BUJUMBURA July 5th (ABP) – The Cabinet met on Wednesday June 28, 2022 under the chairmanship of the Head of State, Major General Evariste Ndayishimiye, with several items to be analyzed, including the draft decree revising Decree 100/171 of September 30, 2009 establishing the levels of recruitment and the index grids for salaries of civil servants, presented by the Minister of the Public Service, Labor and Employment.
The General Bylaw of civil servants introduces changes in the management of recruitment and careers of civil servants.
However, it was decided not to immediately modify the organization of the index grid and the level of the recruitment which were set by Decree No. 100/171 of September 30, 2009.
However, the said decree, even if it organizes the index grid of civil servants, also includes other provisions, which are not compatible with those of the new bylaw. The proposed project revises the decree in force by keeping the index grid and the levels of recruitment, but by abolishing the distinction between teachers and non-teachers and removing special provisions applicable to teachers.
At the end of the debate, the bill was passed with some formal aspects to be retouched.
The Cabinet also analyzed the draft joint ordinance on the administrative release and fictitious career advancement of State civil servants and civil agents for the 2016-2022 period, presented by the Minister of the Public Service, Labor and Employment.
With a view to the implementation of a fair wage policy in the Burundian public sector, the Government has granted compensation for the adjustment of wage disparities in the public sector and freezing of annual wages, bonuses and short-term allowances since January 1, 2016 until today. Since then, civil servants and civil agents of the State in the public sector have continued to be rated without benefiting from the related step and grade advancements.
In application of that salary policy adopted by the Government on March 2, 2022, that ordinance proposes the administrative release of the careers of civil servants and civil agents of the State before switching to the new remuneration system proposed by the said policy. At the end of the debate, the bill was passed subject to a few formal aspects to be corrected.
In the same context, the Cabinet also studied the draft joint ministerial ordinance granting a new salary adjustment allowance to civil servants and civil agents of the State, presented by the Minister of the Public Service, Labor and Employment.
On March 2, 2022, the Government of Burundi adopted a fair wage policy in the Burundian public sector. From the point of view of its implementation, it was recommended to spread it over ten years, at the rate of 12.5 billion Burundian francs for nine years with the possibility of increasing that sum mid-term depending on the availability of resources. For the 2021-2022 financial year, a budget of 25 billion Burundian francs has been reserved.
That joint ministerial ordinance therefore proposes the terms and conditions for the breakdown of that budget for the granting of a new salary adjustment allowance to civil servants of the State, in accordance with the prescriptions of the salary policy. At the end of the debate, the bill was passed with a few editorial corrections.
The other bill studied is the one regulating medically assisted procreation in Burundi, presented by the Minister of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS. The government of Burundi has found that infertility becomes a real public health problem if nothing is done immediately. This public health problem is compounded by social stigma that has serious effects on the mental and social well-being of couples.
To deal with that problem and given the development of technologies used in medically assisted procreation, it is necessary to set up fertility centers and regulations governing practices related to medically assisted procreation, hence the proposal of that bill.
After discussion and debate, the Cabinet recognized the importance of that regulation because it is a new area in Burundi.
The Cabinet made the following observations: The matter is not within the domain of the law; given the importance of the area to be regulated and which affects human life, it was agreed to submit the bill to the ethics committee, to conduct a survey to gather the opinion from the people on that reproductive system. The bill will be brought back to the Cabinet Meeting.
The Cabinet also studied a concept note relating to the Support Project for Agro-pastoral Entrepreneurship and Professional Development of Youth and Women (PAEPPPJF), presented by the Minister of East African Community Affairs, Youth, Sports and Culture.
The Government has placed employment issues, improving the skills of young people for better employability and professional integration among its top priorities. It is in that context that several initiatives have already been undertaken.
The Support Project for Agro-pastoral Entrepreneurship and Professional Development of Youth and Women will be financed by the AfDB. The objective of the Project is to improve the professional, technical and entrepreneurial capacities of young people and women in the agro-pastoral sectors, leading to an increase in their contribution to the economy and job creation,
support for improving the technical and professional skills of young people and women for better employability. It will also contribute to supporting the improvement of the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the creation of employment and export opportunities for young people and women, the strengthening of digitalization and the digital skills of young people/women, institutional support and capacity building of actors.
At the end of the exchanges, the Cabinet approved that Project and asked to ensure that it starts in September of this year.
In the miscellaneous items, the Head of State noted that many processing units in the country do not operate for lack of raw materials.
He asked the Ministers in charge of Agriculture and Finance to study the methods of importing maize so that those processing units find raw material to continue to operate. He also asked to prepare well for the A-B cropping season for the harvest to be good, especially by raising awareness among the people to make reservation of rainwater for irrigation.