table, centered on the good management of development aid, will be organized in the first two weeks of December 2021. He also indicated that next year, another forum on the development of Burundi will be organized as a kind of evaluation of the implementation of the recommendations resulting from this forum.
At the end of the forum, some major recommendations were read by the secretary of the forum organizing committee. He cited the establishment of policies and strategies to face certain challenges related to the development of Burundi and the establishment of consultation and exchange frameworks. It is also a question of making statistics where it is necessary, to seek data where it is observed this lack, and to carry out institutional reforms and capacity building.
Regarding the issue of lack of foreign exchange, it was recommended to speed up the monitoring of the management and implementation of projects financed by technical and financial partners, to make rapid disbursements and collections by the Bank of the Republic. of Burundi (BRB), speed up the monitoring and tracing of operating revenues and the use of foreign currencies granted to finance imports.
Regarding public finances, the parliament must take sufficient time (3 months) to analyze and discuss the next budget proposals prepared by the ministry in charge of finance, and also to monitor the execution of the public budget.